The California Department of Corrections (CDC) has unveiled a new series of advertisements to defend Obama’s drone policy from mounting public criticism. On November 5, 2013 the CDC successfully apprehended, rehabilitated and discharged over a dozen bus shelter advertisements in San Francisco.
Set against a black background, the ads feature a smartphone which has photographed a Predator drone strike in progress. On the smartphone screen a missile streaks away from the drone and crosses a cloudless blue sky. Just above the image, a new logo *Pakistan* imitates the original brand name, and a headline for the ad reads, THE NEXT BIG WAR IS ALREADY HERE.
The corrected ads came directly on the heels of several major reports from the UN, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which criticized Obama’s drone wars. Federal officials have stubbornly refused to acknowledge controversial aspects of the program, such as criteria for its kill lists or the mounting death toll among civilians. As these operations are shrouded in secrecy, the CDC released the rehabilitated smartphone ads to assist our colleagues in the federal government and explain the benefits of drones to war–weary Americans. Such benefits include cost savings from limited personnel serving overseas, streamlined executions unimpeded by judicial oversight and reduced environmental impacts due to the short commute of drone pilots operating close to home.
The ads are currently at liberty and seem to have successfully readjusted to public life. However, these advertisements will remain under surveillance by department staff to prevent recidivism and any potential lapse into prior criminal behavior. Founded in 1994, the CDC is a private correctional facility that protects the public through the secure management, discipline, and rehabilitation of California’s advertising. For more information, visit CorrectionsDepartment.org