Other Area Groups Protest Against
Lockheed Martin Corporation

http://indybay.org/news/2003/04/1599494.php

Santa Cruz Civilian Weapons Inspection Team Refused Entry to Lockheed Martin
by Joe Rigney Saturday April 12, 2003 at 01:13 PM

On Friday, April 11, about sixty members of the Santa Cruz Citizen
Weapons Inspections Team visited the Lockheed Martin facility at the
top of Empire Grade in Bonny Doon. The goal of the team was to
ascertain to what extent that facility is developing weapons of
mass destruction.

On Friday, April 11, about sixty members of the Santa Cruz Citizen
Weapons Inspections Team visited the Lockheed Martin facility at the
top of Empire Grade in Bonny Doon. The goal of the team was to ascertain
to what extent that facility is developing weapons of mass destruction.

The day started with a press conference at the in downtown Santa Cruz.
According to the Arms Trade Resource Center, Lockheed Martin is the
world’s largest weapons maker, and the corporation received over
$30 billion in federal contracts in fiscal year 2000 - 2001 alone.

"We intend to hold the United States Government responsible to the
same standards for the development, proliferation, and use of weapons
of mass destruction to which it holds other sovereign nations," said
Sue Colley. "It is irresponsible for us not to request full disclosure
of weapons development and testing taking place at the Bonny Doon facility."

According to "unofficial sources," the Bonny Doon facility tests and
produces non-nuclear components of the Trident II D-5 missile, a first
strike nuclear missile with several times the power of the Hiroshima
bomb. "We want to find out if our local facility participates in the
production of this weapon of mass destruction," said Ms. Colley.

"We want to make the connection between war and the corporate
domination of politics," added Sharon Delgado. The Bush administration
has eight policy makers with direct or indirect ties to Lockheed Martin.
Lynn Cheney, the wife of the vice president, was a corporate board
member from 1994 to 2001, where she received $500,000 a year in fees.

The team drove up Empire Grade to the Lockheed Martin facility,
but was forced to park about a half-mile from the entrance gate
by county sheriff deputies. The more than sixty inspectors, many
of them wearing white hazardous waste suits and masks, marched the
rest of the way, holding peace flags and signs that said "WMD? NIMBY"
and "Your weapons don’t keep us safe."

Upon reaching the gate, the team announced that they would begin the
inspection, and they requested admittance to the site. Facility
Operations Manager Pete Olinger responded, "Sorry, we cannot let
you in. We recognize your right to protest, but we also hope you
respect our employees' rights and our property. If you have any
additional comments, please contact Jeff Richmond at the Public
Relations Department."

The team asked a series of questions, but Mr. Olinger, like a
corporate robot, refused to answer and only repeated his statement.
Even when spokeswoman Lynda Marin said, "We contacted Jeff Richmond,
and he told us to direct our questions to the Bonny Doon facility.
Who at Bonny Doon can answer these questions?" Mr Olinger still
referred the inspectors back to Richmond.

The inspection team then requested that a letter be delivered to
Byron Ravenscraft, a Senior Manager at the Bonny Doon facility.
In this letter, the team asked for answers to the following:

What subsystems and components are being developed and/or tested there?
What are they being used for?

Is it true that Lockheed Martin Bonny Doon produces and tests the
ordnance for the Trident D-5 Nuclear Missiles?

Is there a Navy Building inside the property at Lockheed Martin
Bonny Doon? If so, what is it being used for and what county
ordinances is it exempt from?

What other buildings and facilities are on the Bonny Doon site?
What are they used for? What is their status in relation to county
use permits and ordinances?

If citizens of Santa Cruz were to extend the nuclear free zone
to the county, would Lockheed Martin be able to continue current
operations in light of regular inspections?

Since they failed to gain entrance to the facility, the weapons
inspectors made findings that the facility provided insufficient
information, failed to comply, and that the inspections were
incomplete. They left a sign stating "Weapons Inspection,
Non-compliance" on the gate. However, they vowed that this
was not the end of their activities.

"At this point we have decided not to go in without permission,"
said Eva Brumner. "But we do intend to inspect this site and may go
in (illegally) at some later time."

As Sharon Delgado put it, "It is a form of penance to resist war
and a form of sacrament to perform civil disobedience."

Members of the public who would like further information concerning
Lockheed Martins’ development of weapons of mass destruction can
contact Jeff Richmond with the Public Relations Department at
(408) 742-6688. The Santa Cruz Weapons Inspection Team can be
reached at sccwit@riseup.net or at (831) 423-1626 ext. 302.