Space week interview: U.S. wants to 'control & dominate space'

Join us for a deep conversation with Bruce Gagnon, veteran peace and anti-imperialist activist, as he unpacks decades of organizing against war, corporate greed, and the weaponization of space. 

From his early work with the United Farm Workers Union to co-founding the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, Bruce shares his insights on the intersection of military-industrial power, environmental destruction, and global resistance movements.  

0:02 – Introduction: Greeting Bruce Gagnon, discussing current times.
0:11 – Discussion of Bruce’s work and background.
0:24 – Bruce describes being a peace, anti-imperialist, environmental, and social justice activist.
0:34 – Early activism: United Farm Workers Union, organizing fruit pickers in Florida.
0:58 – Military background: Air Force during Vietnam, exposure to GI resistance movement.
2:01 – Influence of first roommate, Black Panther discussions, racism in the military.
2:41 – Post-military college life, recruited by farm workers union, began organizing.
2:57 – 1982: Watching massive disarmament protest, reaction to Lt. Gen. Daniel Graham.
4:03 – Began work with Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice, 15 years of protests at space center.
4:44 – Founding of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space (1992).
5:06 – Relevance today, technological changes, foresight on space militarization.
5:30 – Weaponization of space: Space Force, private corporations, SpaceX, and commercialization.
6:03 – Commercial interests in space: mining, resource exploitation, outer space treaties.
7:05 – Congressional study “Military Space Forces the Next 50 Years,” controlling Earth-Moon gravity well.
8:35 – Space Command “Vision for 2020” US dominance in space, “Master of Space” motto.
9:27 – Golden Dome missile defense announcement, costs, comparison to largest industrial projects.
10:30 – Escaping the space militarization nightmare: updating Outer Space Treaty.
11:44 – US vs. China/Russia on arms control; UN resolutions blocked by US and Israel.
13:28 – “Bring Our War $$$ Home” campaign: linking endless wars to domestic austerity.
14:08 – Reasons public struggles to connect military spending to domestic issues: jobs, brainwashing.
16:03 – Personal decolonization: military indoctrination, Pentagon Papers, life-long struggle.
18:57 – Jeju Island resistance: lessons for global movements.
19:34 – How Global Network supported Jeju Island resistance; continued protests.
24:19 – Persistence of Jeju Island protest; symbolic dances, environmental significance.
25:42 – Spiritual perspective: disconnection from Mother Earth, colonization of the mind.
27:13 – European vs. Indigenous worldview on property and sustainability.
28:17 – NASA’s Cassini plutonium mission, nuclear risks in space exploration.
30:00 – Global Network formation to address nuclear weapons in space.
30:47 – Cassini’s 72 pounds of Plutonium-238, environmental impact statements, risks to Florida.
32:01 – Mining and resource exploitation on Mars, Elon Musk’s Mars colonization.
33:06 – Contamination risks at Los Alamos, Hanford, Savannah River; worker safety.
34:08 – US vs. China/Russia space race, nuclear-powered rockets, risks of accidents.
35:21 – Need for international constituency and lobbying against space militarization.
36:00 – Impact on domestic social spending: education, healthcare, infrastructure cuts.
36:33 – Media silence on space militarization, alternative media as a solution.
38:11 – Using webinars, mailing lists to spread awareness; becoming journalists.
39:04 – Fragmented attention of audiences on individual devices.