Activists Confront the Military Industrial Complex

By Benjamin Dangl, AlterNet. Posted November 25, 2008.

On May 1st of this year, 10 activists committed civil disobedience by sitting in the lobby of the GD weapons plant in Burlington, VT demanding that "General Dynamics stop giving campaign contributions to the politicians responsible for regulating it, stop making Gatling guns, missiles and other weapons of mass destruction and give back the $3.6 million dollars in Vermont tax breaks General Dynamics received in 2007." Later, in October, a panel was organized in Montpelier to share stories and strategies from VT activists who had been organizing against GD for decades.

At the November 1st rally, many spoke of the need to continue organizing in spite of Barack Obama's imminent victory. Lea Wood, an "all around activist" from Montpelier, said, "we have to push Mr. Obama to make sure he's heading in the right direction." Wood, a veteran of World War II, said she is surprised when politicians talk about how long it will take to bring the troops home. "After World War II, people came home pretty quickly. Now they say it's going to take years to bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan -- that's ridiculous."

Vermont State Senator Ann Cummings was also in the crowd. She agreed that GD was profiting from the wars, and receiving tax breaks in spite of the state's limited budget. "But I'm here mostly to hear what my constituents are concerned about, I take that very seriously." Cummings added that she would look into the tax breaks that GD receives and see what can be done.

Matt Howard, an Iraq War Veteran, spoke of why he attended the protest. "I happened to have witnessed the results of the kinds of weapons produced by General Dynamics. I've seen first hand what they look like on the ground when they come in contact with real human flesh. As a citizen of Vermont, and a former marine, I cannot in good conscience support our state tax dollars going to enrich the coffers of a company that is making a fortune off the misery and blood of others."

See more stories tagged with: war, iraq, general dynamics, weapons manufacturing

Benjamin Dangl is the editor of TowardFreedom.com, a VT-based progressive publication.

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