On Saturday, 23 activists from around the state gathered on very short notice to protest at another Aegis destroyer ‘christening’ at Bath Iron Works (owned by General Dynamics) here in Maine.
In the past the event was open to the public with weeks advance notification. But after a series of large protests and several high profile civil resistance actions things have changed.
In current times there are only a few days notice and attendance is by invitation only. The past long lines of the general public wishing to enter are over.
These destroyers are outfitted with nuclear-capable Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as so-called ‘missiles defense’ systems. The MD interceptors are key elements in Pentagon first-strike attack planning. After the first-strike cruise missiles are launched against Russia and China (regularly war gamed by the Pentagon) both Russia and China would launch their remaining nuclear retaliatory capability. It is then that the MD shield would be used to theoretically pick off those responses.
Currently there are 6-7 of these Aegis destroyers being built at BIW and will be sent near to Russian and Chinese coasts.
Russia and China have a ‘no first use policy’ while the US refuses to make such a commitment.
Most of those attending the ‘christening’ had to drive by our peace vigil and they parked in the lot right next to where we were standing.
The Portland Press Herald covered the event and much to our surprise interviewed Mary Beth Sullivan about the protest. Usually we get virtually no mainstream media coverage at these events.
“The money should be going to human needs in our own community,” Sullivan, a social worker, said. “We could be building solar panels or windmills. There’s so many other projects we could be building if only we had a different mindset. There’s so much profit in war.”
Destroyers today cost roughly $2 billion to build.
Maine’s congressional delegation showed up as usual and Sen. Angus King (I-ME) was quoted saying:
“There are people who say we shouldn’t spend so much money on defense and we shouldn’t build these ships,” King told the crowd. “The problem is there is evil and aggression in the world. If there’s any doubt of that: Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The whole purpose of building this ship is notifying our adversaries … we have the capacity to punish them if they commit an act of aggression against the United States or its allies.
“We are building these ships so they will never have to be used.”
Warmonger Sen. King misrepresents where the real aggression in the world is coming from. It is the US that spends more money on the military than the next 10 nations combined. The US is currently occupying Syria and stealing their oil and wheat. It is Washington that is leading the war against Russia using Ukraine as the hammer. It is the US that is now arming Taiwan to use that nation as a trigger for war against China.
The US is building an arsenal of hypocrisy.
See the post about this same event by Lisa Savage here.