Dear Indiana, Just a few weeks ago, during a commencement address to West Point's graduating cadets, President Obama spoke to the importance of greater transparency "about both the basis of our counter-terrorism actions and the manner in which they are carried out." President Obama also made similar comments about drone transparency last year, but the Obama administration hasn't yet matched the president's words with action by publicly disclosing meaningful information about its targeted operations and its use of drone strikes. We need to demand transparency. That's why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to President Barack Obama, says the following: According to a number of civil and human rights groups, drone warfare has led to hundreds of civilian deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia – and a possible violation of international law. We want the government to name who it has killed with U.S. drones, where, and why, including an explanation of the legal authority and evidence supporting each of those killings. Sign the petition: Demand transparency on U.S. drone strike targets. The U.S. secret drone war is damaging our reputation abroad and arguably inspiring new terrorists instead of thwarting them. Human rights and civil rights groups have uncovered evidence of hundreds of civilian deaths unreported by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia.1,2 Our government must be transparent about whom it is targeting with drones, and why, in order to shed light on whether or not the U.S. government is violating international law. Even CIA Director John Brennan has said, the United States "need[s] to acknowledge publicly" any mistaken killings and should "make public the overall numbers of civilian deaths resulting from U.S. strikes targeting al-Qa'ida." With the Obama administration currently considering the use of drone strikes in Iraq, which would undoubtedly lead to civilian casualties, now is the perfect time to demand transparency on the civilians killed by previous U.S. drone strikes abroad. I believe the public has an inalienable right to know whom their government is targeting and at what collateral cost. Now is the time to have a national conversation about the U.S. drone strike program and to demand far greater transparency from the Obama administration. Will you join me and add your name to my petition urging President Obama to be far more transparent about the United States' drone strike program? Thank you for your support. Rick Rosenthal - "Everything We Know So Far About Drone Strikes," ProPublica, February 5, 2013
- "The Toll Of 5 Years Of Drone Strikes: 2,400 Dead," Huffington Post, January 23, 2014
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