Paul's Perambulations a personal blog

October 20, 2023

West Point Ethics of War Conference,  Oct 18-20

Filed under: Peace — admin @ 4:08 pm

The Ethics of War and Peace Conference held at West Point is a major event for me and I have attended all of them. This session asked of War: What is it good for?  I was surprised that the most common response was that it was not good for much these days. There was opportunity for much personal interaction. Fran focused on talking with the speakers, while I spent more time with the cadets.  One afternoon I wore my War is Not the Answer sweatshirt; at all other times I wore a button with that same message on my sport jacket.  I had an interesting discussion with our keynote speaker, Steven Pinker, and identified myself as a pacifist when speaking during the Q&A of a plenary session.

Speaking with Keynote Speaker Steven Pinker

Wearing my War Is Not the Answer shirt

Speaking at U.S. Customs House vigil for Senator Fetterman’s support for peace in Gaza, January 2024.

Signed for two certified letters from IRS today and used opportunity to explain to mailperson that as a pacifist I cannot pay for others to kill in my name (nearly half our federal tax goes to military-related costs) and redirect those taxes to life-affirming organizations

October 15, 2023

Prayerful vigil for healing and peace

Filed under: Peace — admin @ 6:51 pm

Fran and I organized a two-hour prayerful vigil for healing and peace between Israel and Palestine, held today at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media.  There were about fifteen present, and it seemed meaningful for all involved.  These are challenging times for so many, abroad and at home.

September 20, 2023

EQAT climate action at Vanguard

Filed under: General,Nature,Peace — admin @ 4:46 pm

Participated in a peaceful action yesterday with Earth Quaker Action Team at the home of the world’s largest pollution investor – Vanguard in Malvern. Next (9.30.2023) we’re back at Lockheed Martin, World’s Largest War Profiteer.

I’m in dark red holding banner

April 27, 2023

Annual Good Friday action at Lockheed Martin, world’s largest war profiteer and nuclear contractor.

Filed under: General,Peace,Politics — admin @ 9:44 am

A number of us were civil disobedient by blocking their driveway and walking onto their property. In an unusual move, the police declined to formally arrest us but briefly detained us by escorting us individually to the side of the road and getting driver’s license information, then releasing us (no van ride to the station for booking).

In the hands of the law, once again.

April 20, 2023

Tax Day, and we won’t pay for war

Filed under: Peace,Politics — admin @ 4:53 pm

We sent our check for a partial amount of what we owe the government along with a letter explaining why we do this as a matter of conscience, and then sent the remainder to good causes. We refuse to pay the full amount of income tax because so much goes to war-related expenses. Paying others to kill in my name feels to me like doing it myself. We refuse and redirect a relatively small amount because at this point the IRS computer is on to us and, after a series of threatening letters they take it out of my social security check. But Thoreau has it right when he says that’s no excuse to do nothing.

November 18, 2021

Speaking with Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon – Nov 18 and July 15.

Filed under: Education,General,Peace,Politics — admin @ 8:28 am

Spoke again directly with my U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon today (and also four months ago – see below) in a noon zoom appointment arranged by Friends Committee on National Legislation. There were ten of us, and focus was on Build Back Better bill (HR 5376) now in Congress, (more…)

July 6, 2021

4th of July weekend at the Liberty Bell

Filed under: General,Peace — admin @ 7:36 pm

Then the rains came

With Brandywine Peace Community July 3 at the Quaker Statehouse – aka Independence Hall. Message is that our country needs fixing as much as the cracked bell across the way from us. Got good attention from passers-by. Weather progressed from a cool morning drizzle setting out, to a hot sun the first hour of the demonstration, followed by a few clouds, then closed a bit early with a cloud burst of rain.

March 8, 2021

50th ANNIVERSRY OF THE FBI BREAK-IN OF THEIR MEDIA, PA OFFICE

Filed under: Peace,Politics — admin @ 6:11 pm
On March 8, 1971, citizens peacefully broke into the FBI office opposite the Media Court House and removed files that disclosed numerous criminal acts the FBI had committed under Hoover’s direction. The majority of their files were politically focused on liberal and left wing groups and draft resistance, while relatively few concerned traditional criminals who might pose a threat to human lives or livelihood (forget about Bonnie and Clyde). One notorious item was a copy of a blackmail letter that the FBI anonymously sent to Martin Luther King suggesting that he commit suicide or else the author would reveal evidence of sexual indiscretions. The documents revealed the COINTELPRO operation and led to a Senate investigation headed by Senator Church (the Church Committee) which reported as follows: “The Committee finds that the domestic activities of the intelligence community at times violated specific statutory prohibitions and infringed the constitutional rights of American citizens. The legal questions involved in intelligence programs were often not considered. (more…)

January 18, 2021

Martin Luther King 2021 action at Lockheed Marti

Filed under: Peace,Politics — admin @ 8:43 am

I participated in the Martin Luther King demonstration and celebration at Lockheed Martin today. We peacefully demonstrated against the world’s largest war profiteer and nuclear weapons’ systems contractor. We celebrated that this Friday the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will become international law. In accord with the U.N. Charter (to which we are signatories), the treaty having received ratification by at least fifty U.N. member countries, the manufacture, possession, or use of nuclear weapons is prohibited. The major holdouts are, not too surprisingly, the current nuclear weapon countries. We hope to change that, but there is an immediate gain by this treaty. Countries that have ratified the treaty have agreed not to manufacture, trade, possess or allow into their country any nuclear weapons. It is a major step toward world peace when countries that have been historic enemies of one another mutually agree that they will not develop or possess nuclear (more…)

August 30, 2020

Three August Actions.

Filed under: Education,Nature,Peace — admin @ 2:18 pm

On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima, I was at Lockheed-Martin, world’s largest nuclear contractor. On August 26th Fran and I were at a Mama Bear’s Marina East pipeline action at Hickory Park in Chester Springs.  Explosive gasses under high pressure will pass through residential areas and alongside public schools and senior facilities.  My role was police/security liaison, monitoring the yellow team of Mama Bears (including Fran).  They trespassed onto the work site and left only when threatened with immediate arrest. The security person I engaged acted aggressively, like someone right out of Blackwater training – not a good sign. Two days later Mama Bears arrived at an Exton drill site, where we held a legal demonstration while some of us carried a banner onto their construction easement.

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