'That is true freedom'....

Sunday Song

The Korean people want peace

Singing 'Imagine' by John Lennon

Pence displays U.S. arrogance at Olympics

Many years ago I went to an international peace conference in Athens, Greece.  I met a Greek journalist who told me the story behind the founding of the Olympics.

At that time Greece was full of city-states which were all walled off from one other in a constant state of war.  So they came up with the idea of the Olympics and each year which ever city-state won the most athletic events had to return home and tear down their walls.  It was created as a disarmament policy.

Pence and Trump are violating the spirit of the Olympics by using the event to justify more military weapon walls on the Korean peninsula.

The Korean people are obviously trying to create peace and remove the divisions amongst their peoples that the US has played a huge role in creating.

Leave the Korean people alone and let them have unity and peace!

Bruce

Where is our Solidarity?

General Dynamics is asking the Maine legislature for $60 million in corporate welfare. It’s top CEO made $21 million last year and they have so much cash on hand that between 2009-2017 GD bought back $14.4 billion of their own stocks driving up market share.

There are now 43,000 kids living in poverty in Maine. There is no money to fix pot hole filled roads and our bridges are deemed ‘deficient’ by DOT. Thousands in Maine have no health care. In rural Maine hospitals, schools and factories are closing. What could Maine do with $60 million that GD does not really need? 

I learned about solidarity as a union organizer with the United Farm Workers Union. In the spirit of solidarity with those in need across Maine I will be doing an open-ended hunger strike starting February 12 to try to stop LD 1781 in Augusta. I will stand in front of BIW at noon and 3:30 pm each work day during the hunger strike with a sign and hand out flyers to the workers.

Bruce K. Gagnon
Bath
(207) 443-9502

Maine Taxation Committee Work Session reveals General Dynamics control of state

Rep. Jennifer DeChant (D-Bath), along with a coterie of other Democrat legislators and BIW executives, appeared before the Taxation Committee today with her ‘amendments’ to LD 1781 – the bill to give General Dynamics $60 million in corporate welfare over the next 20 years.

Earlier in the day I had received an email from a fellow Bath resident that had originated from Rep. DeChant in response to my friend’s request that she not vote in favor of the controversial bill.  In the email DeChant told my friend: “I will recommend changing the amount for half in half the time and require review (of data collected) before renewing it again.”

Rep. DeChant’s amendments called for ‘improvements in BIW reporting’ on how they spend the proposed funds from the state.  During the previous $200 million tax credit that BIW/GD got back in 1997 there was no reporting by the company on how they spent the funds or how many workers were hired.

The committee had some questions like the one from Rep. Denise Teplar (D-Topsham) who asked, “What is the state’s interest in providing a 90% tax credit in years when jobs are reduced?”

The best exchanges of the day though were between BIW V-P John Fitzgerald and a couple committee members.

Rep. Ryan Tipping (D-Bangor) asked, “Is this credit going to make a difference?  Is there a smaller amount the state can invest? Can we audit BIW’s books?”

Fitzgerald responded to Rep. Tipping, “It would be a challenge to answer that question.  What would you ask the auditor to find?”

Sen. Justin Chenette (D-Saco) then asked, “I’m not understanding why the investment of $60 million can’t come from your parent company?  In order for me to make decisions I need a commitment from you [BIW] to disclose the profits of the company.”

Fitzgerald responded emphatically:  “The answer is no.”

At one point during the meeting Fitzgerald cried out, “For us to be punished because our owner has capital seems unjust!”

DeChant’s amendment to “changing the amount for half in half the time” is actually no more than a legislative smoke and mirrors gambit.  In the end the amendment calls for BIW to spend $100 million per year in ‘qualified investments’ and if done, then after the first 10 years the second round of $30 million more in corporate subsidies would automatically kick-in for the next 10 years.  So in the end GD would still get their $60 million.

In the amended bill ‘qualified investments’ is defined as virtually any cost that BIW has except for salaries or other compensation paid to employees.  So all other expenses on Aegis destroyers that cost $1.5 billion each and Zumwalt destroyers that cost between $4-7 billion each would count toward the required annual BIW investment of $100 million per year.  Easy as pie – no tough nut to crack there.

Recognizing that BIW is currently building two Zumwalt and four Aegis destroyers with at least 1-2 being ‘christened’ per year there is virtually no way in the world that BIW/GD would not meet those meager criteria to qualify for state support.  Under questioning Fitzgerald admitted that currently GD is bidding on 10 more destroyers and anticipates likely getting half of those contracts from the Navy.

Training of a new generation of BIW workers is still GD’s key talking point to sell the bill even though their Navy contracts include funds for all their costs – including training and reimbursement for their taxes to the state of Maine.

Currently BIW is receiving an $81 million property-tax break from the City of Bath that runs out in 2022.  In addition BIW got another $3.7 million from Bath in 2013.

Fitzgerald reluctantly admitted that BIW/GD also receive an unknown about of money via Maine’s Pine Tree Development Zone program.  The Press Herald reported late last year that “BIW is a participant in the Pine Tree Zone program and believes it has been an important incentive for businesses to locate in Maine or stay here while continuing to invest in operations that provide jobs and economic activity,” Fitzgerald wrote.  The amount that any individual company benefits from the program is usually not disclosed under state laws that protect the confidentiality of tax returns and shield proprietary information from competitors.

In the end the Taxation Committee tabled LD 1781 but it appears that most members of the committee are prepared to support the bill once all the new amendments are fully added and understood by those on the committee.

It is ever more clear to me that GD not only runs Bath but also runs the State of Maine – as any colonizer controls the land and people where they have set up operations.

It will be up to the people of Maine to wrest back control of its own state treasury from this mega-corporation that bought back $12.9 billion of its own stocks between 2009-2016.

We’ll let you know when the next Taxation Committee Work Session will be held.  Despite what some might want you to think this show ain’t yet over.

Bruce

The battle to keep a peaceful Guam....

Thanks to Ann Wright and Will Griffin for putting this all together.  Guam is left out of the discussion far too often when people are considering starting WW III in the Asia-Pacific.

The occupation and environmental devastation in Guam must end.  Americans must begin to take some responsibility for their nation's empire.

Living in a state of war

• During the past year I've been getting monthly recorded phone calls from a company doing political surveys.  The last call was asking if North Korea is a threat to the US.  This morning they called back and reported that over 400,000 people responded to the North Korea question and 55% of responders felt that North Korea was a threat and only 5% did not think they were a threat to the US.  I was one of the 5%.  The question for this time was 'Are we going to have more celebrity presidential candidates in the future - like Oprah Winfrey?'   I voted I don't know.  America is such a friggin mess.

• President Trump’s vision of soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the streets of Washington DC is moving closer to reality in the Pentagon and White House, where officials say they have begun to plan a grand military parade later this year showcasing the might of America’s military. “The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” said a Pentagon official. It's going to be very expensive but is all part of the overall plan to make sure that the public accepts our new role in the world which is 'security export'.  We won't make shoes, TVs, cars, clothes, steel or much else anymore but we will make weapons and endless war on behalf of resource extraction corporations.  

• We've had very spotty coverage in the Maine media about our Aegis 9 trial dismissal last week.  No real surprise.  One local weekly newspaper has posted a story about the judge's dismissal and actually got the facts right.  I was asked to send some comments for the article and I am pleasantly surprised that they picked the strongest words from my statement for their article in the Coastal Journal.  They printed: “The obvious take away for us is the enormous power that General Dynamics has over the City of Bath and the State of Maine,” said Bruce Gagnon, one of the Aegis 9 and member of Veterans for Peace. The group is also protesting a proposed $60 million in tax credits being offered General Dynamics by the State of Maine. You can read the entire article here.
• Video above produced by Regis Tremblay who wanted to do something to help get the word out more about GD's $60 million grab from Mainers.   In the video I said GD is 'selling' back their own stocks - I should have said 'buying' back their own stocks driving up their market value.
  

Latest Space Alert newsletter now online

You can read our latest Space Alert newsletter by clicking on this link. 

 

http://www.space4peace.org/newsletter/Space%20Alert%2036.pdf

 

 ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis is talking about using nuclear weapons and pledging to win a war in space.  This is a dangerous moment. Hang onto your hat and get organized! 

The sorrows of empire

Chalmers Ashby Johnson (August 6, 1931 – November 20, 2010) was an American author and professor emeritus of the University of California, San Diego. He served in the Korean War, was a consultant for the CIA from 1967 to 1973, and chaired the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley from 1967 to 1972. He was also president and co-founder with Steven Clemons of the Japan Policy Research Institute (now based at the University of San Francisco), an organization promoting public education about Japan and Asia.

He wrote numerous books including, most recently, three examinations of the consequences of American Empire: Blowback, The Sorrows of Empire, and Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. A former cold warrior, his fears for the US changed:

    "A nation can be one or the other, a democracy or an imperialist, but it can’t be both. If it sticks to imperialism, it will, like the old Roman Republic, on which so much of our system was modeled, lose its democracy to a domestic dictatorship."

Divide and conquer

Enviro group joins NO $60 million campaign

Resource for contacting your personal local legislators: http://legislature.maine.gov/house/townlist.htm

See the full story here.....

On news stands in MidCoast Maine now!

This monthly arts and cultural magazine out of Portland hit the news stands yesterday in Bath.  Be sure to get a copy.  The online version can be read here.

This cover story is an example of exceptional journalism and we congratulate author Chris Busby.

Sunday Song

One big win - need one more

 

 

We got a big win when Superior Court Justice Dan Billings dismissed the state’s case against the Aegis 9 on February 1 in Bath.  You can see the Judge make his ruling in the video above.

 

You can also see the brilliant Opening statement by our lawyer Logan Perkins (Belfast) which comes up at the 6:17 mark in this video below.

 

 

Both of those videos thanks to Regis Tremblay and Peter Woodruff.

 

Now that we have secured an unexpected victory our hearts and minds are fully engaged with the second seemingly insurmountable obstacle which is the $60 million corporate welfare bill (LD 1781) for General Dynamics.

 

Just yesterday we had positive front page coverage in The Forecaster http://www.theforecaster.net/opponents-urge-legislators-to-curb-bath-iron-works-tax-break/  and The Bollard – a popular arts and cultural magazine out of Portland.  The cover story on The Bollard is entitled:  Ship of Fools Tax Breaks for BIW, WW III for us.  This one is a masterpiece that covers the issue from A to Z and is written by Chris Busby.  It’s not online yet but we will send it around when possible.  Try to pick up a copy if it is available in your community.  You can imagine our utter delight to see it in restaurants and coffee shops here in Bath with its great cover artwork of a destroyer firing $$$$ into the air.

 

The Taxation Committee in Augusta has a Work Session on LD 1781 on Thursday, February 8 at 1:00 pm in the State House Room 127.  Hope some of you can join us there.

 

The Letters to Editor and Op-Eds also continue to flow into papers across the state – now been about 35 of them in 14 papers.  Please write one – even if you’ve already done one – do another.  We have the chance to save already beleaguered taxpayers in Maine $60 million and we have a few more weeks to keep building the heat.  Some folks think we are wasting our time but miracles are known to happen now and then.  Here is an example of a recent letter in the Lewiston Sun Journal  http://www.sunjournal.com/no-to-corporate-welfare/#.WnR4jFe7iZE.email 

 

Your calls and emails to your state legislators are indeed getting their attention.  Even the sponsor of the bill is now saying that she needs to amend it to require that BIW actually report how they spend Maine taxpayer funds and how many jobs are created.  In the Public Hearing last week BIW’s V-P John Fitzgerald refused to commit to those amendments – only saying they were willing to talk about it.  He likely has to check with GD’s corporate HQ first – they will not be happy with anyone putting strings on their welfare checks.  (The biggest thing to come out of the hearing was the information that GD rolls their Maine taxes into their contracts with the Navy and has federal taxpayers reimburse them for that line item. Simply amazing and disgusting.)

 

So we urge you to put a bit more energy into helping retire the notion that Mainers should help finance the compensation packages of GD’s top executives.  Let’s roll the dice and see if we can hit the jackpot twice.

 

Best your way.

 

Bruce

Conservative judge stands by constitution and dismisses civil resistance case

It was an amazing day yesterday that began at 7:30 am  as we vigiled in the cold and snow in front of the Sagadahoc County Courthouse in Bath for an hour before we had to go inside for the start of our Aegis 9 trial.

One of the defendants, Mike Tork from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, could not make it as he had medical issues which did not allow him to travel.  Mike is a Vietnam War veteran and and very active member of Veterans For Peace.

Pro bono attorney Logan Perkins, from Belfast, Maine, represented three in our group with the rest of us defending ourselves.  The state opened the trail by claiming to the jury that it was a simple case of the defendants illegally attempting to "enter the event" which was a 'christening' ceremony for a new Aegis destroyer built at Bath Iron Works, owned by General Dynamics.

After the state finished its opening I was the first to offer an opening statement.  It had been arranged that we'd show a short video made by local filmmaker Eric Herter (Vietnam veteran and former AP reporter).  The video clearly revealed to the court that the Aegis 9 did not attempt to enter the BIW shipyard but instead stopped about 12 feet before the gate, turned and held their signs facing the oncoming crowd who were entering the ceremony.

The trial ended when the judge dismissed the charges against all nine peaceful defendants after the state prosecutor finished his opening case.

Justice Dan Billings, Superior Court Judge, granted the defendants’ motion for judgment of acquittal saying, “The Bath Police Department was outsourced to Bath Iron Works [owned by General Dynamics].  This is not how it is supposed to work.  The city has to consider the bigger picture [of constitutional rights to assemble].”  Billings maintained that the Bath Police Department had used “unfettered discretion” in their arrests of the Aegis 9.

During the trial the head of BIW security testified the weapons corporation had the right to decide in advance who they will let into a public event. He stated that if one of their own workers walked past a peaceful protest and spoke to those assembled they would not allow that worker inside the ceremony. The judge remarked that by using that logic - if he “walked past a protest and shook Bruce Gagnon’s hand and had a friendly word with him”, that even he would be denied entry to a ‘christening’ ceremony.

The state's two key witnesses also could not conclusively identify the BIW property line.

John Branson, an activist attorney from Portland, commented on the dismissal saying: "I might also add that it is not uncommon for a conservative Republican judge to be protective of civil liberties in a case such as this.  (Judge Billings formerly chief counsel to Governor Paul LePage as you likely know).  With respect to lawsuits challenging the expanded surveillance program during the Obama administration – which were filed after Snowden’s revelations came to light – conservative judges were more likely than their liberal counterparts to find all or part of the programs to be unconstitutional."

Local activists in Bath have put out a call for volunteers to risk arrest at BIW during the next destroyer ‘christening’.  So far 47 people from Maine and several other states have put their names on the list.  The date of the next destroyer ‘christening’ at BIW is not yet known.

The Aegis destroyers built in Bath are outfitted with so-called ‘missile defense’ systems that are actually key elements in Pentagon first-strike attack planning.  The ships are currently being used to help encircle China and Russia with sea-based and land-based MD systems.

The evening ended with a victory party at the Addams-Melman House in Bath including good food, music and speeches by those assembled.  Everyone was urged to go home and write letters to local newspapers challenging the request by General Dynamics for $60 million in corporate welfare from the poor state of Maine.

Bruce

Breaking News: Judge dismisses Aegis destroyer protesters case in Bath

Judge dismisses Aegis 9 civil disobedience case in Bath!

Bruce Gagnon commented on Judge Billings' ruling to dismiss all charges against all eight defendants present in the court today: "The judge said the Bath Police Department was outsourced to BIW. That is not how it is supposed to work. The city has to consider the bigger picture."

He also said, "The police do not have unfettered discretion."

See the Bangor Daily News article covering this big story here

Former BIW tax director on General Dynamics $60 mil subsidy

Must watch this..... Retired CPA and former Corporation Tax Director of Bath Iron Works on General Dynamics $60 million corporate subsidy request.

He takes the whole corporate welfare request apart.

Report: Maine Taxation Committee Public Hearing on Corporate Welfare bill

The hearing room in the state house was packed yesterday with the vast majority of the people there to oppose LD 1781 – the $60 million in corporate welfare for General Dynamics (GD).  The bill was introduced by the two sponsors, both Democrats, Rep. Jennifer DeChant (Bath) and Sen. Eloise Vitelli (Arrowsic). 

Following those preliminaries BIW V-P and lawyer John Fitzgerald took the podium and began a long-winded sorrowful testimony on the trials and tribulations of the shipyard staying competitive; securing contracts; and barely scraping by in this hard cruel world.  Once the Taxation Committee members began asking him questions he did his best to hem and haw without giving direct answers.

In particular he:

• Refused to commit to reporting to the state how the money was spent if the bill is past

• Refused to commit to job increases at the shipyard if the $60 million was granted

• Refused to answer any question about GD stock buy backs ($12.9 billion since 2009)

• Refused to give any information about GD’s real need for the requested corporate welfare

But LD 1781 was actually the second item on the Taxation Comm. agenda yesterday.  The first bill was requesting more money for the Department of Transportation to fix roads, bridges, rails and ports.  The state has a $60 million shortfall at the DOT.  Currently 33% of bridges in Maine are in deficient condition.  Even the Truckers Association supported an increase in gas taxes if the terrible roads in northern Maine could be repaired.  The testimony on this bill really set the mood for LD 1781 that followed.

Only one person from any BIW unions spoke (a V-P from Local 7, the smallest union at the shipyard).  Those in the know later commented that it appeared to all that the unions (there are several at the shipyard) had made their ‘required’ testimony in favor of the bill but had done it half-heartedly.  There is no love for GD by the workers at BIW who got screwed in their last contract.  One BIW worker wrote on the Facebook page post that I have recently been boosting, “We had to give back $15,000 in benefits in the last negotiations” with GD.

So that was it for the pro-LD 1781 forces.  A couple bill sponsors, the BIW lawyer, one Chamber of Commerce exec and one union V-P from the smallest union.  Everyone else who spoke was opposed.

The first speaker was a woman from Presque Isle who said, “The more profits the military industrial complex makes, the more unstable the world becomes.  GD does not need this subsidy.”

The person who stole the show was the second speaker.  He worked for BIW for seven years as the Director of Taxes at the shipyard.  He opposed the bill.  He made some very important points such as:

• There needs to be a mechanism to audit BIW/GD’s claim of need and if passed there must be annual audits to see how they spent the funds

• Maine currently does not audit any such ‘subsides’ to corporations given in the state

• When BIW pays state taxes GD writes that off in their contracts with the Navy to build ships – (that raised some eyebrows on the committee and in the audience)

• If passed the amount of years giving tax credits to GD should be reduced from 20 years to five

• The credit should be eliminated in any year that employment drops below 4,000 workers.

Then a long string of other speakers (all opposed) made many excellent points.  Here are some of them:

• There is no transparency currently from BIW/GD about their need

• The state has no evaluation process written into LD 1781

• We’ve heard for the last 20 years that BIW might have to leave if they don’t get support from Maine.  Why doesn’t the state have a Plan B to convert the shipyard if they did leave?

• Companies get hooked on these corporate give-a-ways

• GD should open their books and show their financial need

• Corporate welfare is hurting our country

• What is the cost to our souls to keep building warships in our state?

• Corporate stock buy backs are a primary reason for reduced wages and US economic decline

• Kill the bill – don’t amend it and don’t compromise

• A recent Fortune Magazine article had a telling quote from a GD consultant that read:  “Boeing makes planes; Raytheon makes missiles; General Dynamics makes money.”

• Currently we are hearing that GD is telling Maine state legislators that they need more money to train young workers.  It should be stated that the federal contract GD signs with the Navy to build ships at BIW covers all their costs: workers’ pay, materials, equipment, corporate profits and the training of the workforce

• We keep hearing about competition from the Mississippi shipyard.  The Navy wants two shipyards – if a hurricane hit Mississippi they’d want BIW still working

• Manufacturing sector in America will do very well in the new Trump federal tax bill.  GD does not need our support

• Why should a poor state like Maine have to subsidize military production?

• GD always plays the fear card

• Our economy is a war economy

There were three newspapers represented in the hearing and MPBN listened to the live feed and gave limited coverage to the hearing.  See below for a couple of links to initial hearing coverage.

The next step will be a Taxation Committee Work Session (note date change) on Thursday, Feb 8 at 1:00 pm in State House Room 127.  The public is invited to attend but not allowed to speak unless called upon.
 
Our strategy on LD 1781 is to continue to alert the public to this corporate welfare bill so that Mainers can contact their state elected officials urging them to vote it down.  In order to do that we must keep the letters and Op-Eds flowing into daily and weekly papers across the state.  Even if you’ve already written a letter – please write another and get others to write one as well.  So far there have been at least 35 pieces printed in 14 papers.

One state representative from West Bath was in the hearing room yesterday to listen.  She told one person in our group that she has been getting a lot of calls and that ‘people are against this bill’. 

I think our collective efforts on LD 1781 has moved the lever from 'full speed ahead' to 'drop the anchor and hold position’....If we all do our bit we can defeat this bill or at the least dramatically reduce the amount of money that is put into it.  Don’t we all recognize the urgent human and infrastructure needs in Maine that would go unfunded if this bill is passed?

Bruce

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/30/proposed-60-million-tax-credits-for-biw-draws-supporters-and-critics/comments/

http://mainepublic.org/post/bath-iron-works-seeks-20-year-60-million-tax-break#stream/0


This campaign is supported by:

Americans Who Tell the Truth (Brooksville)
COAST (Citizens Opposing Active Sonar Threats, Hancock)
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space (Bath)
Greater Brunswick PeaceWorks
Green Horizon Magazine (Topsham)
Island Peace & Justice (Deer Isle)
Maine Green Independent Party
Maine Natural Guard (Solon)
Maine Veterans For Peace
Maine War Tax Resistance Resource Center (Portland)
Maine Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (Brunswick)
Peace Action Maine (Portland)
Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine (Bangor)
Peace & Justice Group of Waldo County
Peninsula Peace & Justice Center (Blue Hill)
Resources for Organizing & Social Change (Augusta)