Drone pilots are bad guys

Commercials urge drone pilots to refuse to fly missions

Anti-drone groups are airing cable television commercials near Beale Air Force Base, California, urging remotely piloted aircraft pilots to refuse to carry out missions.

"The reason that we felt we had to start running these ads is the president and the Congress have been irresponsible and - we believe - operating illegally and immorally to let these drone attacks continue," said Nick Mottern, of the group KnowDrones, the lead group behind the effort. "We felt that we had to speak directly to the people who were being ordered to do the killing because, at this point, it seems they're the only ones who can put a stop to this."

The commercials aired near Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, in March and they have aired near Beale for the past week, Mottern told Air Force Times.

Beale is home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, which includes RQ-4 Global Hawks - surveillance drones that fly at high altitudes but are not armed.

Two versions of the commercials are currently airing, both 15 seconds long, the Sacramento Bee first reported on Thursday. In one version, a narrator says, "U.S. drones have murdered thousands, including women and children."

Both commercials end with the narrator saying, "Drone pilots: Please refuse to fly," along with the words "No one has to obey an immoral law" printed on the screen.