President Barack Obama
The Office of the President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500
May 15, 2015
RE: TARGETED LETHAL DRONES PROGRAM
As senior leaders of our respective denominations and faith
groups, we write to express our grave concerns about America’s lethal drones
policy. The recent news of U.S. citizen Warren Weinstein’s inadvertent death by
drone strike is disturbing and shows the deadly risks of drone warfare.
As people of faith, we share common values from our diverse
traditions which broaden our concerns beyond national security objectives and
national borders. We believe in the intrinsic value of all humanity and
creation, compelling us to work for the common good of all people through the
principles of love, mercy, just peace, solidarity, human dignity, restorative
justice, and reconciliation. The U.S. practice of utilizing unmanned aircraft for
targeted killings is contrary to shared values, which guide us, our faith
communities, and most Americans.
Our concerns center first on the thousands of deaths, both
intended and unintended, that have resulted from lethal drones technology.
Despite the prevailing notion that drones are precise, the recent tragedy
involving the death of a U.S. citizen demonstrates this is not the case.
Indeed, such tragedies seem to happen frequently. Because the U.S. government
rarely acknowledges its drone strikes or reports the intended and unintended
deaths, our best knowledge of victims come from non-governmental organizations
and journalists. The estimates of widespread casualties are devastating and
morally unacceptable to us.123456 Additionally, the depravation of due process
to citizen targets and the Administration’s unaccountable creation and control
of a secret “kill list” are alarming to us, and counter to our notions of human
dignity, participatory processes, and rule of law.
A second cause of concern for us as faith leaders is the
secrecy and lack of accountability that surrounds these targeted drone strikes.
The power to decide who will live and who will die has become lodged squarely
in the Administration’s hands with the wide-ranging 2001 Authorization for the
Use of Military Force. With that unchecked power, the Administration has
secretly selected targets and conducted strikes without publicly disclosing
these activities, explaining their basis of legality, reporting who was killed,
or if unintended victims were compensated. This unaccountability prevents the
public and their elected representatives from having the ability to
meaningfully oppose the policies or fully understand what is being done in our
name.
A final concern is our firm belief that drone strikes do not
make us safer, but instead lead to perpetual destructive conflict and
extremism. Rather than simply taking the place of human bodies in a conflict,
drones actually expand conflict by taking us into combat where we otherwise
would not go.7 They enable reliance on warfare as the first resort.
This ever-growing warfare has increased fear in communities,
aided recruitment of extremist groups and failed to eradicate terror or bring
about security.8 Effectively combatting extremism requires nonviolent, creative
strategies, including sustainable humanitarian and development assistance, and
policies and programs that address the political, economic and social exclusion
that fuel radicalization. Several organizations, many of them religious, are
pursuing such strategies around the world. These efforts deserve more attention
and support, but resources instead are consumed by the endless drones war.
We join together as leaders of faith communities to urge a
halt to lethal drone strikes, accountability for past strikes, and a negotiated
agreement holding the international community to the same standards.
cc: United States House of Representatives
United States Senate
Sincerely,*
J Ron Byler
U.S. Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee
Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Patrick Carolan
Executive Director Franciscan Action Network
Sr. Patricia J. Chappell
Executive Director
PAX Christi USA
Very Rev. Carl Chudy, SX
Provincial Superior
Xaverian Missionaries in U.S.
Carole Collins
Director of Finance and Operations
Alliance of Baptists
Shan Cretin
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee
Joan Diefenbach
Executive Director
NJ Council of Churches
Very Rev. Michael Duggan, MM
U.S. Regional Superior
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
Betsy Dwyer
Director Commission on Justice Glenmary Home Missioners
Very Rev. James J. Greenfield, OSFS
President
The Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe
General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society
The United Methodist Church
Jim Higginbotham
Co-Moderator
Disciples Peace Fellowship
Mark C. Johnson
Executive Director
The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice
Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Ph.D.
Director, Department of Multifaith Studies and
Initiatives;
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Rev. Dr. Ken Brooker Langston
Director
Disciples Justice Action Network
Gerry G. Lee
Executive Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi
Beyt Tikkun Synagogue
Editor
Tikkun Magazine
Chair
Network of Spiritual Progressives
Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley
General Secretary
American Baptist Churches, USA
Chairperson
National Council of Churches of Christ, USA
Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren
Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Diane Randall
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Bill Scheurer
Executive Director
On Earth Peace
Kavneet Singh
Secretary General
American Sikh Council (ASC)
(Formerly World Sikh Council - America Region)
Sandra Sorensen
Director of Washington Office
Justice and Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ
The Rev. Sandra Strauss
Director of Advocacy and Ecumenical Outreach Pennsylvania
Council of Churches
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director
Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Jim Winkler
President and General Secretary
National Council of Churches
Scott Wright
Director
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
*Denominations listed for affiliation purposes only
