At Drone Convention, Zero Tolerance for Peace
When are we, as a nation, going to have a frank discussion about
drones and remote-controlled killing? One might think that such a
dialogue could take place when thousands of people come together, once a
year, at the gathering of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems
International (AUVSI).
But AUVSI, the lobby group for the drone industry, brooked no dissent at its August 6-9
Las Vegas Convention. When I, as author of a new book
Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, tried to rent a room at the Convention Center to give a presentation on my book, AUVSI vetoed my request. When I tried to
register
as a journalist, I was told that I did not meet their criteria, but
they refused to say what that criteria was. And after registering online
as a normal participant and paying the $200 fee, when I appeared to get
my badge I was yanked off the line, surrounded by police, and told I
would be arrested if I set foot in the Convention Center during the
duration of the gathering.
