CITIZEN ACTIVISTS ON EARTH DAY TO DEMAND THE EPA FORCE THE PENTAGON TO END ECOCIDE

National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, 325 East 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2015

CITIZEN ACTIVISTS ON EARTH DAY TO DEMAND THE EPA FORCE THE PENTAGON TO END ECOCIDE

Contact: Max Obuszewski 410 366-1637 or 727-543-3227 or mobuszewski at Verizon.net

WHO: Members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR] have been active in challenging U.S. invasions and attacks of Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. Frequently NCNR members have been arrested, and then in court speak out against such U.S. policies. On May 23, 2013, for example, members of NCNR filed a criminal complaint with the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria, Virginia against the CIA’s use of drone strikes to assassinate people in various countries, including Pakistan. The citizen activists never received a response.

WHAT: Join NCNR members on EARTH DAY to confront our government representatives responsible for causing climate chaos, environmental destruction, and threatening all life on the planet. A letter was sent to Gina McCarthy, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Administrator, seeking a meeting with her or a representative to discuss what NCNR members perceive to be ecocide being committed by the Pentagon. Gathering at the EPA, the National Campaign has invited speakers, including a former EPA whistleblower. Eventually a group will take of a copy of the McCarthy letter inside to renew a request for a meeting.

Then participants will take the Metro to the Pentagon City Mall food court for a brief meeting. This will be followed by a march to the Metro entrance of the Pentagon where speakers will expound on the climate crisis. A letter was sent to Ashton Carter, Secretary of Defense, requesting a meeting with him or his representative: “As people of conscience, we are very concerned about the devastation that the U.S. military is causing to the environment. According to Joseph Nevins, in an article published on June 14, 2010 by CommonDreams.org, Greenwashing the Pentagon, ‘The U.S. military is the world’s single biggest consumer of fossil fuels, and the single entity most responsible for destabilizing the Earth’s climate.’ The article states ‘. . . the Pentagon devours about 330,000 barrels of oil per day (a barrel has 42 gallons), more than the vast majority of the world’s countries.’” Visit http://www.commondreams.org/views/2010/06/14/greenwashing-pentagon. After the speeches conclude, some citizen activists will take a copy of the letter to see if a meeting could be arranged. The climate crisis demands urgent action.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at 10:30 AM & at 1:30 PM

WHERE: EPA, 12th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW, & later at the Metro entrance at the Pentagon, Arlington, VA

WHY: The Pentagon is the largest consumer of fossil fuels globally, has a nuclear arsenal that can destroy ALL LIFE on the planet, already used depleted uranium with lethal and drastic effects on human life and the environment in places like Iraq, and used chemical agents in Latin America in waging of the “war on drugs.” This war has destroyed livelihoods and inflicted lethal and life altering health effects on poor people in South America and brought profits to the large multinational corporations. The waging of and planning for war is destroying our planet!
NCNR citizen activists believe they have the right and a Nuremberg responsibility to highlight perceived illegal government operations. Moreover, the Nuremberg trials pointed out that citizens must act to prevent their government from further illegal activities. The planet is in grave danger. Unless citizenry take action to stop the Pentagon’s warmongering, Mother Earth is doomed. Earth Day is an opportunity to demand that the EPA use its mandate to force the Pentagon to renounce its warmongering so that ecocide ceases.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs