Diaferia Condemns Plan for Drone Deployment in U.S.; Urges Americans to Take Action; Questions Recent Military/DHS Activity in Central New Jersey

In response to recently revealed plans by the US government to deploy tens of thousands of military drones over the US mainland in the coming years, Green Party Congressional candidate Joseph Diaferia is calling upon Congress and the
American people to demand answers.

According to US government estimates, tens of thousands of such drones could be winging overhead within the next ten years, operating out of dozens of military bases in various states across the country. It is also reported that some drones are already operating around the US, some even licensed to local law enforcement agencies.

“We need to know exactly what this government has up its sleeve, and Congress and the American people must begin demanding answers.  Is domestic espionage being broadened and taken to a more sophisticated level? Are these drones going to be deployed to suppress social unrest in the event of—say, an economic meltdown? Are these drones going to be used to take out troublesome individuals—in other words, political activists? It is quite well known that drones are used for killing. The people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, among other places can certainly attest to this”, argues Diaferia.

Diaferia further suggested that it is no coincidence that these revelations coincide
with the genesis of the Occupy Movement and the increasing number of peace
activists being arrested on trumped up charges of “terrorism”. Diaferia wonders
if at some point the practice of banishing so-called terrorists to Guantanamo
Bay, might be replaced by the more “efficient” tactic eliminating them with
Predator drones.

Additionally, Diaferia cited an ABC News report that ascribes modern anthropometric capability to drones.

Said Diaferia, “According to the report, [drones] may be equipped with facial recognition technology, license plate scanners, thermal imaging technology, and a lot more.  So the development of this technology, taken together with the re-deployment of US troops onto American streets that began in 2008, the passage of NDAA 2012, Obama’s ‘kill lists’ as reported by the New York Times last month, and a very chilling picture begins to emerge. We can no longer afford to accept without question or criticism, the official rationales coming out of Washington. The so-called war on terror launched during the second Bush Administration has always been a war against the American people, and not only has it continued [during the Obama Administration], it is manifesting itself much more acutely.”

In light of the prospect of a heightened military presence across the U.S., Diaferia was asked about recent reports of an unusual amount of military activity in the skies over central New Jersey, to which he responded, “Yes, I teach at two colleges out there and last week many students contacted me with reports that the area was teeming with military helicopters. Some also reported that the Department of Homeland Security was conducting some unseemly inspections or surveys in some rather curious locales.” Diaferia continued, “Certainly New Jersey’s congressional delegation needs take an even closer look at what’s going on out there.”

In order to bring some measure of public scrutiny into what he terms “the Administration’s Orwellian endeavors”, Diaferia is urging all Americans to organize and take action, and to contact their senators and representatives. With regard to the recent activity in central New Jersey he is urging residents there to contact Senators Menendez and Lautenberg, and Representatives Holt, Smith, Pallone, and Lance specifically.

Said Diaferia, “I want people to call and pressure their congressional representatives into conducting inquiries. I do not expect local congress members to spring into action based on a mere flurry of correspondence. This is, after all, the same Congress that passed NDAA 2012. There needs to be an overwhelming call for action, but Americans also—and more importantly—must organize themselves and take action.” 

Diaferia concluded, “If [Americans taking action] means turning off their texting
devices, video games, and forgetting about professional sports for six hours
while they take to the streets, so be it. Circumstances are far too dire for
Americans to be politically idle”.

Joseph Diaferia is running in New York State’s newly reconfigured 16^th
Congressional District which includes lower Westchester County and roughly the
upper one-third of Bronx County, from the Hudson River to Long Island Sound.
This is Diaferia’s second campaign for public office, his first being a run for
a seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 1987.

Contact U.S.
Senators here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Contact U.S.
Representatives here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

http://diaferiaforcongress.info