The Nuclear Resister

Mauro Oliveira – photo by Fred Bialy

REPORT BACK: OCCUPY BEALE AFB, June 27 & 28, 2016

by Toby Blomé

On June 28 seven northern California peace activists crossed the military base boundary line, one after the other, in an extended interruption of “business as usual” at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, Calif., to continue their monthly resistance to the illegal U.S. targeted killing policies. Just prior to the arrests, activists had hung a yellow Crime Scene tape across the roadway leading into the base. The Global Hawk surveillance drone is actively involved in the drone assassination program, used as a tool to identify and track potential targets.

Arrestees include: Chris Nelson (Chico), Mauro Oliveira (Montgomery Creek), Shirley Osgood (Grass Valley), Chris Knudson (Paso Robles), Flora Rogers (Marysville), Michael Kerr (Bay Pt.) and Toby Blomé (El Cerrito).

Photo by Regis Tremblay

On June 18, the day of the “christening” of the $4 billion Zumwalt stealth destroyer, peace activists protested outside of Bath Iron Works in Maine. Twelve of them were arrested after shutting down the street in front of the shipyard just as the Navy crew was entering to attend the event. They told the media that they wanted to “interrupt the celebration of endless war and corporate profit” going on inside. The dozen men and women were charged with obstructing a public way, and will be arraigned in West Bath District Court on August 2.

A police officer told one of the arrestees, “You all are the conscience of the community.”

Photo by Murray Lumley

At the end of May, arms merchants visiting Ottawa for the Canadian Association of Defence and Security (CANSEC) industry trade show were greeted by “General Chaos” and the War Criminals Welcoming Walk, with a costumed commander and parading demonstrators from Homes not Bombs, Ottawa Raging Grannies, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade visiting several downtown hotels. At each hotel, people who have lived and worked in war zones spoke out about the impact of the international arms trade for people on the ground. They also worked diligently (and ultimately successfully) to persuade the boisterous General Chaos to stop promoting war.

from the Jay Chase Support Crew

Action alert for Jay Chase
May 25, 2015

Please accept our apologies for the sparse updates that have come out the last couple of months regarding Jay Chase.

As you may know, Jay received a one year sentence after pleading in Cook County to assault on a correctional officer. We support Jay in pleading out to one year versus rolling the dice and potentially getting 3-5 more years tacked on his sentence. His judge in that case was the same as in the original NATO 3 entrapment case and no one had any thoughts that this time, he would be fair, or cognizant of Jay’s terminal illness he struggles with daily (Huntington’s Disease).

from Voices for Creative Nonviolence

by Brian Terrell

“What happened to us was a shakedown by gangsters wearing police uniforms and judges’ robes, not for the sake of justice, but to maintain the civic infrastructure behind the glittering façade of Las Vegas with dollars squeezed out of its poorest citizens.”

“The degree of civilization in a society,” wrote the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, “can be judged by entering its prisons.” As a frequent visitor to Nevada in recent years, I have often been surprised by the cultural diversity and spiritual richness that can be found in Las Vegas. Still, I think that Dostoyevsky was right. A more accurate assessment of the degree of civilization in Las Vegas and for the broader society that the city claims to be “The Entertainment Capital” of can be made by entering the cells of the Clark County Correctional Center than by going to the top of the Stratosphere, cruising the Strip or even by taking in a Cirque du Soleil show.