Margie Pestorius

Cancel the Weapons Trade during Covid and on…

Wage Peace has created this set of slides to share with friends and family. We think many people would be disgusted to know about the massive spending on military technologies for both export, and domestic projects. These projects are #NotDefence, but #Crapitalism.

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Please share this ‘zine’: Cancel the Weapons Trade!

Full Steam Ahead for Weapons Industries Under the Cover of Covid

Not all of you follow Wage Peace on Facebook so we’ve put together a summary of important developments since the fires.

We see the continued roll out of “defence” industry plans and the announcement of $4bn worth of early payments for contracts.
Military industry gained itself a cell at the South Australia Covid Taskforce; And a ‘working group’ in the Federal Covid Taskforce.
Austal, ship builders in Western Australia gained an order of 6 Navy patrol boats as a “stimulus”. Defence Industry godfather, WA Governor Kim Beazley and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds are both from Western Australia. Reynolds has recently said she is “spruiker-in-chief” for the so called ‘defence’ industries.
The US military arrival in Darwin postponed for just 8 weeks: arriving at the start of June.
There was a tenuous ceasefire in Yemen. Predictably a huge surge in covid-related deaths has now followed there. The Saudi-US bombing of infrastructure (a war crime) had already resulted in a starving population and now a failed health care system. Australian companies such as EOS have been targeting Saudi Arabia to buy weapons exports. Australian Anti Bases encourages you to contact Marise Payne’s office (02) 9687 8755 foreign.minister@dfat.gov.au and ask them to cancel the licences issued to nations which continue human rights violations: Saudi Arabia, Indonesia.
Three weapons trade events were postponed. Land2020 (Brisbane) and Avalon (Melbourne) and the Indo Pacific Maritime Expo (Sydney) will all be reset a year later than usual. Friends of the Earth published this essay calling for the cancellation.

Exposing the Corporations

Wage Peace has been mapping what is going on with developments in the weapons industries in Australia. Wage Peace, with others, are closely monitoring militarism growth in Australia. Together we are building a picture of what is going on and making it visible.

What actions can you take to expose the influence of the military corporations in your location?

You can make a big difference by talking about the weapons trade and sharing the links on this page.

Revolving Doors: At Michael West Publishers there is interest in our “defence” money and the people responsible for giving it away. Michelle Fahy is writing and researching with Callum Foote, gaining significant reach with their reflections about who is moving through the ‘defence’ #RevolvingDoors. Use the hashtag! The picture is grim: new projects, new contracts, billions of tax payers money facilitated by parliamentarians who appear to work directly for the weapons trade.

Source www.MichaelWest.com.au/Revolving doors

#StopKillerRobots The Australian Campaign to Stop #KillerRobots is producing a report on the development of autonomous weaponised robots in Australian universities. The ABC introduced this issue last year.

It’s clear that ethics in universities are scant in the face of dollars from the weapons corporations. Australia has failed to rule out developing these weapons.

“The removal of a ‘human in the loop’ makes a weapon that independently selects and engages targets unable to comply with International Human Rights Legislation. Therefore, the development and deployment of fully autonomous weapons are unlawful.”

#DisarmUnis Wage Peace is recording information about the activities of the weapons corporations in the universities on LittleSis. Maps like this can help us trace the interface between universities and the weapons industries. The relationships are all in plain sight, if we look. This is an open source project so feel free to add information.

Training: There’s a 6am 3rd June – Little Sis Workshop on Power Mapping and divestment if you are really keen. It focuses on fossil fuels but it’s the same deal. Men and women linked by education and industry, constructing systems.

Wage Peace Weapons Industry Database: Our researchers have been compiling a database of what the big companies are doing to inform activists.

PROJECTS: Here’s a view of our database showing SOME of the projects with contracts more than $1bn

CORPORATIONS: Here’s a view of the Corporations and SOME of what they are involved in

Parliamentarians are paid by the corporations, not by the voters, so we don’t think targeting government for change is helpful. For example, the Labor Party is responsible for promotion of the King Pin: Kim Beazley who is now Governor of Western Australia. He is still doling out projects.

We are looking for a volunteer to join our research team and follow up on the States.

We invite you to contact us. Tell us which ‘target’ project or corporation will inspire movement building. Lethality, human rights, the manipulation created by the US alliance, cost, corruption: all are possible points of outrage.

BOEING’S CONTRACTS Boeing has billions of dollars worth of contracts in Australia. Your tax dollars at work.

BOEING’s FLASHY PROJECTS Boeing has just worked with Australians to produce an Australian designed and built drone – the “Wingman”. It doesn’t fly yet but it looks good and everyone is pleased that though Australia doesn’t produce a car or a phone, it produces a semi autonomous flying drone that flies alongside Jet Fighters. It will have the capacity to fire missiles (bombs). Because it is designed to fly as an offsider to the F35 or another jet, it’s called a “Wingman”.

BOEING’S BIGGEST PROJECT Boeing’s biggest contract approaching $1bn is for BattleSpace Communications Systems which are arrangements for distinct communications: radio, antennas, data transfer. (Can’t rely on the NBN in a time of difficulty.)

BOEING AND BRENDAN NELSON Dr Brendan Nelson, recently stepped through the revolving doors landing as President of Boeing Australia. Brendan Nelson was previously Defence Minister and director of the Australian War Memorial. Nelson has been rewarded for delivering two Boeing windfalls over the last 15 years: We have to ask: Was he working for them all the time?

1/ Extensive advertising delivered for the War Memorial.

2/ $6.6bn jet fighter contract given to Boeing against the advice of Defence in 2007. Here’s an excellent podcast by 7AM – Schwartz Media.

BOEING and THE WAR MEMORIAL You can contact David Stephens from Honest History to contribute your name for a “Public Works Committee” submission against the half a billion dollar redevelopment of the War Memorial to include more weapons advertising.

BOEING SELLS TO DUTERTE: In the last week Human Rights Watch have raised an alarm that US Boeing are selling their Apache Attack helicopters to the Duterte government in the Philippines. Duterte has been involved in severe human rights violations. The Apache was the helicopter that delivered Raytheon’s ‘Hellfire’ missiles in the famous WikiLeaks Collateral Murder Video. Attack helicopters have one main purpose: to kill people.

BOEING ON OUR AIRTABLE DATABASE

click on the table

Thanks for hanging in with us.

Yours sincerely

Margie and the team

References

Dept Defence – Support to industry during COVID-19

Is making a killing ever an essential service?

Click to view full size – in gallery.

Restructure for #HealthCareNotWarfare
#CutMilitarySpending #EndtheArmsTrade #Renewables

War and Peace- articles by Andy Paine

Read the full text War-and-peace by Andy Paine.pdf

The problem with non-violence

April 2014

“The only problem with non-violence,” he tells me, “is this: what happens when you’re being attacked and you need to use violence to resist?” It really, honestly, is a valid question. It’s not his fault we’re constantly force-fed myths of violence in self-defence, from our movie and television screens to our governments and militaries, telling us that violence is only used to protect ourselves…. more…

First they came for the Muslims

September 2014

I think I first noticed it about a month ago. First it was just a few random posts on Facebook – people who are remnants of a conservative christian church past, who I have no real life contact with any more. They were sharing horrible anti-Islam articles with horrible anti-Islam comments posted below. I thought about deleting those people off my facebook, but then I thought that actually I wouldn’t. As obnoxious as I found this stuff, sometimes it’s better to see what’s out there. Know your enemy and all that…. more…

The war we didn’t notice

April 2015

Years ago, when I was involved in much less activism than I am today, I used to play footy with a number of guys who were in the Australian army. One of these guys missed a chunk of the season when he had to go to Afghanistan on service. When he got back, I asked him what it had been like over there. He told me he didn’t want to talk about it… more…

Australia becomes 51st American state

On Monday, 18,000 American troops landed on Australia’s north-eastern coast, occupying a large tract of land at Shoalwater Bay and completing a process that had been developing for some time – the transformation of Australia into the 51st United State of America… more…

They say people don’t believe in heroes anymore

June 2015

In the first Mad Max movie, there is that classic scene where Max is trying to quit the police force. Fifi tries to convince him to stay by telling him of the need for heroes. “They say people don’t believe in heroes anymore. Well damn them Max, we’re gonna give them heroes.”…. more…

Smoke and terrors

September 2015

The day after Malcolm Turnbull took over as Prime Minister, defence minister (at the time) Kevin Andrews proudly announced that the Australian air force had for the first time “engaged a target” (if you don’t speak militarese, that means killed someone or blown something up) in Syria. more…

Frontier Wars’ Desert Pea Wreath

You will need

*Paint the back of a paper plate yellow*

Cut out three leaf shapes from a folded serviette. You can also use crepe paper or red cloth or paper painted red. Or try making the potato stamp version and simply glue or staple the cutouts on. ***See potato stamp instructions and the end of this lesson.

Cut a split in the base of each leaf shape

Tie a triple knot in the centre of a black pipe cleaner.
Or you could use black wool or a black shoe lace.

Wrap the knotted tie around the red cut out.
Gather and twist at the back.

Make two holes in the plate for each pea.
Thread the ties through the holes.
Twist at the back and cut away the excess.

Arrange the peas in groups of two or three around the rim leaving room for the leaves.
Staple fresh leaves in between the pea groups all the way around.

Add a string to hang the wreath on your door or letterbox.

This place honours the 300,000, or more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who died during European settlement of the nation we now call Australia.

Painted or Red Paper Desert Pea Blood Flower

***Potato stamp pea petals Make a leaf stamp from a big potato
Safety – adult supervision with cutting.
Paint black or black marker black dot in middle of petals

With respect to the First Peoples on whose land their blood was shed by invasion. We will remember them. Lest we forget all who died on, and for country. © Hazel Davies 2020 MakingPeasce.com

Lest We Forget the Frontier Wars 2020 – online gathering

“Nganyji Nguju Bina Bambiji”

Translated from Gimuy Wallubara Yidindji: “We will remember them. We WILL remember them.”

The old people who lived and died during the Frontier Wars, truly gave their lives to protect their families and the beautiful Land which they had lived with and told stories about for thousands of generations.

They suffered gross indignities and injustices: murder, disappearances, poisonings, pandemics, torture, massacre, rapes, detention, dispersion, stolen children, dislocation, social disintegration of clan and band and much more.

It’s 250 years since the British first invaded. They made no treaties. The white settlers warred upon the first peoples and stole their land.

“Nganyji Nguju Bina Bambiji” We will remember them.

____________________

In 2011 Ghillah Michael Anderson initiated the first Lest We Forget the Frontier Wars Anzac Day march to the Australian War Memorial. David Bradbury’s movie Wage Peace documents the Frontier Wars march of 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e315HCFtXcQ

Gimuy Wallubara Yidindji and non-indigenous people who live on their land have been commemorating the Frontier Wars in Cairns for the past 5 years.

Nowra based florist Hazel Davies has been active in getting the Desert Pea recognised as the native blood-on-the-Earth equivalent of the Flanders Poppy.

She has been teaching Desert Pea wreath making and conducting wreath laying ceremonies at the Australian War Memorial and elsewhere.

In this year of contagion, we move on line – and we ask YOU to participate wherever you are.

Lest We Forget the Frontier Wars.

____________________

You can do this by creating your own Anzac Frontier Wars ceremony and sharing it on FaceBook.
Make some smoke with a small fire in your public and private space. Your driveway for example.
Light candles, Improvise a wreath with flowers. Or photocopy one of Hazels Wreaths.
Name the massacres and the local people who suffered them.
Share your ceremony with FaceBook friends.
Join the Zoom session and share there too.

Starts 6 pm Friday 24 April.

The Zoom session will show you a Frontier story from a previous ceremony.

Other stories will be available on the Facebook Event Page. You might have a Frontier Wars story to add.

Bring a response that express ‘lament” – a personal sorry story, a poem or a small live performance. We will show 4 or 5 of the offerings and put the other ones on line.

Watch live from 6pm On FaceBook www.facebook.com/wagepeaceau/