CONNECTING THE SHIPYARD CRIME SCENES

Tamara Lorincz (2nd from left) and her crew at the weekly shipyard protest in Halifax

Photo from a previous protest at Bath Iron Works but same sign I used yesterday at the Lenten vigil in Bath

• I went to an hour-long vigil yesterday at Bath Iron Works (BIW) where General Dynamics builds the Navy Aegis destroyers.  We had eight folks.  It was the first of a weekly series of vigils during Lent organized by the Smilin's Trees Disarmament Farm.  The next vigils will be Feb 16, 23, and March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30.  Each will be from 11:30-12:30 pm. During the closing circle I told the others about the weekly Halifax, Nova Scotia shipyard protests by Tamara Lorincz.  

• This morning Tamara sent me a news article from her local paper that reported "Top level [war ship] designs will be done by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works of Maine in concert with Irving."  Irving is the Canadian corporation building the naval ships for their government that are going to be used to "patrol" the Arctic region on behalf of the big corporate oil drilling operations that are made possible by melting ice due to climate change.

• The Canadian right-wing government is being fully integrated under US-NATO control which means expanded militarization.  Cutbacks in Canada's social programs will be increased to pay for the military ramp-up.  
• Tamara calls General Dynamics and Irving "partners in crime" and I think that is the perfect description.  The crime is the "theft" from those who hunger and are in need as former President Eisenhower warned us.  The crime is diverting us from dealing with climate change by building rail, wind, solar and other sustainable technologies.  Instead our criminal governments keep us addicted to militarism and oil extraction.  
• Lent is a time to fast from our culture of excess by resisting the temptation of militarism.  Pray it be so.  Help us act to make it happen.