Air Force psywar against protesters
Brass at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are using
psychological warfare against the anti-war movement. They have
announced that once the U.S. invades Iraq, troops are
authorized to use all necessary force, including "shoot to
kill," to stop activists who trespass on the grounds of the
military complex. (Associated Press, March 15 )
The use of deadly force is always a military option. What is
new is announcing this option with fanfare. Spokesperson Maj.
Stacee Bako told reporters on March 14, "They all have to be
dealt with as very specific threats, whether they're
vandalizing a sign, crossing the green [no trespassing] line or
infiltrating the backcountry."
Her statement on the military directive was issued the day
before major mass rallies and marches against U.S. military
aggression in the state.
On March 14, Dennis Apel, a member of Guadalupe Catholic
Worker, sprayed the base's entrance sign with a vial of his own
blood as a symbolic anti-war action. He was arrested and
charged with misdemeanor counts of trespassing and vandalism.
Could the penalty for such activity really be raised to a death
sentence?
This intimidation will not deter activists, vowed Peter
Lumsdaine of the Vandenberg Action Coalition, one of the
organizers of plans to protest on the base. "I think it does
underline that people in the nonviolent resistance movement are
willing to take some risks," he concluded.
--Leslie Feinberg
Reprinted from the March 27, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
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