Lockdown at Lockheed-Martin

At 12:49 PM -0700 4/22/03, Christine Ahern posted on Grassroots Radio Coalition list that this week's Sprouts program will be available as a download for a short time on the High County Community Radio Coalition site at: http://www.hccrc.org/pickup/

program contains

rom KUNM in Albuquerque a protest story at Lockheed Martin; from KBCS in Bellevue, WA a discussion with area church groups on the ongoing antiwar movement within their organizations; from Evan Davis, independent producer and Columbus Community Radio Coalition a story looking at aniwar protests from the perspective of the poor and people of color; and from WJFF in Jeffersonville, NY a look at alternatives to oil as a local wind power project goes online. Hope you can all get a chance to listen!

Sprouts is a collaborative effort among Pacifica Affiliate stations. A different affiliate station produces the program each week.
Christine

--
Christine Ahern
Station Manager
WJFF Radio Catskill
Jeffersonville, NY
(845) 482-4141

excellent juxtaposition.

Thanks for the photos, Peter-san.

Cop looks like a Nazi storm trooper in those big black boots.
The little peacenik is seated defiantly in front of him, like David to Goliath.
Wonderful demo. Congratulations San Francisco!!!

How does that save Iraqis or was the goal to entertain them cops

Over the course of the day, authorities arrested approximately 60-70 protesters from the three different locations at which they have blocked entrances to Lockheed Martin's campus. Preliminary estimates indicate that the action included 500-600 other people who opted against risking arrest. One of the facliity's three main entrances remained closed for over five hours.

At least one injury was reported. Police cutting apart protesters held together by lockboxes drilled into the hand of a core organizer for the South Bay / Mid-Peninsula Cluster, which coordinated Tuesday's protest. He was treated and released from the hospital.

Police also thrust batons into the ribs of a designated liaison, before ultimately arresting her. Police charged the liaison with assault, after she touched a horse that police maneuvered into her.

LOk, the goal was not to save Iraqis (directly) or to entertain the police. The goal was to bring the public's attention to Lockheed Martin's presence in the Bay Area and its profiting from the ongoing war. Basically it was publicly posing questions: is it right that Lockheed Martin should make millions of dollars from the bombing of Afghanistan and Iraq (and other locations to be determined)? Is it right for the US to attack another country for supposed possession of "weapons of mass destruction" when this country, and Lockheed Martin in particular, make and use so many of our own? Finally, is it right for the designers and salespeople of weapons such as cluster bombs and nuclear weapons (they are the largest DOE contractor for nukes) to go to work every morning without any kind of challenge to their conscience?

People will have different answers to these questions. These direct actions just make sure that the questions are asked.

First, interferring with the normal operation of a business will get your movement absolutely nowhere. Secondly, people do not see photos of young people laying in the middle of a road and say, "wow, I really need to take a critical self-assesment of my country's foreign policy", rather they say, "look at these people, don't they have jobs".

And with all due respect, since America is such a hypocritical, WMD-laden factory, whose military contractors get fat off poor terrorist (err Chemical Ali), then why don't you move to Iraq or Afghanistan or even Antarctica...then you won't have to worry about supporting a country you don't like.

*** Lockheed Martin must become socially responsible.***

LM sucks huge cash out of Pentagon; stuffs Executive pockets with millions and then invests the extra Pentagon cash in really bad extractive corporations in oil/gas, GMOs, chemicals, and media. - SEE BELOW -

- top weapons maker ($27 billion): WMDs, Missiles, Depleted Uranium shells, landmines, F-16s, F-22s, C-130s, Laser weapons, Missile Defense, Drones, and Homeland Security database management

- top political contributor

- corporate welfare includes subsidies and hidden payments

- Environmental polluter (fines and cleanup partially reimbursed as "allowable costs" on defense contracts)

- Huge profits and Executive salaries ($25 million to CEO in 2002)

- Conflicts of interest between White House, Pentagon, NATO, Lockheed Martin

- Inter-relations with other corporations: oil/gas, media, life sciences, forest products, packaging through Lockheed Martin Investment Corporation

(e.g., Anglogold Limited (gold mining in Africa/Latin America) ($49.5mm); BristoLM1yers Squibb* ($25.5mm); ChevronTexaco; ConocoPhillips* ($40.7mm); Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal); Gannett* (USA Today, 22 TV stations) ($35.9mm); Marathon Oil* ($21.3mm); Merck ($43.9mm); Newmont Mining ($46.1mm); Phillip Morris ($40.5mm); Walt Disney Company (Disney, ABC); & Washington Post.)


namaste :)

An individual suggests protesters move somewhere else (that he thinks is perfect?) so that you won't have to live in a country you don't like.

I have a much better idea! Stay here! Change this crazy, immoral landscape that still has a dream, and a consitutional foundation, of democracy. Then, and only then, will you and I and all the rest of us not have to live in a country we don't like. Make this country fulfill its potential! Keep on moving us toward a better world--carry on the work of the suffragettes, the abolitionists, the civil rights workers, and all the other American heroes that have done so much to bring our country along the path of real freedom, sustainability, and beauty.

"...interferring with the normal operation of a business will get your movement absolutely nowhere...."

Interfering with normal operations *is* bad - that's why we were out protesting. We were protesting our government prohibiting 23 million Iraqi civillians from going about *their* normal daily lives ( when we kill them. http://www.iraqbodycount.net/

Interfering actually does a lot for the movement. New York, Washington DC, other cities here in the U.S. and even in other countries have been inspired to act based on our example here in the bay area.

Disobedience - both civil and uncivil - is what countries are built on: The Boston Tea Party, India's independence from Great Britain, etc.

Disobedience - both civil and uncivil - is what movements are built on: The civil rights movement, being the first one that comes to mind. Maybe you're right. Maybe those pesky, disruptive civil rights protesters should have just stayed home.


"Secondly, people do not see photos of young people laying in the middle of a road and say, "wow, I really need to take a critical self-assesment of my country's foreign policy", rather they say, "look at these people, don't they have jobs".

This isn't always the case. I was out protesting at the Pacific stock exchange a month ago - blocking one of the doors - and a woman came down who'd seen the protests on the news. She jumped in and joined us.

"... why don't you move to Iraq or Afghanistan or even Antarctica...then you won't have to worry about supporting a country you don't like."

Why not stay here and try to make it better?

We are the conscience of the nation. Many may not listen to their conscience, but we are doing our job. It was a joyous demo with lots of singing, dancing, eating---Thank you, Food not Bombs, and telling the world that we do not agree with killing. A big shout out to young adults who were the front lines. I applaud your courage. A reverence to the seniors, the Weapons inspectors. Thank you for leading us. The brass band was a blast!! Rock on. It was a wonderful day to be a part of the vision of peace.

Other posters have responded thoughtfully to Wolffman's points, but I'd like to add a little more:

--
First, interferring with the normal operation of a business will get your movement absolutely nowhere.
--
The bus companies of Montgomery, Alabama, the salt factory owners of India, the farmers of California's Central Valley, and any business that ever changed its practices due to a labor strike or a boycott would disagree. And let's note that none of the people participating in those direct actions was very popular at the time either.

---
Secondly, people do not see photos of young people laying in the middle of a road and say, "wow, I really need to take a critical self-assesment of my country's foreign policy", rather they say, "look at these people, don't they have jobs".
---
Maybe that's what you say. (On the other hand, if hundreds of thousands show up at a permitted demo, these same people will say something like, "look at the weekend protesters, making themselves feel better instead of doing something real.") Other people will look at people willing to undertake that kind of action and wonder why they care so much that they're willing to look a little silly and risk arrest. Which may in turn cause them to learn about the issue and perhaps form a better-reasoned opinion about it.

Direct action is how ACT UP got AIDS onto the national radar. They are how I as a suburban young person learned of the existence of AIDS. At the time nobody was talking about it. And at the time I thought they were trying to make a big deal out of nothing and didn't approve of their disruptive tactics. But now I get it.

----
And with all due respect, since America is such a hypocritical, WMD-laden factory, whose military contractors get fat off poor terrorist (err Chemical Ali), then why don't you move to Iraq or Afghanistan or even Antarctica...then you won't have to worry about supporting a country you don't like.
----
We are doing our patriotic duty and trying to fix things here, because we live in a democracy and we are accountable for the actions of our government. We are not willing to run away from the problem. We are acting on our beliefs, not throwing unexamined criticism at our country or our fellow citizens.

(At least that's my understanding of "us", though I don't mean to speak for absolutely everyone at every demo.)

I was one of the "inconvenienced" employees Tuesday. I don't work for LM, I work for another company in the same office park. I think the kids confused Yahoo for a weapons manufacturer. Maybe Yahoo is somehow involved with the slaughter of Iraqis, though. I mean, the troops did use Yahoo accounts to email back home... Therefore Yahoo is an evil war-mongering firm implicit in the ruthless slaughter of an innocent people... Or something like that, right?

Anyway, you kids gave me and my 600 colleagues a lot of material for jokes for the next few months. Thanks. While you were sitting on the wet pavement getting your asses wet, we were all upstairs in our company, laughing our asses off at you and telling jokes. If you think you made your cause look at all intelligent or informed, it didn't work. You looked like a group of motley kids who didn't know the war has ended.

The funniest part is that at the end of the day, we all have jobs that make a lot of money, and you lie in dirty streets. Someday, you'll grow up and be faced with the decision of taking a well-paying job to make your Stanford degree worthwhile (or even pay it off), or continue to lie in dirty streets. I'd put a lot of money (and I have it, since I work for an evil corporation) on the bet that you'll be lining up with an ill-fitting suit and poorly-written resume telling stories to your future employer and wishing you had some actual marketable skills.

You'll all sell out someday. It's just a matter of time.

Hope the hand is feeling better.

I can't speak for those who were there, but I'm not afraid to be laughed at, I don't have a problem with Yahoo or other businesses in that area particularly (I used to work down the road on Maude, and before you jump to conclusions, I quit and I do now have another job). I therefore don't worry about "selling out" or appearing hypocritical. I personally would not work for Lockheed Martin because of the nature of their business, and I hope that you could understand why.

Laughing at something like this might indicate that you don't have a fully-thought-out opinion about the issues that were brought up. Or that you feel the manufacture of nuclear weapons and anti-personnel land mines is not a serious issue. Laughter is a way to avoid dialogue. So think about your reasons for avoiding talking about it.

Gerald Leroy says:
"Interfering with normal operations *is* bad - that's why we were out protesting. We were protesting our government prohibiting 23 million Iraqi civillians from going about *their* normal daily lives"

So what if Saddam was murdering tens of thousands of his own people every year? What business of that is ours? Where were all you folks protesting that? You hypocrites don't give a sh!t about the Iraqi people, you're just against anything the evil United States does.

"So what if Saddam was murdering tens of thousands of his own people every year?"

So what if the US supported this slaughter until 1991?

"Where were all you folks protesting that?"

Where were YOU protesting THAT?

"You hypocrites don't give a sh!t about the Iraqi people, you're just against anything the evil United States does."

Oh, I guess you STARTED caring about the Iraqi people AFTER 1991.

<<<< If you think you made your cause look at all intelligent or informed, it didn't work. You looked like a group of motley kids who didn't know the war has ended. >>>>

That's just it - the "war" hasn't ended. The US is still occupying Iraq and still shooting to kill. Now the hawks have their eyes on Syria and Iran. The "war" is ongoing. Your comment tells me that we have more work to do. Whether or not you agree with our message, or our method of expressing it, I cannot stress the importance of getting your news from a variety of balanced sources and questioning everything. Laugh all you want, it doesn't bother me, but please, please be informed and participate in our democracy in a way that works for you. To do anything less is irresponsible.

<<<< The funniest part is that at the end of the day, we all have jobs that make a lot of money, and you lie in dirty streets. >>>>

Actually, no. The funniest part is that I have a job that pays very well, and I took a vacation day. Plenty of others did the same, or are self-employed or retirees. I encourage you to look beyond stereotypes and see the diversity of this movement. When you're finished laughing, stop, listen and think for a bit, about what we see that you might have missed.

<<<< You'll all sell out someday. It's just a matter of time. >>>>

Yes, I sold out at one point, but no, not everyone does, and it's these authentic people that have inspired me to 'buy myself back' , bit by bit. My McMansion-and-BMW days are over, by choice, and my life is so much richer for it.

"So who is really exploiting the Iraqi people?"

Now, the United States is. The oil fields will be given to Bush's pals in the oil industry. If you don't believe it, you are naive.

"Who protested the chemical slaughter of 1988?"

Bush Sr. sure as hell didn't!

I agree, it is our responsibility to get involved and CHANGE the things that are wrong with this country that's what the first amendment is all about. If you care about someone, don't you point out destructive or potentially dangerous behaviours that they might have?

"You hypocrites don't give a sh!t about the Iraqi people"

Incorrect. Anti war protesters are out on the streets because we care about the Iraqi people. We just don't think that killing Iraqis the best way to liberate them. It's not only the past month either - it's the future. Unexploded antipersonnel mines and unexploded cluster bombswill kill people in the coming months. Depleted uranium will cause problems for years.


What I do question is the U.S. government's professed concern for the Iraqi's. Here's a quote from foreignpolicy.com by Richard Perle: "Now, if we are going to remove Saddam to get rid of his weapons of mass destruction, consider democracy as an added benefit. "

Liberation and democracy for the Iraqi people isn't why we're there. As Richard Perle said, democracy for the Iraqi people is a by-product. If it wasn't in our own self interest - the U.S. wouldn't be doing a thing to help them.

I am glad that you know you sold out. You do have some conscience. I was there. I have a job. I am a middle class public school teacher. I had the day off.

oh my god, "laughing my ass off" called himself a sell-out, and damm, it must suck to be so shallow and have to tell us you make a lot of money, wow. You are obviously happy, even a little obssessed with the "dirty streets" you keep on mentioning, god, I hope you get happy someday, maybe you can take paxil or prozac, isn't that what you ignorant hawks take to deal with reality??

The mumbers are out Cost To LM $1,000.00 in security guards 100 peopls call in sick
Cost to Yahoo 600 people late to work 3 servers down $120,450 in revenue
Cost to Marvel 148 man hours
Cost to Sunnyvale $150,000 Extra police, Riot team, Equistiarian, Traffic control Hwy 237 CHiP

You just pissed off 30,000 poeple to protest Lockheed Martin Space division you know
Space station, Space Telescope,

Missiles, Depleted Uranium shells, landmines, all in IRAQ
F-16s, F-22s, C-130s, Georgia
Laser weapons, New Jersey
Missile Defense, Mosouri
Drones, Planet Nimbu
Homeland Security database management farm out to Yahoo

The so called casual protest in SF cost Mayor Willy $250,000 per each protest
We just pissed off 2,000,000 more

The numbers are out! Cost to American tax payer:

2003 defense budget of $379 billion + 80 billion extra for Iraq war = 459 billion

459 billion / 365 days = 1.26 billion per day.

1.26 billion per day = close to a million dollars per minute

anti-war protesting is far less expensive than war.

Oh yeah - and we just pissed of millions of Arabs.