USNS Brittin in Port of Tacoma

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USNS Brittin in Port of Tacoma

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 8:32pm.

The USNS Brittin arrived early on July 29 in the Port of Tacoma. This is a large medium speed roll-on, roll-off ship which last visited Olympia in November of 2007. You might recall some controversy over that visit. We do not yet know if it is bringing back the 4th/2nd Stryker Brigade, or the 864th Engineers.

Olympia PMR contingency is to meet at 3PM at Media Island to decide how to handle such a confirmed ship arrival. Media Island is at 816 Adams Street, in downtown Olympia.

DrewHendricks's blog
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Seriously?

Submitted by JstPlnOnry on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 8:48pm.

Why can't you just leave these poor soldiers alone. They just want to get home to their families after doing their job.

They're no different than you, I assume you have a real job and family, and I'm sure that's all you look forward to doing after you get home. How would you like to be confronted with an angry mob protesting you?

Move on. You're not going to end the war, you're not going to convince Bush to end the war and you're not going to go down in history for protesting.

OlyPMR is quickly becoming the worst of the worst in Olympia history. Is that what you really wanted your group to be seen as?

Do something constructive and positive. Thank a vet for giving you the rights you have instead of protesting their services.

Hey,

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:03pm.

I just report. You decide.

Angry Mob?

Submitted by Guglielmo on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:05pm.

I was there and I saw little or no anger directed towards the soldiers. Most soldiers are smart enough to distinguish between a protest against a particular war and a protest against the troops. Or do you disagree?

You should take your own advice.

Submitted by Real Olympian Hero on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 10:33am.

I mean seriously. How is this helping your cause? If you enjoying baiting and arguing with folks I guess that's one thing, people will just think you're a bully.

You should just disagree and leave it be, like my mama always said.

One thing I don't understand

Submitted by Just another voice on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:04pm.

One thing I don't understand is why they protest in Olympia and Tacoma, and not at the source? The source, of course, is Ft. Lewis.

That is, after all, the cause of these ships being here. Why not skip the ports and go straight to the source?! Go protest Ft Lewis is you are so mad that they have equipment coming back here!

I'm serious. I don't understand why PMR has to run back and forth between Tacoma and Olympia. Go sit in front of Fort Lewis and don't let the 'war machine' in if you are that serious.

Does anyone know why they won't protest at the Ft. Lewis gates when the ships come in?

But I am Just Another Voice

Nope...

Submitted by Guglielmo on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:14pm.

The "source" is the public infrastructure in Olypmia or Tacoma that is being used to support the Iraq war. The "machine" is another matter entirely. Folks in Fort Lewis are engaged in more than just the war in Iraq. And since it's the war in Iraq that people have a beef about, it should be no mystery why folks target shipments to and from Iraq taking place in their own backyard. People can influence port districts far more easily than they can the US military.

The Port of Olympia is

Submitted by Just another voice on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 10:30pm.

The Port of Olympia is engaged in other matters, too. Like unloading giant wind turbines for green energy.

I disagree that the source is the ports. The source is Fort Lewis-- the staging area for those machines that are being returned and sent out, returned and sent out. They wouldn't need the ports if it wasn't for Fort Lewis.

But I am Just Another Voice

Indeed

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 10:37pm.

How many protests of the windmill blades are you remembering?

Well, if only more people

Submitted by Just another voice on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 10:40pm.

Well, if only more people knew how many thousands of birds a year are killed by wind turbines, we should be seeing more protests. Just kidding. But seriously thousands of birds a year die from wind power.

But I am Just Another Voice

That's funny.

Submitted by Real Olympian Hero on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:14pm.

Next time turbines come through, I'll join you in protest. I'll be the one with the sign that says "Wind power is murder!"

DOUG! My glasses!

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:17pm.

I knew someone had my dark, round sunglasses! Who would have suspected Doug Mah?

But they're made by GE...

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:23pm.

And they "bring good things to life," or so they used to say. Now you say they whap nice birds to death.

Surely you would not suspect that General Electric, the company which owns nuclear weapons trigger assembly lines and NBC news, would produce windmill blades which crush the bodies of birds! Say it ain't so! But of course, coal mining kills birds too - through acid rain and habitat depletion. Less messy and point-source to peek at, though. Hard to quantify. Less "sexy."

OlyPMR

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:28pm.

Olympia PMR has repeated their rationale for resistance so many times it's surprising that well intentioned people still miss this essential point: The Ports in Washington state are essentially independent county-wide municipal governments. When you use public property to commit (in the case of the Iraq war / occupation) a war crime, that use of our public property makes us liable for that damage. It's a point of confrontation with the empire which uses legal arguments, moral arguments, and appeals to effectiveness not seen in mere lobbying. And no tactic, not one, can stand alone to create major political change. Not even assassination can do that. Lots of tactics, taken together, are essential to ALL political change for whatever cause you might want to mention.

What I really do not understand is why folks who oppose what we're actually trying to accomplish think they have a better idea of how to accomplish what we are trying to do. I cannot remember EVER criticizing the Empire by visualizing how to be an Empire "better," as in "more effectively." If I did, I certainly would not send an email to Cheney to tell him what's what.

Oh, and on Saturday 12N-3PM we ARE at Ft Lewis!

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:31pm.

Saturday, August 2nd, is the National Day of Action against war with Iran. Join your friends and neighbors outside Fort Lewis, for a family-friendly demonstration and overpass rally organized by IVAW, G.I. Voice, and Olympia SDS.

WHERE: I-5 Exit 119 (Outside Ft. Lewis)
WHEN: Saturday, August 2nd, Noon-3pm.
Anti-war rally outside Fort Lewis.

No War on Iraq! No War on Iran!

The current administration and the complicit congress have clearly made evident their intent to escalate tensions and pave the way for an attack on Iran. This comes on the heels of a catastrophic war on the people of Iraq, which continues to kill and dispossess numerous people daily. As a movement for peace and justice it is our responsibility to exact a social and political cost for such actions and prevent them when they are imminent. (re-posted from Seattle Indymedia)

Why hurt the soldiers?

Submitted by 12345mem on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 5:17pm.

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I fully support your right to protest. I do question however your place of protest. The soldiers at Ft. Lewis do not have the power to change government or military policy. They are all volunteer soldiers who are serving their country out of a selfless sense of duty. My husband will be leaving very soon for his second year-long deployment to Iraq. He will tell you that no one prays for peace harder than a soldier. I can't tell you how much it hurts us when we see protesters yelling at soldiers and their families when they are not the ones who make the decisions. If you want to protest the war, go to D.C., write to your congressman or woman and other law makers, but please leave the troops alone. It is hard enough for me to lose my husband for a year and for my son to lose his daddy for a year without feeling as if no one even appreciates his service. YOU are able to protest because my husband is willing to put his life on the line time and time again. He believes in freedom more than any of you will ever understand. My husband and the other soldiers believe in what they are doing and have seen the improvements in Iraq that are never shown in the media. Please just try to see our point of view when you are protesting outside of our home this weekend. Thank you, A proud Ft. Lewis Army wife

Who hurts the soldiers?

Submitted by jlw on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 8:36am.

I have been at a lot of anti-war protests, and I have never seen anyone "yelling at soldiers and their families." I've seen protesters offer soldiers cookies, I've seen them flash them the peace sign, and I've seen them holding signs that say "Support the Troops -- Bring Them Home!" I've never seen hostility toward the soldiers. I am curious about the incidents you are referring to. When and where did you see anti-war protesters yelling at soldiers?

Welcome

Submitted by Rick on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 8:39am.

Glad to hear your voice on OlyBlog.

While I've been pretty disappointed with some of the tactics that have been used in these protests ("Tear it down!" and such), I support their goal of ending this insane war. (I do wish the protesters were able to develop a more inclusive strategy, though.) My question is: why do you think that people shouldn't protest the military if they want to stop the war. Seems like a reasonable place to start, no?

Beware the terrible simplifiers.
Jacob Burckhardt

Whoa!

Submitted by DrewHendricks on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 12:21pm.

"My husband will be leaving very soon for his second year-long deployment to Iraq. (...) YOU are able to protest because my husband is willing to put his life on the line time and time again."

We're not there to hurt anybody, much less the soldiers. But I disagree with your assertion that occupying Iraq (which is what you said your husband did/does/will do) is somehow protecting my freedom to protest the war. I'm not sure of your math there. Could you explain further?

I'm pretty sure that the rights of protest for the Iraqis are considerably hampered by your husband when he is deployed. We experience a similar effect, though less lethally, when the Tacoma Police dress up in armor and arrest people for having backpacks, or walking along the road on a public right of way, or capture us and threaten to break our cameras if we don't quit filming / taping.

I'm pretty sure that when your husband gets back from his next deployment, that the first thing you'll do is hug him tight. You won't hand him a check, or even cash. You value human relationships more than money just as we do. But the folks who sent your husband to war do not share that value with us. For them, we are just surplus people - overpopulation, or valued employees. There is little in between. Google 'Corporatism' for an idea of what I'm saying. Or the 'Federal Reserve System' for another example.

Is that the Dupont Exit with all the yellow ribbons and stickers

Submitted by Guglielmo on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 9:20am.

Hope not. Protesting at that site would be rather hurtful to the families stationed at Fort Lewis who have turned that bridge into a shrine. Your message will be lost, because the story will just be about a few activists swarming the Yellow ribbon bridge. Why not the main gate? It's considerably more visible and more trafficked and would be less of a poke in the eye to the families stationed there.

Thank you for being the voice of reason

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 9:48am.

The Olympian is quoting this article...

Submitted by The Original Yoda on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 1:36pm.

...in their breaking news section.

The Olympian quoting an article at OlyBlog? Is that a first?

Not sure if it's the first time or not. I bet Rick knows.

Submitted by Guglielmo on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 2:03pm.

Here in the Olympian:

"The USNS Brittin arrived at the Tacoma port early Tuesday, according information by Drew Hendricks, a member of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, posted on OlyBlog, a local community blog."

Here's...

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 2:45pm.

Video added on March 11, 2007 of protesting at the Port of Tacoma:

USNS Brittin in Port

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 3:11pm.

Posted some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/sets/72157606476390567/

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