Red Line Action at Beale
Yesterday I was arrested at Beale Air Force Base, near Marysville, California, along with seven others. We were charged with trespassing. This video of me speaking was filmed after we crossed the line onto the base. In it I begin to explain the connections between US military policy and climate change. The letter that we attempted to deliver to the base commander gives a more detailed explanation of our concerns and our reasons for demonstrating.
I have been arrested at Beale several times for protesting against the Global Hawk drones that are operated from Beale, which identify targets for armed drones, and against the U.S. drone warfare program. Far more civilians than terrorists are killed by U.S. drones, including many children. Terrorists use anti-drone sentiment to recruit more terrorists, creating an escalating cycle of violence and the rationale for endless war. There have been regular anti-drone protests at Beale and at drone bases around the country for several years now, and we aren’t going away. Seven more arrests were made today.
The demonstrations yesterday and today were timed to coincide with the conclusion of the Paris Climate talks. These past few days there have been “red line actions” in Paris and around the world, demonstrating that our leaders must not cross the many red lines that will lead to climate chaos and that people will continue to demand action for climate justice.
I am a person of faith and a follower of Jesus. I pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, and I am sure that the divine will is for peace, for justice, and for the flourishing of creation. I know that the Spirit, called by so many names, is at work in the world even now, in people who haven’t succumbed to the greed, violence, and despair of our times. I have hope that the world can change, that another world is possible. But for that to happen, we the people will have to rise up and work together fearlessly, regardless of our spiritual or philosophical beliefs, to make real what is possible.
Drones kill ISIS terrorists. I lkie drones