PEACE
GROUP TO PROTEST MISGUIDED AND WASTEFUL MISSILE “DEFENSE” PROJECT AT ABERDEEN
PROVING GROUND
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 10, 2015
Contact
Max Obuszewski at 410-366-1637/727-543-3227 or mobuszewski at verizon.net
WHO: The
Pledge of Resistance – Baltimore was formed for individuals willing to engage
in nonviolent civil resistance to first prevent and later to protest the war in
Iraq. It is affiliated with several national peace groups, including the
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance.
Baltimore Pledge members have risked arrest
at the Pentagon, the National Security Agency and at other government
institutions involved in militaristic activities. For example, Pledge members
have been involved for years in protesting the killer drone assassination
program. Most recently, fifteen members of the National Campaign for
Nonviolent Resistance, for example, were arrested at the White House on
September 22, 2015, urging President Obama to listen to the pope’s message to
end income inequality, save Mother Earth and stop the warmongering.
WHAT: In
2014, a ridiculous missile “defense” project was installed at the Aberdeen
Proving Ground. It was a classic case of Pentagon waste, fraud and abuse This
project costing $2.7 billion consisted of two blimps aimed at preventing a
cruise missile attack on the northern United States, including Maryland.
Rather than protecting U.S. citizens, one of the balloons involved in this
cockamamie protect recently got loose and traveled 150 miles into Pennsylvania.
Miraculously no one was killed, but power lines were damaged until the blimp
had to be shot down. Members of the Pledge intend to protest this boondoggle
.
WHEN: Armistice Day, Wednesday, November 11,
2015 starting at 12:30 PM
WHERE: Aberdeen Proving Ground, 2 Halls Cross Roads,
Aberdeen, MD 21005
WHY: World Beyond War is calling for demonstrations on Armistice
Day. So the Pledge decided to get involved, and it was clear where to
hold the demonstration. This bogus surveillance system built by Raytheon
was to look out for a cruise missile attack. This boondoggle is just one
of many orchestrated by the Pentagon, and is a classic example of wasteful
military spending. Money needed for social services is wasted on a pet
project for certain members of Congress. To the credit of the Army, it
wanted to kill the project.
Pledge members were not sure if they should laugh or cry
after learning about this program. Who came up with such a cockamamie
scheme and name--the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted
Sensor System? The Pentagon uses cruise missiles to attack other countries, so
obviously these balloons were stationed in the wrong place.
Why was the Army allowed to spend $2.7 billion of tax dollars on
such an irrational idea? We need the $2.7 billion in Baltimore for various
social services projects and to repair our wretched infrastructure. Instead,
tax dollars were sent to Raytheon to develop this woeful project. The
mega corporation should return the $2.7 billion to the U.S. Treasury. The
system was flawed from the get-go. It was part of a strategy to instill
fear into taxpayers, so that the populace would welcome a grossly
over-funded Pentagon budget.
The best way to protect the people would be to use tax dollars
on desperately needed social services and to rebuild the country’s outdated
infrastructure. War Is Not the Answer. Our only hope is for the
government to engage in diplomacy instead. If Raytheon were to cut a $2.7
billion check on Armistice Day, Pledge members would make sure it got to the
U.S. treasury.
######
"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
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