This November, the federal government had the opportunity to give three year's notice to terminate the agreement which permits the United States base to continue operating at Pine Gap. It didn't, and several peace activists have decided to travel there to conduct a "citizen's inspection" of the joint facility. Pine Gap is one of the largest and most important United States war fighting and intelligence gathering bases in the world. It is also a front-line base for the US Star Wars system.
Christians Against All Terrorism (CAAT) set out from Brisbane on November 28 in a citizen's inspection vehicle, powered by recycled fish 'n chip vegetable oil. They plan to carry out their inspection on December 8.
Below, Jim Dowling, describes his group's views on war, peace and morality.
Sean O'Reilly, who took part in the protests in June at Shoalwater Bay in NSW where Australian and US military forces practised invading foreign countries in Operation Talisman Sabre said, "The facility at Pine Gap is instrumental in the ongoing suppression of the Iraqi people. Its surveillance capacity allows the US military to continue its destruction of Iraq and suppression of the Iraqi people."
Donna Mulhearn, a human shield during the Iraq war in 2003, and who later returned to occupied Iraq as a humanitarian aid worker, joins the inspection of Pine Gap with first-hand experience of the damage the facility has done. "While staff at Pine Gap pin-pointed missiles in Iraq, I experienced the impact of them", she said. "They call it a military strike; I saw it as murder of civilians."
Terry Spackman, who served in the Persian Gulf, conducting shipping searches in 1958/9 when Gamal Abdul Nasser was the bad boy on the block said, "We were searching dhows for weapons, and providing security for British interests. The thing that really stood out for me was the vast inequality in wealth. I came to understand I was there to protect British and American oil interests.
"I've got personal experience of bombing campaigns (World War II, London) and their effects. The human tragedy is enormous, and for the benefit of very few. Most wars are fought for large corporations. I'm going to Pine Gap to oppose this vital component of a ruthless war machine."
According to Bryan Law, "Any government which launches an illegal invasion based on a lie is not legitimate. Nor are its policies or its legislation. Under the Nuremberg Principles the duty of the ordinary citizen now is to interfere with the
prosecution of the war, and bring those responsible
for it to account. Pine Gap is the biggest terrorist base in Australia, protected by secrecy and lies."
CAAT requested the defence minister Senator Robert Hill's cooperation with their protest. His November 7 reply read in part: "I regret that I cannot support your request to visit Pine Gap because of security considerations. You should be aware that the facility has been declared a prohibited area ... Under the provisions of the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952, any unauthorised entry to the prohibited area has a maximum penalty of imprisonment for seven years. I am sure you are aware that the security authorities take seriously their responsibilities concerning unauthorised entry to prohibited areas."
On October 26, CAAT wrote to Superintendent Richard Bryson at the Alice Springs police station, outlining our intentions and asking for dialogue. They were referred to Senior Sergeant Sean Cryer, the police tactician in Cairns, for information.
During November, Cryer was contacted by two NT police intelligence officers (from Alice Springs and Darwin), and by the Australian Protection Service (the uniform branch of the AFP). He said that the Cairns police intelligence has been contacted by ASIO — all in response to our little inspection proposal.
We do believe Minister Hill when he refers to active security authorities and seven years' imprisonment. In our reply, we'll thank him for his advice and give him a final opportunity to change his mind. We'll point out that Australia's continuing participation in the terrorist attack on Iraq makes him personally responsible for crimes against humanity, war-crimes, and crimes against peace as codified in the Nuremberg Principles. The penalty for these crimes is life imprisonment (or in Iraq, execution).
The Nuremberg Principles also specify the responsibilities of the ordinary citizen or soldier when a state wants to commit crimes against peace. Every citizen's responsibility is to obstruct the commission of such crimes, using whatever moral means are available to us, whenever we have the opportunity. It is in this context that we intend to inspect the Pine Gape Joint Defence Facility for evidence of terrorist activity.
CAAT's citizen's inspection team will arrive in Alice Springs on December 5 for two days of preparation during which we intend to doorknock and letterbox the base personnel and their families, as well as conduct several information stalls and functions.
On December 8, we will be exercising their moral responsibility to hold the government accountable, and inspect the Pine Gap joint defence base. You are cordially invited to
join us!
[For more information, or to assist, go to <http://http://pilgrimstoryteller.com>.]
From Green Left Weekly, December 7, 2005.
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