Baltimore Activist Alert June 23 – June 29, 2014
"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.
The initiative to stop it must be ours." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.
Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.
1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] See THE EXONERATED – through July 6
6] Human, Soul & Machine: The Coming Singularity – through Aug. 31
7] Marc Steiner on WEAA – June 23 – 27
8] Time for Action on Coal – June 23
9] Addressing Prison Rape – June 23
10] Protest at FERC – June 23 - 27
11] Back from Iran – June 23
12] Get Out the Vote Rally – June 23
13] End Gun Violence! – June 23
14] Guantánamo Public Memory Project – June 23
15] Present condition of LBGT rights – June 23
16] What is the role of faith locally and globally? – June 23
17] “The Gospel of John: Confronting and Healing the Fear of Death” – June 23
18] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – June 23
19] What’s next for Israel and the Palestinians? – June 24
20] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – June 24
21] "No Drone Research at JHU" – June 24
22] The Gospel of John: The Last Supper Discourse – June 24
23] “The Civil War Pocket Diaries of Emilie Frances Davis” – June 24
24] Join Team Mizeur-Coates for an Election Night Celebration – June 24
25] Torture Survivors Conference – June 25
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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.
2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq. To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski at Verizon dot net. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.
THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.
4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.
Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.
5] – Enjoy “The Exonerated,” a thrilling docudrama by the Vagabond Players. The play transports viewers into the hearts and minds of 6 death row inmates who are actually innocent. It is thought provoking and provocative, and will make viewers recognize the madness of a death penalty. The performances will continue through July 6 at 806 S. Broadway. Call 410-563-9135 or go to http://vagabondplayers.org.
6] – See the exhibit Human, Soul & Machine: The Coming Singularity, which
delves into the various ways technology affects lives through the perspective of inventors, futurists and 40 plus visionary artists. The intent is to bring new thoughts on artificial intelligence, robotics, genetics, nanotechnology, 3D printing, and big data, and you can see it through August 31 at the American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. Call 410-244-1900. Go to http://avam.org. A ticket costs $20.
7] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 AM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org. The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.
8] – This is a Time for Action on Coal. Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility believes that all coal-fired power plants must install what is referred to as “Reasonably Available Control Technologies” to reduce the amount of pollution they emit into the atmosphere. It is unacceptable that the Crane and Wagner Plants in the Baltimore area and two other plants in Maryland do not have these technologies. Young children, pregnant mothers, those with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly, and outdoor workers are hurt the most by the pollution from these plants.
How can you help? Attend the Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) power plant stakeholder meeting on Mon., June 23 from 9 AM to noon at the Maryland Department of the Environment headquarters, 1800 Washington Blvd., Baltimore. MDE is on the verge of requiring all coal-fired power plants to install these technologies; but they are getting strong industry pushback, and MDE may scale back their proposal. Contact Tim Whitehouse at 240-246-4492.
9] – On Mon., June 23 from 10 AM to 5 PM at American University Washington College of Law 4801 Massachusetts Ave. NW, the Project on Addressing Prison Rape is sponsoring a Teach-in On the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) to mark the 5th Anniversary of the release of the Report and Draft National PREA Standards by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. All events are free and open to the public. To see a full schedule, please go to http://www.wcl.american.edu/endsilence/nprecommission.cfm.
10] – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) -- the five-member commission that holds the fate of the Cove Point fracked gas export project in its hands -- typically operates outside of the public spotlight. Indeed, when you routinely put the interests of the oil and gas industry before people’s health and environment, that’s the only way you can operate. Chesapeake Climate Action Network is organizing a picket line each day during the week of Mon., June 23 through Fri., June 27, from noon to 1:30 PM at FERC’s headquarters in downtown D.C., just a block from Union Station and at the main entrance on First Street NE.
FERC has made it clear that it intends to grant a permit to allow construction of the massive Cove Point export terminal in Maryland without even conducting a customary Environmental Impact Statement. Sign up to join the picket at http://org.salsalabs.com/o/423/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=7875.
11] – On Mon., June 23 from 2 to 3 PM in FCNL’s Wilson Conference Room, 245 2nd St. NE, WDC 20002, hear Back from Iran: a discussion with Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed after a recent Interfaith Delegation to Iran. This interfaith delegation was led by Dr. Joel Hunter, a spiritual adviser to President Obama. He served in the inaugural year on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which advised President Barack Obama on interfaith relations and other substantive policy issues. The delegation attended a conference titled "World Free of Violence and Extremism from the Perspective of Abrahamic Religions" in Tehran on May 25 and met with various religious and political leaders in Iran.
Syeed resumed responsibilities as National Director of ISNA’s Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances, in Washington, DC, from March 2006. Bring your lunch, and know coffee and tea will be provided. RSVP to kate@fcnl.org (helpful but not required).
12] – On Mon., June 23 from 5 to 6:30 PM, Heather Mizeur will be speaking at her final public event before the polls close. Join this Get Out the Vote Rally at 1727 N. Charles St., Baltimore. RSVP at 202-316-1202.
13] – On Mon., June 23 from 5 to 6 PM - End Gun Violence! Join the Washington Chapter of Heeding God’s Call at their second and fourth Monday of the month vigil at REALCO Guns, 6108 Marlboro Pike, District Heights, MD 20747. This is an effort to convince the gun shop owner to sign the 10-Point Code for responsible gun dealers based on the one signed with Wal-Mart by Mayors against Illegal Guns. According to the Post, Realco Guns in District Heights sold 86 guns linked to homicides within the last twenty years with 300 guns sold there being linked to non-fatal shootings, as of 2010. In that article Major Andy Ellis of the Prince George’s (MD) Police Department is quoted as saying, “I can only imagine how much lower our violent-crime rate would be if Realco sold shoes instead of guns.” Go to http://www.heedinggodscall.org/.
14] – Since 2012, students from 15 universities and hundreds who served, lived, and were held at Guantánamo have worked together to unearth its hidden histories. The result is the Guantánamo Public Memory Project, a traveling exhibit of surprising stories, images, and documents--from before 9/11 and after--with dialogues from Phoenix to Pensacola on why GTMO's past matters today. On Mon., June 23, join a reception program from 6 to 8 PM. Some of the exhibit's creators include Major General Michael Lehnert who commanded refugee camps in 1995--then opened detention facilities in 2002; Judge Sterling Johnson who closed Guantanamo's Haitian HIV camps in 1993; Virgilio Franqui who was held at GTMO in 1993--then served there in 2004; and Carol Rosenberg, an award-winning Miami-Herald reporter breaking news from GTMO since 2002. The exhibit will be on view 9 AM to 8 PM in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer, 45 Independence Ave. SW. RSVP at http://gitmomemory.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/GPMP-in-DC-Flyer-June-23.pdf.
15] – Catch the discussion at UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW. Room 505, on Mon., June 23 from 6 to 7:30 PM, on the present condition of LBGT rights, the issues this community is facing, and where the struggle goes from here. The panel is hosted by Chai R. Feldblum, who has served as a Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission since 2010. Prior to her appointment to the EEOC, Commissioner Feldblum was a Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center where she has taught since 1991.
16] – At the Irish Whiskey Public House, 1207 19th St. NW on Mon., June 23 from 6:30 to 8 PM, hear an answer to the question what is the role of faith locally and globally? In times of conflict, faith has often been used to help guide nonviolent social movements. Joe Eldridge, American University Chaplain and United State Institute of Peace Board member, and Colman McCarthy, an American journalist, teacher, lecturer, pacifist, progressive, an anarchist, are both long-time peace activists Washington, D.C. with a wealth of experience on this matter. The event, co-sponsored by the Institute of Policy Studies, is the first of events within Inspire BBQ's "Making Monday Matters" series.
17] – On Mon., June 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson will present “The Gospel of John: Confronting and Healing the Fear of Death” at the Community Room/ The Ritz, 1631 Euclid St. NW, WDC 20009.
18] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. The next meeting will be on Mon., June 23. The proposed agenda will include news that Max is moving, a report on the appeal of the conviction of the CIA Five, anti-drone activities, including the arrests at the NSA on May 3, the July 4 visit to the NSA, a report on the conference in Chicago, Real News Network, Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration, and Vashti McCollom. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.
19] – Post Peace Talks: What’s next for Israel and the Palestinians? Ask your Member of Congress to attend this important briefing on Tues., June 24 in the Cannon Office Bldg, R 121, from 3 to 4:30 PM. Four panelists will discuss the failure of the peace process and what positive steps can be taken moving forward. Help pack the room, and call your congressperson and encourage her/him to attend. Go to http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/blog/sample-script. RSVP to congress@jvp.org.
The featured speakers are Yousef Munayyer, executive director, The Jerusalem Fund, Phyllis Bennis, fellow, Institute for Policy Studies, and Rabbi Joseph Berman, Rabbinical Council, Jewish Voice for Peace. They will discuss the recent collapse of peace talks and why this moment requires new thinking on Israel/Palestine.
20] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is June 24. Call 215-426-0364.
21] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on June 24 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.
22] – On Tues., June 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson will present The Gospel of John: The Last Supper Discourse – Footwashing and Abiding in Christ at the Community Room/ The Ritz, 1631 Euclid St. NW, WDC 20009.
23] – Kaye Whitehead presents “Notes From a Colored Girl: The Civil War Pocket Diaries of Emilie Frances Davis” on Tues., June 24 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. The book examines the life and experiences of Davis, a freeborn twenty-one-year-old mulatto woman, through a close reading of three pocket diaries she kept from 1863 to 1865. Whitehead explores Davis's worldviews and politics, her perceptions of both public and private events, her personal relationships, and her place in Philadelphia's free black community in the nineteenth century. Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.
24] – You are invited to join Team Mizeur-Coates for an Election Night Celebration! Watch the returns come in and join in celebrating the historic grassroots campaign we built together. The Celebration is on Tues., June 24 from 8 to 11 PM at the Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St., Baltimore 21201. RSVP at 301-328-5842.
25] – On Wed., June 25 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC) is hosting a Torture Survivors Conference in the Pryzbyla Center, Conference Room B, Catholic University of America. RSVP to TASSC at info@tassc.org.
To be continued. Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.
"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
Friday, January 1, 2016
Baltimore Activist Alert January 2 - 8, 2015
Baltimore Activist Alert January 2 - 8, 2015
"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own
nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.
The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther
King Jr.
Friends, this list and other email documents which I send
out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go
to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.
If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send
contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max
Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.
1] Books,
buttons and stickers
2] Web site
for info on federal legislation
3] Join
Nonviolent Resistance lists
4]
Buy
coffee through HoCoFoLa
5]
Two
friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore
6] West Chester peace vigil – Jan. 2
7] Guided
History Tour – Jan. 2
8] Pancake breakfast – Jan. 3
9] Witness Against Torture Fast for
Justice – Jan. 3 - 5
10] Pentagon
Vigil – Jan. 4
11] Marc
Steiner on WEAA – Jan. 4 – Jan. 8
12]
Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Jan. 5
13] Vigil against JHU’s drone research – Jan. 5
14] Black
Lives Matter – Jan. 8
15] Film THE
KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT –
Jan. 8
-------
1] –
Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless
the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at
410-366-1637.
2] – To
obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go
to http://thomas.loc.gov/.
Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or
800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3] – THE
ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National
Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by
conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will
consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national
organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the
NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war
in Iraq.
To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group
affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski at Verizon.net.
Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to
subscribe.
THE
NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information
and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated
to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in
NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message
to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net.
You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have
problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.
4] – You
can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of
HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by
mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.
For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html.
The coffee comes in one-pound bags.
Fill out
the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second
week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of
coffee ordered. Send it to Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd.,
Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you
will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.
5] – Janice
and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore. Let Max know if you have
any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.
6] – Each
Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in
West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts.
Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.
7] – You are
invited to a guided tour on Sat., Jan. 2 at 2 PM by Eric Holcomb,
executive director of the Citizens Planning & Housing
Association and the author of "The City As Suburb, A History
of Northeast Baltimore." This tour is sponsored by the Northeast
Baltimore History Round Table & Healthy Neighborhoods and will
explore Grindon Ave. as a historic crossroads and Montebello Park as a
place to walk. Dress comfortably, and meet at Zeke's, 4607 Harford Rd., Baltimore 21214. Email <Eric.Holcomb@baltimorecity.gov>.
8] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin
St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is
a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. However, on Jan. 3, there
will be a pancake breakfast. Celebrate with a
hearty breakfast and time to connect. Pancakes are on flap, with a variety of
expert chefs turning out to turn things over. Everyone is invited to bring a
warm article of clothing such as gloves, scarves, hats, socks to adorn the
mitten tree. This year warm items provided as mitten tree decorations will be
donated to TurnAround, which provides support services to victims of domestic
violence. You are also invited to bring a “Sun Gift” to share (costing between
$3 and $10) if you would like to participate in the gift exchange. Coffee, tea,
and juice beverages will be provided. The Pancake Breakfast is free and open to
all. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.
9] – You’re invited to Washington, D.C., to join the Witness
Against Torture community from January 3 through 13 to fast, reflect and lift
the voices of the men unjustly detained at Guantanamo Bay Prison. Jan.
11, 2016 marks 14 years of torture and indefinite detention at the prison, as
well as President Obama’s 8th year of broken promises. This is the final chance
to hold his administration accountable to its promise to release those unjustly
detained and close the prison. Right now 107 men remain detained, 48 of whom
have been cleared for release and are held without charge or trial.
Go to http://www.witnesstorture.org/events/.
On Sun., Jan. 3, participants will start arriving from 3 to 9 PM
at the First Trinity Lutheran Church, 501 4th St. NW (entrance on 4th St.), WDC
20001 (4th and E Sts. NW). Use Judiciary Square Metro. The opening
circle is at 6 PM.
On Mon., Jan. 4 at 6:15 AM leave for the Pentagon. From 7 to 8 AM, join
the Pentagon Vigil with Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. At 10 AM, there will
be a Morning Circle. Then at noon, enjoy lunch--Community Lunch (final
meal together until Tues., Jan. 12. From 4 to 7 PM, there will be a Large
Group Meeting.
On Tues., Jan. 5, there will be morning readings from 7:30 to 8:30
AM. From 9 to 10:30 AM there is a morning reflection, overview of the day
and action planning.
Since
this is the First Friday, there will be a potluck dinner after the vigil,
followed by a DVD screening of a film.
10] – You
are invited to a nonviolent witness at the Pentagon on Mon., Jan. 4 at 7
AM. Meet on corner of Army-Navy Drive and S. Eads St.
Join
members of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and other peacemaking friends in a
nonviolent witness for a world of nonviolence, peace and justice. Call
202-882-9649 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.
11] – The
Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon on WEAA 88.9
FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org.
The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by
email to steinershow@gmail.com. All
shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.
12] – Each
Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for
peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. &
JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The
next vigil is Jan. 5. Call 215-426-0364.
13] – Vigil
to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North
Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Jan. 5 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.
Call Max at 410-366-1637.
14] –There
is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by
Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends
Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. The next scheduled vigil is on Jan. 8.
Black Lives Matter. Since this is a First Friday, there will be a potluck
dinner afterwards, followed by a DVD showing.
15] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore
Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and
Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM &
SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The DVDs will be shown at Homewood
Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, usually on the
First Friday. At 7:15 PM, from January through June, a DVD will be shown with a
discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be
available. The series theme is CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.
On Fri., Jan. 8 see THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT [2010]
Director Lisa Cholodenko’s film is about two children who were conceived
via artificial insemination. They want to meet their father. The
actors are Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia
Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson. This beautifully acted tale of
a lesbian couple and their children offers an acute study of modern
relationships. It is a smart comedy about the relationship between the sperm
donor and the postmodern family--a lesbian couple and their children. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski [at] verizon.net for
further information.
To be continued.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence
Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email:
mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.
"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
Julian Assange Awarded Australian Peace Prize
Published on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by Reuters
Julian Assange Awarded Australian Peace Prize
WikiLeaks founder receives the Sydney Peace Foundation's gold medal for 'championing people's right to know'
Wikileaks' Australian founder Julian Assange, who enraged
Julian Assange was presented with the Sydney Peace Foundation's gold medal at the Frontline Club in Assange was awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation's gold medal on Tuesday at the Frontline Club in
Assange, who is fighting extradition from
"We think the struggle for peace with justice inevitably involves conflict, inevitably involves controversy," the foundation's director, Professor Stuart Rees, said.
"We think that you and WikiLeaks have brought about what we think is a watershed in journalism and in freedom of information and potentially in politics."
Rees criticised the Australian government, saying it must stop shoring up
WikiLeaks caused a media and diplomatic uproar late last year when it began to publish its cache of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, revealing secrets such as that Saudi leaders had urged US military action against Iran. Some
Assange himself claimed publication of the cables helped shape uprisings in north Africa and the
© 2011 Reuters
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center 325 E. 25th St. , Baltimore , MD 21218 : 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net
"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
"Peace activists arrested on grounds of Neb. defense [sic] contractor"/"It's the Hammer of Justice"
December 31, 2015 --
Talked to Jess today on the phone. She is in good spirits and anxious to get
her message out. She will not have access to stamps, paper, pens until early
next week... the pace of jail store stuff...
In the meantime we are
just starting this campaign. More, much more to come... Happy New Year. Frank
Cordaro
---
Peace
activists arrested on grounds of Neb. defense contractor
Patrick O'Neill | Dec. 30, 2015
A
security guard's encounter with an anti-war protester who was holding a
sledgehammer in one hand and baseball bat in the other led to the arrests of
four peace activists Sunday night on the grounds of defense contractor Northrop
Grumman in Bellevue, Neb.
At
their first court appearance Tuesday, large bonds were set for Michele
Naar-Obed, Jessica Reznicek, Frank Cordaro and Mauro Heck. The four were each
charged with felony burglary and felony criminal mischief after police
encountered them on Northrop Grumman property. Some windows were broken, and
the damage was estimated at $8,000.
Reznicek,
34, who was holding the bat and sledgehammer, told television station KETV that
she alone did the damage. She was given the highest bond at $100,000.
Naar-Obed, Heck and Cordaro were each given $20,000 bonds. Naar-Obed, Cordaro
and Heck were released Tuesday after posting a percentage of their bonds.
Reznicek remains in jail.
"My
intention was to be on the property and to do property destruction, that's what
I wanted to do," Reznicek told a KETV reporter via a jailhouse phone
interview. "I didn't want to hurt anybody. I didn't want to scare
anybody."
Michele
Naar-Obed's husband, Greg Boertje-Obed, told the television reporter that the
four were engaged in an anti-war protest at Northrop Grumman.
"We
oppose nuclear weapons as Catholic Workers," said Boertje-Obed, a
long-time anti-war activist who was released earlier this year after serving a
two-year prison sentence for a Plowshares protest with two others at the Y-12
weapons plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. "We oppose the making and selling of
weapons for profit."
Following
their arrests Sunday, the four were booked into Sarpy County Jail. In a
telephone interview following her release, Michele Naar-Obed, 59, told NCR she
had only gone along for the car ride to Northrop Grumman to support Reznicek,
who, along with Cordaro, is part of the Catholic Worker community in Des
Moines, Iowa.
"My
role in all this was to be with the group that drove her there," Naar-Obed
said. "I had no intention of going in or participating in the action
itself."
Naar-Obed
and her husband Greg Boertje-Obed are members of the Duluth, Minn., Catholic
Worker community. Cordaro, 64, is a former Catholic priest and another
long-time peace activist. Heck is a photographer and long-time Iowa peace
activist.
Recalling
the events, Naar-Obed said Reznicek was planning to be the lone actor in an
attempt to "disarm" computer equipment at Northrop Grumman, but after
dropping her off, the group -- concerned for her safety -- stayed behind and
waited for things to unfold.
Heck also took a picture of Reznicek shortly
before her arrest. His camera was confiscated, Naar-Obed said. By the time the
trio decided to drive off, the police had already been called. When a police
car spotted a lone car leaving the Northrop Grumman property, the three were
pulled over and detained.
Naar-Obed,
who, like her husband, has also spent time in prison for anti-war activities,
said Reznicek's action was a "disarmament" action, but not a
traditional "plowshares action" in which the actors cite Isaiah 2:4:
"And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they
train for war anymore." Plowshares activists often give a name to their
actions and write a statement explaining their motives. Naar-Obed said Reznicek
did write a statement, but it was lost or misplaced en route to the protest.
Heck
told the KETV reporter that he was not involved in the planning process with
Reznicek, but he did say he drove the group to Northrop Grumman "in hopes
of raising awareness on government spending."
"We
have to be conscious of how people's taxes are spent," Heck told the
reporter. "People are not even aware."
In
court Tuesday, Reznicek said: "I assure you I did all the damage. I will
not back down from that statement."
Reznicek
said she had no plans to post bond. She also told the television reporter she
used a sledgehammer to break the glass as part of a research project for a
grant.
"She
wanted to get in, and she wanted to hammer on the computers if they became
available to her," Naar-Obed said. "She didn't have a specific plan
other than to get in and see what things there might be available for her to do
this kind of disarmament action."
Naar-Obed
said Reznicek had decorated her bat.
"The
baseball bat had some slogans on it like, 'Drones are immoral, illegal' --
'Stop killing' -- 'Stop war' -- kinds of stuff," she said.
The
four are scheduled to be back in court in January.
Patrick
O’Neill is a longtime NCR contributor.
---
As the word of Jessica
Reznicek's action is getting around, I thought I might add a bit more substance
to the story.
I've known Jess for a
little while now. I know she's lived in Central America. She's lived with
Occupy Des Moines, and now with the Des Moines Catholic Worker. She's seen
poverty and despair. She's seen the suffering of people in small nations as
they deal with the oppressive and deadly interactions from the empire building
nations. Now, in researching out the weapons systems contracted out from the
Pentagon to private developers like Northrop-Grumman and used out of places
like Offut Airforce base and STRATCOM, she put all of this together and a spark
ignited in her spirit to cry out loud and clear; ENOUGH.
Intending to take full
responsibility for her action on the night of Dec. 27, 2015, on the Feast of
the Holy Innocents, Jess took hammer and baseball bat with the intention of
entering the Northrop-Grumman office building in Bellevue, Nebraska to
dismantle and disarm the computer systems that hold the contracts and plans for
a variety of illegal and immoral weapons systems. She fully intended to adhere
to the principles of nonviolence in that she was committed to making sure no
person was injured, harmed or felt threatened by her action. She intended to
hammer out a message that lethal danger to humanity exists on those computers
and it needs to be stopped. She intends to give up her freedom by remaining in
jail so that the rest of us might continue ringing the bell of freedom from the
captivity of fear mongering generated by the weapons developers and
researchers. She intends to sing out the song of love between our brothers and
our sisters from behind the jail cell wall and hopes that our song of love will
join with hers and amplify this message.
I had the privilege of
driving Jess to the site where this action would be carried out. I knew very
little of the plan but I felt I knew enough of Jess's heart to, at the very
least, help with transportation to the site. I had no intention of doing
anything but that. The act itself was Jess's. That's what she made clear to all
of us that she wanted.
The act, however, leads us
to a bigger challenge which is to ignite the spark and get the fire of passion
burning in all people of good will to say ENOUGH to death and destruction,
ENOUGH to fear and hatred, ENOUGH to war and killing, ENOUGH, ENOUGH, ENOUGH.
I know people have raised
questions about the tactics used in this action. Some might see the use of the
baseball bat and hammer as tools of destruction by smashing the windows. Maybe
another way to look at it is the windows are now open to allow us to see the
horror of the plans developed in that building. Her intention to dismantle and
disarm the computer systems might also be viewed as a means to clearing out the
communication system of death and opening up a space to communicate love and
hope.
I for one, thank Jess for
the challenge and the opportunity. As time goes on, I'm sure we will hear more
from Jess directly. Until then, I hope we can hammer out justice, ring the bell
of freedom and sing the song of love between our brothers and our sisters all
over this world.
----
Please feel free to write
Jess:
Jessica Reznicek
Sarpy County Jail
1208 Golden Gate Dr,
Papillion, NE 68046
----
Previous posting: "If
witnessing the Witness is a crime, than I am Jessica Reznicek" - Mauro
Heck, Michele Obed & Frank Cordaro out on bail, Jessica Reznicek "The
Witness" remains in jail ..
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"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
'How Do You Buy $7 Billion of Stuff You Don't Need?'
Pentagon officials hold a briefing in Washington, D.C. (photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
'How
Do You Buy $7 Billion of Stuff You Don't Need?'
By Bryan Bender, Politico
29 December 15
Bad things happen when the Pentagon tries to run itself like a
business.
Fifty-four
years ago, the brand-new Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara thought he could
bring Pentagon spending on everyday items under control by applying
efficiencies he had used to help turn around Ford Motor Co.
Instead,
he created a monster. McNamara’s creation, known as the Defense Logistics
Agency, has grown into a global, $44 billion operation that, were it a private
enterprise, would rank in the Fortune 50. Its 25,000 employees process roughly
100,000 orders a day for everything from poultry to pharmaceuticals, precious
metals to aircraft parts. In terms of Pentagon contracts, it is nearly as large
as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon’s largest contractors, combined.
Key Players
Air Force Lt. Gen. Andrew Busch is director of the Defense Logistics Agency. "Being audited... puts us in a position to more fully explain to the American public what we're doing with all of those dollars."
Denise Parker oversees DLA's audit readiness effort at its network of distribution centers. "When we started we didn't know how to check it as well as we do know."
Simone Reba is the DLA's deputy director of finance. "Stuff we thought should be on our books we didn¹t have it in our records. Our financial system was not reflecting the right inventory."
Sen. Charles Grassley, a senior member of the Budget and Finance Committees, has demanded the Pentagon undergo a full financial audit for years. "This broken accounting system isn't an option. The Constitution requires that we know where the money is spent."
Arnold Punaro is a retired Marine Corps general and the former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He believes that a major problem with DLA is that it¹s effectively a business "run by three-star [generals or admirals] with no management experience."
Mae Devincentis retired as the agency¹s vice director in 2012 after more than three decades at DLA. A major financial challenge for the agency, she says, is its sheer size. "When you get more missions you get a higher level of complexity."
Air Force Lt. Gen. Andrew Busch is director of the Defense Logistics Agency. "Being audited... puts us in a position to more fully explain to the American public what we're doing with all of those dollars."
Denise Parker oversees DLA's audit readiness effort at its network of distribution centers. "When we started we didn't know how to check it as well as we do know."
Simone Reba is the DLA's deputy director of finance. "Stuff we thought should be on our books we didn¹t have it in our records. Our financial system was not reflecting the right inventory."
Sen. Charles Grassley, a senior member of the Budget and Finance Committees, has demanded the Pentagon undergo a full financial audit for years. "This broken accounting system isn't an option. The Constitution requires that we know where the money is spent."
Arnold Punaro is a retired Marine Corps general and the former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He believes that a major problem with DLA is that it¹s effectively a business "run by three-star [generals or admirals] with no management experience."
Mae Devincentis retired as the agency¹s vice director in 2012 after more than three decades at DLA. A major financial challenge for the agency, she says, is its sheer size. "When you get more missions you get a higher level of complexity."
Led by
military officials with little or no private-sector experience, DLA lacks the
redeeming features of the lean and efficient business McNamara envisioned. A
trail of inspector general reports shows how DLA is systemically overcharged
for parts. It buys things the military doesn’t need — like 80 years worth of
aircraft frames for a plane that will likely be out of use long before then.
The Government Accountability Office in 2010 estimated that about half of the
agency's inventory — said to be worth nearly $14 billion at the time — was just
taking up space.
"How
do you buy $7 billion of stuff you don't need?" exclaimed Arnold Punaro, a
retired major general in the Marine Corps Reserve who is currently overseeing a
special task force on logistics for the Pentagon's Defense Business Board.
"If a company did that they'd be out of business. Even Wal-Mart."
Congress
is now demanding that the entire Department of Defense undergo its first-ever
financial audit. And DLA, which after three years of preparation says it is
ready for a full scrub of its books, is the test case. A series of mock audits
underway for three years demonstrate the enormous challenge.
“We
found out the first year how much we really didn’t know,” Simone Reba, the
deputy director of finance for the DLA, said in an interview at the agency’s
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, headquarters outside Washington. “Stuff we thought
should be on our books we didn’t have it in our records. Our financial system
was not reflecting the right inventory."
Even
those who are intimately familiar with the Pentagon’s notorious reputation for
waste are shocked by what the audits are finding — or rather not finding.
In
some instances, DLA recently found, there was simply no way to locate
inventory. Remarked Reba: “It seems it would be pretty easy to track a
firetruck."
***
In
1961, the administration of John F. Kennedy was new, and so was the thinking
among his new generation of "whiz kids" who descended on Washington
from Ivy League schools and corporate America. It was a good time to reform a
system that had grown flabby and complacent.
Attempts
had been made in the previous decade to streamline purchasing by giving each
military branch authority over broad sectors — the Army had food and clothing,
the Navy had fuel and medical supplies and the Air Force handled electronics,
for example. But the lack of uniformity undermined the intent of the reform.
The
44-year-old McNamara, who had spent World War II analyzing the effectiveness of
bombers operating in the Pacific theater, was well-suited to the task of
reining in a budget for logistics.
It has
often been said that the history of the Pentagon was defined by two eras:
before McNamara and after McNamara, due to the reforms he initiated in how the
armed forces prepared for and fought wars but also the administrative and
managerial reforms he instituted.
But
the verdict on many of those reforms, like his handling of the Vietnam War, was
not always kind.
"Many
of his reforms were seen as impractical. Even if they were conceptually sound,
the quantity and quality of organizational effort required to carry out McNamara's
innovations frequently exceeded the Pentagon's capacity, as well as its
will," an assessment published by Harvard University, where McNamara had
previously taught, concluded nearly three decades later.
McNamara's
order in October of ‘61 established what was then called the Defense Supply
Agency, which oversaw eight different supply centers. But it was just the
beginning of a consolidation of military supply and logistics activities that
advanced over the next several decades.
In the
early 1970s, the supply agency went international, put in charge of
"worldwide procurement, management, and distribution of coal and bulk
petroleum products," as well as all food to feed the troops, according to
an official DLA history.
In the
1980s, by which time it had been renamed the Defense Logistics Agency, it was
given another mission: stockpiling "strategic materials" such as
precious metals and industrial grade diamonds. The materials, once stored in
caves and now kept in a bank vault and other secure locations, are hoarded for
national security in case a global war cuts off access to international
supplies. The diamonds, for instance, are essential to sharpen machine tools
and to make components for tanks, warships and bombers.
But as
it grew — including taking on the purchasing of some items for other customers
such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Forestry Service
and responding to a host of humanitarian disasters around the world — so did
the warning signs that DLA was becoming too large for its own good.
A 1999
Pentagon report to Congress estimated that there were 300 separate reform
initiatives focused on improving the military's logistics support system —
"an unprecedented level of emphasis on management improvement." But
all the reforms couldn’t quite solve the problems. The department's inspector
general cited "poor logistics management" and "cumbersome
financial management” and criticized the Pentagon for paying "excessive
prices for spare parts." The review also hit the agency for "poor visibility"
over the location of items in transit to military units and for failing to
transfer unneeded items to other branches before disposing of them.
The
reports — and their monotonously similar complaints — just keep coming.
One
recent example is the purchase of spare parts from Bell Helicopter and Boeing
for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft — a process managed by DLA for the Naval
Supply Systems Command.
The
Pentagon inspector general reviewed 53 parts at random and discovered that DLA
bought 22 too many of them, at a total cost of $9 million. The report
concluded, with some understatement, that DLA “did not effectively manage
government-owned V-22 Osprey spare parts.”
One of
those parts was aircraft frames. Even though on average only two replacements
are needed each year, DLA had purchased 166. That's a nearly 80-year supply,
which is decades longer than the expected usefulness of the V-22 fleet. The
inspector general also estimated that it will cost the Pentagon $700,000 to
store all the unneeded equipment over the next five years.
In
response to the findings, DLA officials insisted they regularly review
quantities of spare parts to prevent "over-procurements." But the
investigators found that while the process evaluated existing purchase orders,
it "did not evaluate whether existing spare parts inventory quantities
were reasonable."
Another
recent Pentagon IG report calculated that the government could save $7.2
million over six years if DLA would stop buying cars and trucks for government
agencies that didn’t need them.
What
it buys, it often overpays for. Earlier this year, DLA contracted to buy
aircraft braking systems, but the officer in charge didn’t do a sufficient
price analysis, as required by regulations. According to an internal review
designated "for official use only," this oversight resulted in $8.5
million being overpaid for 32 different parts that were purchased without
seeking other bids.
The
GAO, the oversight arm of Congress, has repeatedly flagged systemic management
problems at the agency. The congressional watchdog found in 2010 that "the
average annual value of the inventory for the 3 years reviewed was about $13.7
billion. Of this total, about $7.1 billion (52 percent) was beyond the amount
needed to meet the requirements objective."
Translation:
Half of what the DLA has purchased may never be used. Wal-Mart, by comparison,
turns over its entire worldwide inventory eight times a year.
"When
you get more missions, you get a higher level of complexity," said Mae
Devincentis, who retired as the agency's vice director in 2012 after more than
three decades at DLA. "That has been part of their problem."
DLA
has made some progress becoming more efficient over the years, but a study
published earlier this fall by the Center for Strategic and International
Studies shows how far it has to go to reach McNamara’s vision. For example, if
DLA adopted business practices for spare parts commonly utilized by private
industry — particularly the airline industry, the report’s authors suggested —
it could save a billion dollars a year.
Punaro,
the member of the Defense Business Board, believes a major problem with DLA is
that it is effectively a government-run business. But like other similar
Pentagon enterprises — including agencies that acquire health and information
services or run military commissaries and missile defense programs — it doesn't
use the same business practices.
"They
don't treat them like businesses and they don't run them like businesses. They
are run by three-star [generals or admirals] with no management
experience," said Punaro, who also served as staff director of the Senate
Armed Services Committee. "In the private sector, everything runs on one
system," he added. At DLA, "they don't have a single database that
tracks everything."
Yet
Punaro also believes that some of the underlying forces are out of DLA's
control.
DLA
has "a terrible customer" in the Pentagon, he said. "It has no
sense of value or time. No one in the Pentagon is looking for a bargain on most
days. It's a cultural thing. These are people that will ship a pallet of water
on a C-17” cargo plane.
***
DLA’s
inventory flows in and out of 28 massive distribution facilities around the
world. One of them is the Susquehanna Distribution Center, in New Cumberland,
Pennsylvania, a few hours from Washington.
Inside
the sprawling complex is a massive repository, nearly seven stories tall, that
has been dubbed the “high rise.” On a recent afternoon, a technician operating
an elevated crane slid into the shadows between two of the hulking gray storage
towers to retrieve a small bell crank — to be shipped to the USS America.
It
took a few minutes to locate the palm-sized item, box it and send it on its way
— a success by most measures. But the truth is that no one can say with
certainty what the exact contents of this distribution center are, which is why
it is ground zero for the attempt to pass a financial audit.
Inside
policy circles, the fact that the Pentagon, a $700-billion-a-year enterprise,
has never been audited is emblematic of government’s complacency about waste.
An accounting of what money comes in and how exactly it goes out, of course, is
considered the norm in private industry.
But
there’s little that’s routine about an audit of the military, as the Marine
Corps’ recent experience attests. In 2013, Pentagon officials selected the
Corps, the smallest of the branches, to be audited first. When the Pentagon
inspector general last year gave it a clean audit opinion for its 2012 budget,
military officials trumpeted it as a major milestone. Then-Secretary of Defense
Chuck Hagel even gave the Marine Corps an award.
This
year, after further scrutiny by the GAO and others, the audit had to be
withdrawn. There were allegations that Pentagon officials approved it even
though they knew the books were incomplete and some of the data inaccurate. The
accounting firm that prepared the Marine Corps audit, Grant Thornton LLP, was
fired earlier this year as a result.
Sen.
Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who has been among the most dogged members
of Congress in demanding an audit of the Pentagon, took to the Senate floor
this summer to rail against the Marine Corps effort, calling it "a
disaster."
The
DLA is trying desperately to avoid another one. But the challenges are proving
immense — requiring an army of independent outside auditors, including one to
be selected under a new contract DLA will award early next year.
Audits
depend on a paper trail. But DLA has had difficulty locating basic contracts,
known as "interdepartmental purchase requests," it inks with other
agencies that specify the supplies or services being provided or requested.
"We
couldn't find them," Reba, the agency's deputy director of finance, said.
"You could show them there was a new roof, but did you pay the right
amount? And can you pull those documents very quickly? If it takes you three
months to pull it, [the auditors] don't think you have good control over your
processes."
***
Across
the Pennsylvania distribution center from the "high rise" storage
units, a technician sat at a sparsely decorated metal desk with a computer in
the middle of the vast facility surrounded by boxes filled with circuit board
assemblies, each packaged in a shiny padded envelope.
His
task was to make sure all of them were recorded in the computer, the quantities
matched with what was originally ordered, they were stored in their designated
place and labeled with their correct shelf life, and that the items were also
"matched with the purchase manager folks so they know they are in custody
and can pay the vendor," explained Denise Parker, who is overseeing DLA's
audit readiness efforts at its network of distribution centers.
Easier
said than done.
"This
is kind of hard to read. It's all blurry," said the warehouse technician.
In
another section of the vast facility called the "walk and pick," red
bins filled with specialty items lined either side of a long conveyor belt.
Employees handpicked the items to fill orders — at a rate of 35 per hour. There
were bins filled with signal horns, magnifier lenses, toggle switches, pistol
grips, belts, buckles and various types of hoses. Here, as part of the audit
prep, DLA has instituted a "floor to book" process designed to
physically track supplies and match them with the ledgers.
"When
we started, we didn't know how to check it as well as we do now," Parker
said.
"We didn't know how to audit the transactions as well."
DLA
officials stress that unlike the Marine Corps, which completed only a statement
of budget activity — outlining budget authority and how it is broadly being
spent — DLA is preparing to complete the more rigorous, multistep process
followed in the private sector, including preparing a balance sheet that lists
assets and liabilities, a statement of yearly revenue and a so-called statement
of net position that delineates transactions for several years.
"We
are ready for audit. We believe we have done enough to pass. No one is as far
along as we are," said Reba.
The
hope is the audit of DLA will finally account for how all — or at least the
vast majority — of DLA's funds are being spent. And lead to real change.
"We
are accountable to the American public for every one of those dollars,"
Air Force Lt. Gen. Andrew Busch, DLA's current director, told POLITICO in a
statement. "Being audited, even just being audit ready, helps us better
manage what we do and puts us in a position to more fully explain to the
American public what we're doing with all of those dollars."
But he
acknowledged the obstacles that lie ahead.
"There
is no real experience in DoD to perform audits, no one to scout out the path on
how to do this gargantuan task," he explained. "We went through a
number of iterations, but it wasn't until we decided to have professional
auditors come and show us what it meant to be audited, to prepare for an audit,
did we finally realize what right looks like."
Passing
an independent audit — first at DLA and then across the whole Pentagon — is
increasingly seen by the department's own leadership as critical in an era of
tighter budgets.
John
Conger, a senior Pentagon official, told a Senate panel last month that the
Pentagon suffers from a "credibility" problem due to its lack of
financial accountability.
"Without
a clean audit, it is harder to make the case that we are efficiently using all
of the funds Congress has provided us, even as we request more," he said.
"I
think a lot is riding on it," added Devincentis, the agency's former vice
director. "DLA is viewed as one of the more complex. It will help reveal
what it takes to pass these audits. They know there are going to be issues that
are going to be uncovered."
If the
agency at which she worked for more than three decades can succeed, she added,
an enduring challenge will be to remain in an "audit ready state" —
in other words, to keep the books accurate.
"You
can take a snapshot at a point in time, but the problems arise when you change
your processes and change data flows — now you have undone things."
Many
who have watched the agency closely for years are deeply wary that the agency
can get a clean bill of financial health anytime soon — including Charles
Murphy, a longtime aide to Grassley who has tracked the government's lack of
financial accountability for more than two decades.
Murphy
said he has serious doubts about the accuracy of the data that are available.
"It
is not just the documentation that is the problem," Murphy said in an
interview. "It is also the accuracy of the accounting information in these
systems. You need the documentation to support those entries. But the entries
themselves are largely inaccurate. The transaction data is just not
reliable."
"This
broken accounting system isn't an option," Grassley told POLITICO.
"The Constitution requires that we know where the money is spent. So what
DLA says they are ready to do? I hope they are right.”
But
even the cleanest financial audit in the world won't solve what many observers
insist is a much bigger problem:
Why
did the agency buy all this stuff in the first place?
C 2015 Reader Supported News
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"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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