June 2017 IN THIS E-BULLETIN NINETEEN NUCLEAR ABOLITIONISTS BLOCKADE U.S. MISSION TO THE U.N. VETERANS ARRESTED AT SENATE HEARING OF “TORTURE MEMO” AUTHOR FOUR DRONE PROTESTERS ARRESTED AT VOLK FIELD RESISTANCE ACTIONS CONTINUE AT DES MOINES DRONE COMMAND CENTER PLEASE SUPPORT IMPRISONED ANTI-NUCLEAR AND ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS – THE NUCLEAR RESISTER NEEDS YOU! ___________________________________________________ Nineteen […]
Monthly Archive for June, 2017
Code Pink photo
from Code Pink
At the Senate confirmation hearing for Steven Bradbury as general counsel for the Commerce, Science and Transportation Department on June 28, members of Veterans for Peace and CODEPINK protested Bradbury for his authorship of the “Torture Memos” under the Bush administration. Three members of Veterans for Peace were arrested for speaking out at the hearing: Tarak Kauff, Ken Ashe and Ellen Barfield.
All three veterans, in response to why they protested today, affirmed that Bradbury should not hold any kind of position in the United States’ government and called on the senators to oppose his nomination.
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FOUR CITIZEN ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AT VOLK FIELD AS THEY ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE BASE AS A CRIME SCENE
by Joy First
Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars has held monthly vigils against drones at the gates of Volk Field for over five years. This Wisconsin Air National Guard Base is a critical component of the whole drone warfare program being conducted by the US government in a number of countries in the Middle East and Africa. At Volk Field personnel are trained to operate the RQ-7 Shadow Drone, which has been used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition. However, now there is the likelihood that the RQ-7 is also weaponized. See http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/7914/was-a-new-type-of-drone-launched-weapon-used-to-kill-al-qaedas-2-man
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from a report by Frank Cordaro
Four peace activists were arrested on Wednesday morning, June 28 after they set up three concrete blocks in the road leading into a drone base and chained themselves to them in a desperate attempt to get local attention to what they believe is happening at the 132rd Wing Iowa Air National Guard Drone Command Center at 3100 McKinley Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa.
The road was blocked for hours while fire crews cut through the concrete barriers.
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Photo of Martha Hennessy by Bud Korotzer
On June 19, fifty people marched to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in New York City after gathering at the nearby Isaiah Wall for a nuclear disarmament vigil. Nineteen of the activists blocked the doors, in protest of the U.S. decision to boycott negotiations on a nuclear weapons ban treaty. While the group chanted “U.S. join the talks, ban the bomb,” the blockaders were soon arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. All of them were taken to the 7th Precinct on Pitt Street, and were released at 5 p.m. with desk appearance tickets and an arraignment date of August 24th at 100 Centre Street.
Those arrested (list below) are members of the New York City Catholic Worker, New York City War Resisters League and other groups.
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by Kathy Kelly
June 20, 2017
This week, in New York City, representatives from more than100 countries will begin collaborating on an international treaty, first proposed in 2016, to ban nuclear weapons forever. It makes sense for every country in the world to seek a legally binding ban on nuclear weapons. It would make even more sense to immediately deactivate all nuclear weapons. But, by boycotting and disparaging the process now underway, the U.S. and other nuclear armed nations have sent a chilling signal. They have no intention of giving up the power to explode, burn and annihilate planetary life. “The United States is spending $1 trillion USD over the next thirty years to modernize its nuclear weapon arsenals and triple the killing power of these weapons,” says Ray Acheson, programme director at Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Acheson also notes that the excessive spending for nuclear weapons contrasts with U.S. cuts to vital anti-poverty programs. On June 19th, more than a dozen people blocked the entrances to the U.S. Mission to the UN, in protest of Washington’s decision to boycott the negotiations. They were arrested for disorderly conduct, but I believe it’s incomparably more disorderly to plan for nuclear war.
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Photo by Aaron Jorgensen-Briggs
Report on arrests
at drone command center
from Frank Cordaro
Our numbers remain small. A total of seven folks showed up at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 10 for the fourth Saturday “Stop the Killing, Shut it Down” vigil/picket line/direct action Des Moines Catholic Worker and Veterans for Peace campaign. The Guard security and Des Moines police were prepared. The gate at the main entrance was already shut when we arrived at 10 a.m.
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May 2017 IN THIS E-BULLETIN DIE-IN BLOCKED ROAD AT CALIFORNIA DRONE BASE BLOCKADES DELAY START OF NATO SUMMIT – 128 ARRESTED PROTESTERS ARRESTED TWO WEEKS IN A ROW AT DES MOINES DRONE COMMAND CENTER MOTHER’S DAY OBSERVED WITH RESISTANCE AT TRIDENT BASE CHELSEA MANNING FREED! PLEASE SUPPORT IMPRISONED ANTI-NUCLEAR AND ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS – THE […]