Occupy Beale AFB photo, of Monday arrest
from Occupy Beale Air Force Base
Dozens of Anti-Drone, Climate Activists Try to Deliver Letter to Base Commander
BEALE AFB (Marysville, CA) – Eight peace advocates opposed to U.S. drone killing were arrested about 3:45 p.m. on Monday, December 14 as they walked onto Beale Air Force Base/Wheatland Gate to deliver a letter to the base commander calling for an end to drone warfare, and explaining how the military contributes to climate change. (see letter below)
Hundreds of peace activists have been arrested at Beale Air Force Base over the past three years protesting the use of killer U.S. drones, which have murdered thousands of women and children around the world.
Protestors Monday held a 36 foot “red line” in sympathy with climate change activists around the world participating in “red line action.”
Demonstrators called for “Peace for the World, Healing for the Climate” and an end to drone attacks and all wars for oil that cause death, suffering and environmental devastation, including climate change.
Those arrested were from Sacramento, Marysville/Yuba City and Grass Valley/Nevada City, and included Barry Binks, Flora Rogers, Pamela Osgood, Shirley Osgood, Sharon Delgado, Susan Pelican, Jane Kesselman and Mauro Oliveira.
In the letter to the base commander, activists charge the “U.S. military is the single largest user of petroleum in the world, emitting a massive amount of greenhouse gases, and is the main enforcer of the global oil economy. Yet the Pentagon has a blanket exemption in all international climate agreements.”
In the letter, activists note:
“We oppose the Global Hawk Drones that are housed here, which provide surveillance that help identify targets for attacks by the US military, including killer drone attacks. We oppose the Pentagon plan to increase its drone fleet and double its number of drone pilots. We oppose all offensive US military action, and are especially outraged by the US attack on the Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. We join with people around the world in calling for an impartial investigation on this matter.
“With the recent disclosures by new whistleblowers and former drone operators, we know that drone strikes are 1) not as effective as our government claims they are, 2) killing thousands of innocent civilians, 3) creating more enemies than they are killing, and 4) damaging the health & morale of our military personnel.”
[Seven activists were arrested at another action at Beale the following morning – report below.]
xxx
The full letter delivered to Beale Air Force Base by anti-drone protesters
December 14, 2015
Colonel Douglas J. Lee
Commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing
General Delivery at PSC Box 5000
Beale Air Force Base, CA 95903
Dear Colonel Lee:
We are here today to demonstrate at Beale because of the links between the US military and the grave threat of climate change. World leaders meeting in Paris have reached a global climate agreement, but it fails to take account of greenhouse gases generated by the military. The US military is the single largest user of petroleum in the world, emitting a massive amount of greenhouse gases, and is the main enforcer of the global oil economy. Yet the Pentagon has a blanket exemption in all international climate agreements.
A Pentagon report asserts that climate change poses an immediate threat to national security, with increased risks from terrorism, infectious disease, global poverty, and food shortages. It also predicts rising demand for military disaster responses as extreme weather creates more global humanitarian crises. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, climate change will soon become the biggest factor driving population displacements. This, too, creates the potential for humanitarian disaster, population upheaval, and an increase in anti-immigrant hysteria.
In spite of these security risks, the U.S. military is not working to mitigate the release of greenhouses gases. Instead, it is beefing up its fossil-fuel intensive infrastructure and using drone warfare and other attacks to respond to problems militarily, fueling hate and creating more terrorists. Violence breeds violence.
We oppose the Global Hawk Drones that are housed here, which provide surveillance that help identify targets for attacks by the US military, including killer drone attacks. We oppose the Pentagon plan to increase its drone fleet and double its number of drone pilots. We oppose all offensive US military action, and are especially outraged by the US attack on the Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. We join with people around the world in calling for an impartial investigation on this matter.
With the recent disclosures by new whistleblowers and former drone operators, we know that drone strikes are 1) not as effective as our government claims they are, 2) killing thousands of innocent civilians, 3) creating more enemies than they are killing, and 4) damaging the health & morale of our military personnel.
Colonel Lee, we challenge you and your military and civilian superiors to begin the conversion of all military assets to peacetime use and to spend most of the bloated military budget to develop alternatives to fossil fuels and to work for goodwill and a just peace among all nations and peoples. The only way to create the will for peaceful solutions to global problems like climate change and terrorism is to simultaneously work for justice and peace. Another world is possible, but waging wars of domination will not get us there.
We are attempting to deliver this letter to you in person. Since you represent the leadership of the U.S. Air Force at Beale, we request to meet with you personally to explain our concerns.
xxx
Persistent resistance at Beale AFB, 2 days in a row:
U.S. Military is # 1 user of Fossil Fuel in the World!
For photos:
www.facebook.com/OccupyBealeAirForceBase
15 ARRESTED MONDAY & TUESDAY AT BEALE AFB DRONE CENTER
Dozens of Anti-Drone, Climate Activists Try to Deliver Letter to Base Commander
BEALE AFB (Marysville) – Seven peace advocates were arrested here at a drone operations center about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 15 – after blocking the road for 30 minutes. This was only 14 hours after eight other arrests took place late Monday at Beale Air Force Base/Wheatland Gate. That makes 15 arrests at the Air Force drone center in less than two days.
The 15 arrests were a result of activists attempting to deliver a letter to the base commander calling for an end to drone warfare, and explaining how the military contributes to climate change. Full letter, see above.
Hundreds of peace activists have been arrested at Beale AFB over the past three years protesting the use of killer U.S. drones, which have murdered thousands of women and children around the world.
Protesters Monday held a 36 foot “red line” in sympathy with climate change activists around the world participating in “red line action.”
Demonstrators called for “Peace for the World, Healing for the Climate” and an end to drone attacks and all wars for oil that cause death, suffering, and environmental devastation, including climate change.
Occupy Beale AFB photo, of Tuesday arrest
Those arrested Tuesday were Barry Binks, Shirley Osgood, Michael Kerr, Mauro Oliveira, Chris Hanson, Flora Rogers and Catherine Hourcade.
Monday arrests included Binks, S. Osgood, Pamela Osgood, Rogers, Sharon Delgado, Susan Pelican, Jane Kesselman and Oliveira. All activists hail from Sacramento, Marysville/Yuba City or Grass Valley/Nevada City.
In the letter to the base commander, activists charge the “US military is the single largest user of petroleum in the world, emitting a massive amount of greenhouse gases, and is the main enforcer of the global oil economy. Yet the Pentagon has a blanket exemption in all international climate agreements.”
In the letter, activists note:
“We oppose the Global Hawk Drones that are housed here, which provide surveillance that help identify targets for attacks by the US military, including killer drone attacks. We oppose the Pentagon plan to increase its drone fleet and double its number of drone pilots. We oppose all offensive US military action, and are especially outraged by the US attack on the Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. We join with people around the world in calling for an impartial investigation on this matter.
“With the recent disclosures by new whistleblowers and former drone operators, we know that drone strikes are 1) not as effective as our government claims they are, 2) killing thousands of innocent civilians, 3) creating more enemies than they are killing, and 4) damaging the health & morale of our military personnel.”