interview with my brilliant and beautiful friends heather and brian!
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Center for the Study of the Drone: You have responded to accusations of anti-Americanism by claiming that you are in fact being patriotic. Could you explain that?
Heather Layton: In 10 years, I don’t want to live in the empire that fell because it created so many enemies. Instead, I want to live in a place where “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these rights are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” I believe that we are being patriotic when we are loyal to that vision. The abolitionists and the suffragists are perfect examples. There would be no such thing as democracy in a culture that endorses slavery or denies women the right to vote. The drone strikes in northern Pakistan are crimes against humanity. This thing about “fighting for Freedom” is a self-sabotaging to this nation. It is anti-Patriotic to take pride in this country’s “innocent until proven guilty” philosophy and then kill thousands of people without trial in an effort to defend it. I see our voices of dissent as being our patriotic duty. More here.