Father William “Bix” Bichsel, a Tacoma Jesuit priest, had been fasting to protest “nuclear weapons, inhumane treatment at prisons and the separation of policy from conscience,” according to his attorney. The ailing 83-year-old broke his fast Wednesday because he felt himself weakening.
On January 14, 2012 activists from a local peace group blocked entry to the main gate at the Navy’s West coast Trident nuclear submarine base for nearly a half hour in an act of civil resistance to nuclear weapons.
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action held a peaceful vigil and nonviolent direct action at the main gate to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Silverdale, Washington. Thegroup protested the U.S. government’s continued deployment of the Trident nuclear weapons system. Its continued reliance on nuclear weapons as an instrument of foreign policy is in contravention of both U.S. and international laws.
The Trident submarine base at Bangor, just 20 miles from Seattle, contains the largest concentration of operational nuclear weapons in the US arsenal. Each of the 8 Trident submarines at Bangor carries up to 24 Trident II (D-5) missiles, each capable of being armed with as many as 8 independently targetable nuclear warheads. Each nuclear warhead has an explosive force of between 100 and 475 kilotons (up to 30 times the force of the Hiroshima bomb).
On Saturday afternoon the group maintained a peaceful vigil on the roadside outside the base entrance. Nine protesters entered the roadway carrying banners and blocked all inbound traffic lanes. One banner had a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “When scientific power outruns spiritual power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men.” One side of the second banner read “Care for Sailors & Marines: Peaceful Jobs for All.” The other side read “Enriching the Few at Everyone’s Expense: Occupy Trident.”
Trained peacekeepers from Ground Zero ensured the safety of all participants during the vigil and action, and communicated with base security personnel as needed.
Traffic into the main gate was turned away for approximately 26 minutes. Once Washington State Patrol officers arrived the protestors complied with the order to move off the State roadway. All were cited for “Pedestrian in Roadway Illegally” (a traffic offense) and released at the scene.
Those arrested were Louise Bollman, Larry Kerschner, Gabriel La Valle, Peggy Love, Jack Smith, Carlo Voli, Marion Ward, Robert Whitlock, and Alice Zillah. Arrestees’ ages range from 33 to 73 years.
The day planned in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. began in the morning at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action where participants learned about nuclear weapons effects (with an emphasis on the Trident system) and U.S. nuclear weapons policy. They also participated in nonviolence training and discussed the implications of the Occupy movement in relation to the movement to abolish nuclear weapons.
Participants in the vigil and action included activists from the Kitsap Peninsula, Olympia, the Greater Puget Sound area, the Interfaith Peace Walk for MLK Day, and Occupy Seattle.
Ground Zero holds three scheduled vigils and actions each year in resistance to Trident and in protest of U.S. nuclear weapons policy. The group has been working to reverse the Navy’s plan to build a Second Explosives Handling Wharf at Bangor. Ground Zero is also working to de-fund the Navy’s plans for a next generation ballistic missile submarine, estimated to cost $99 billion to build.
For over thirty-three years Ground Zero has engaged in education, training in nonviolence, community building, resistance against Trident and action toward a world without nuclear weapons.
Contact: Leonard Eiger, Media and Outreach
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
www.gzcenter.org
subversivepeacemaking@gmail.com
(425)445-2190
Is the nuclear-sub fleet a “Cold War relic” or a modern deterrent? The Pentagon nears a decision on building a $715 million munitions wharf on Hood Canal.
Peace activists made their case for the abolition of nuclear weapons, specifically the Trident nuclear weapons system, while on trial in a Kitsap County courtroom on January 4th and 5th for blocking the entrance to a local nuclear weapons base.
The ten defendants in two separate trials were charged with being “pedestrians on Roadway Unlawfully,” a traffic infraction. On different occasions, May 7, 2011 and August 8, 2011, the activists blocked the entrance to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, symbolically closing the base as a statement against the U.S. government’s continued deployment of the Trident first strike nuclear weapons system.
The Trident submarine base at Bangor, just 20 miles from Seattle, contains the largest concentration of operational nuclear weapons. Each of the 8 Trident submarines at Bangor carries 24 Trident II (D-5) missiles, each armed with up to 8 independently targetable nuclear warheads. Each nuclear warhead has an explosive yield of between 100 and 475 kilotons (up to 32 times the yield of the Hiroshima bomb).
The defendants on trial January 4th were Anne Hall, Betsy Lamb, Brenda McMillen and Tom Rogers, who were arrested August 8, 2011. On trial on January 5th were Mary Gleysteen, Anne Hall, David Hall, Bernie Meyer, Shirley Morrison, Dorli Rainey and Alice Zillah, who were arrested on May 7, 2012.
Kitsap County District Court Judge James M. Riehl presided over the trials. All the defendants, except Bernie Meyer and Dorli Rainey who represented themselves, were represented by attorney William Joel Rutzick.
Rutzick attempted to demonstrate that the defendants were incorrectly charged, and therefore the charges should be dismissed. State Patrol officers, who had been present at both arrests, testified, and photos and video were shown by the defense to make its case.
Aside from the legal issues surrounding the charging statute, the primary reason for the defendants to be in the courtroom was to make their case against the continued deployment of the Trident first strike weapons system and the government’s continued reliance on nuclear weapons while neglecting to lead the way towards the global abolition of nuclear weapons.
Judge Riehl was attentive and conciliatory as he limited the extent of the defendants’ testimonies while allowing them to state their case, in which they spoke passionately, referring to precedents established by the Nuremburg Tribunal and humanitarian principles and law. The general question asked by defense counsel was “Why did you do what you did?”
Tom Rogers, a retired Navy officer who commanded nuclear submarines during the Cold War, testified that he had been responsible for nuclear weapons during his career, and that our country’s national security strategy based on the threat of nuclear annihilation is dangerous, militarily impractical, and unaffordable. He participated in the August action to bring public awareness and believes his actions were justified based on the Nuremburg principles.
Anne Hall, a Lutheran minister, said that she “wanted to close that base for as long as possible… wanted to make people aware of the immorality and illegality of what was going on in that base.” When asked “What part did religion have to do with your motivation?” by Rutzick, she said “my calling is to follow Jesus… it is an anathema to God to kill children…”
Dave Hall: “…my commitment is to love justice and it is an anathema to be willing to incinerate an entire city…” Bernie Meyer: “…what I did was a citizen intervention.” Alice Zilah: “Trident is a cold war era machine we can no longer afford. We can’t afford them on a financial level or a moral level.” Dorli Rainey: “[Our action at Bangor] is the only way we can get to the public to let them know the outrageous things being done in our name.” Shirley Morrison: “…these weapons are immoral and illegal…” Brenda McMillan: [Nuclear] “weapons are immoral, horrific.” Betsy Lamb: “[We] follow in the steps of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jackie Hudson, and Jesus himself… feel called to take these drastic steps.”
In his ruling Judge Riehl said that the defendants’ compelling testimony “rings true,” and that it has been “a long battle in this courtroom for people working on this issue,” and remarked how Anne Hall has been engaged in this struggle for 30 years. Although the judge believes “… the cause is just…” he said that he must “uphold the rule of law.” Consistent with both the rule of law and the circumstances surrounding the defendants’ actions he found them guilty of the traffic infraction, fined them the full $56, and mitigated that to $25.
The eleven defendants are participants with Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, which holds vigils and nonviolent direct actions at the Bangor base each year around Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, Mother’s Day, and the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For over thirty-three years Ground Zero has engaged in education, training in nonviolence, community building, resistance against Trident and action toward a world without nuclear weapons.
Contact: Leonard Eiger, Media and Outreach
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
www.gzcenter.org
subversivepeacemaking@gmail.com
(425) 445-2190
“OCCUPY TRIDENT: The billions spent on nuclear weapons are needed to house, feed and care for each other – not threaten the world with annihilation” is the theme as Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action honors Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy with a vigil and nonviolent direct action on Saturday, January 14, 2010 at Bangor, Washington.
Join us as we honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy by Occupying Trident and working for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
For over thirty-four years Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action has engaged in education, training in nonviolence, community-building, resistance against Trident and action toward a world without nuclear weapons.
For more information on the January 14th event: See The Events Calendar, or contact Alice Zillah at (360) 357-7705.
Dear Friends,
As we move into a new year it is natural (and important) to reflect on the previous year. At Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action we had a full year in resistance to Trident and working to abolish nuclear weapons. It was a year of joys and sorrows.
We held our three major annual actions at Bangor, continued to support Disarm Now Plowshares, put out a quarterly newsletter (CLICK HERE to read the January 2012 issue) to keep everyone informed and engaged, had Dennis Kucinich visit Ground Zero Center and give a landmark speech, worked to stop the Navy’s plans for a Second Explosives Handling Wharf at Bangor, and more.
We lost our dear Jackie Hudson to cancer, and honored her well. At her memorial the approximately 150 participants tied at least that many origami cranes to the Bangor fence and held a vigil at the Bangor main gate in. The song, Jackie’s Waltz, lifted our spirits, and Jackie’s gentle (yet firm) admonition to “take just one step out of our comfort zones” follows us into the New Year.
As we begin this New Year there is a roll for each of us in this work for a better world for future generations. At each of our actions – on MLK weekend, Mother’s Day weekend, and Hiroshima/Nagasaki weekend – there are many ways to participate, from vigilers to Peacekeepers to arrest riskers. Throughout the year we can spread the message of nonviolence and nuclear abolition throughout our communities outside of GZ. And in this New Year we will continue to push back against the Bangor Second Explosives Handling Wharf, while we begin a campaign to stop the Navy’s plans for a new generation of ballistic missile submarines that would operate through the year 2082 (according to the Navy’s plans).
We are leaping out of the starting blocks with trials and our annual MLK events in January. Read further to get the details.
Thanks to all of you for your support and engagement in 2011. May we continue in the coming year to work together in the spirit of nonviolence toward a world at peace with justice and free of nuclear weapons.
Peace and Good Wishes,
Leonard
