Organizing Notes

Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. He offers his own reflections on organizing and the state of America's declining empire....

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Location: Brunswick, ME, United States

The collapsing US military & economic empire is making Washington & NATO even more dangerous. US could not beat the Taliban but thinks it can take on China-Russia-Iran...a sign of psychopathology for sure. We must all do more to help stop this western corporate arrogance that puts the future generations lives in despair. @BruceKGagnon

Thursday, April 17, 2008

MADE IT HOME AT LAST

Vigil outside of space weapons symposium in Colorado Springs. More than 7,500 from aerospace industry and military attended the $25 million arms bazaar.

News conference to start the weekend in Omaha

Protest at StratCom


We made it home safe and sound....4,949 miles all together. We are happy, had a great trip, felt really good about the conference and protest at StratCom, got energized from seeing old and new friends, but are completely road weary and worn out like an old shoe.

Last night we dropped Brendan O'Connor off fairly close to his hometown in Cooperstown, N.Y. Brendan was a great addition to our car on the way home. When we made the crazy snowstorm drive from Colorado Springs to Omaha he was a key driver in our second car and his experience of driving in upstate New York winters paid off.

We stopped in Chicago on the way back east and had dinner two nights ago at a restaurant owned by family friends of Karen from times past. It was a fun visit for all of us as we talked politics with Greg Morelli who not only is co-owner of the place with his brother but is also a host of a local radio show on Chicago's Air America station called Family Values with an Oy Vey. Greg is a real comedian with good politics. He tried to get us drunk but we had more driving to do.

Gas ain't cheap along the highways of America these days and the talk is that truckers are planning a national strike soon in hopes of shutting down the country. They are paying more than $4 a gallon for diesel fuel and are losing money.

In Iowa my brother-in-law told me that the farmers are making more money off corn than ever before as ethanol production has pushed the price of corn high and exports are growing as well. Many farmers are switching from growing soy beans to the more lucrative corn crop. Farming for cars, just doesn't sound right.

The peace in space movement has less good news to share. Even though we had a great conference, our biggest ever, the military industrial complex is forging ahead with their plans to move the arms race into space. So we can bask in the glow of a successful confab for a few days and then need to get back to slogging away in the salt mines.

If you did not yet see the conference intro done by Dave Webb be sure to watch it here.

And be sure to read the excellent Omaha Reader interview with Mary Beth about conversion.
To see more conference photos click here.

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