About 70 people gathered in front of Vandenberg Air Force Base just before midnight on Feb. 25 to protest the launch of a Minuteman 3 and the use of intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons in general.
About an hour later, base security arrested 15 people for trespassing once they stepped on base property. Among those arrested were Daniel Ellsberg, the former nuclear strategist who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in 1971; Father Louis Vitale, a Franciscan priest and activist; Cindy Sheehan, a woman who famously became an anti-war activist after her son was killed in Iraq; and Nuclear Age Peace Foundation President David Krieger.
At a press conference prior to the protest, Ellsberg, Krieger, and Vitale all expressed their concerns about nuclear weapons and urged the public to speak out against the United States’ use of such deadly tools.
Citing his knowledge as a former nuclear strategist, Ellsberg revealed that smoke from cities destroyed by a nuclear missile attack would deprive the world of 70 percent of its sunlight and cause a 10-year famine that would kill most life on the planet.
Krieger called out base leadership directly, saying the excuse of “we were just following orders” doesn’t stand.
“The hierarchy at Vandenberg Air Force Base talks about ICBMs as if they’re something in the national interest; as if the effectiveness of the missiles somehow improves the safety of people of the United States, when really they undermine our security,” Krieger said.
He said testing the missiles sends “the message of ‘look how strong we are’” and could result in retaliation against the United States and “end complex life on Earth.”
“We’re the only country to ever use nuclear weapons. We should be leading the way to the end the use of nuclear missiles. We should show leadership to make the world safer,” he said.
He also called upon the government and military to start conducting human and environmental impact reports on the unarmed missile launches.
Impact reports are conducted when someone wants to build a house, he said, adding, “It’s a failure of government, society, and culture that these reports haven’t been done.”
Vitale expressed outrage over the suffering experienced by native populations in the Marshall Islands and other areas as a result of the unarmed missile testing.
All three men called upon the public to contact their legislators—specifically President Barack Obama—to stop using intercontinental ballistic missiles and discontinue the country’s pro-nuclear defense strategy.
“Our main purpose is to ensure the security of base personnel and property, and to make sure the launch stays on track,” base spokesperson 2nd Lt. Austin Fallin said when asked to comment on the protest.
He said the protestors remained peaceful throughout the event.
This article appears in Mar 1-8, 2012.
