Please join us for the Pacific Life Community (PLC) Occupy Vandenberg nonviolent direct action – March 12, 2012.  Meet at Vandenberg Village at 11:00 am (Six miles north of Lompoc on HWY 1).  There will NOT be parking at Vandenberg Middle School.

SEE FLYER BELOW:

2012 PLC – Occupy Vandenberg

SPREAD THE WORD!

Posted: January 4th, 2012 under News, Upcoming Events.
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On Thursday, December 15, Catholic Workers Jesse Lewis and Mariah Klusmire, along with Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM, appeared in Santa Barbara Federal Court to plead guilty to trespass charges from an August 6 action commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both Jesse Lewis and Mariah Klusmire received a $100 fine (no jail time), while Fr. Vitale received one day in jail (no fine), which he will have to self surrender in January to serve. Both Jesse and Mariah stated they will NOT pay the fines.

Posted: December 17th, 2011 under News.
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Theo Kayser and MacGregor Eddy appeared in Santa Barbara Federal Court on Thursday, November 17, to enter guilty pleas for their respective actions (see below). Theo Kayser received a $250. fine (no jail time), while Macgregor Eddy received a $1000. fine (no jail time). Theo Kayser stated he has no intention to pay his fine, while MacGregor Eddy indicated she intends to pay her fine.

Posted: November 21st, 2011 under News.
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It is now official—military installations cannot charge protesters for trespass when they are on public road easements (like California Highway 1 and Ocean Avenue at Vandenberg AFB) even if they have ban and bar orders against them.

U.S. v Hobert Parker has been re-designated as a published opinion in the Ninth Circuit and been applied by U.S. Magistrate Rita Coyne-Federman, who ironically was the original judge in the Parker case. Click HERE to read about the case.

Posted: October 2nd, 2011 under News.
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Monthly vigils are held at the Main Gate of Vandenberg Air Force Base, on Hwy 1, the first Wednesday of each month. Vigil times are from 4:00 to 5:00 pm during Pacific Daylight Time, and from 3:00 to 4:00 pm during Pacific Standard Time.

Contact Dennis Apel at jdapel@yahoo.com or 805-343-6322 for further information.

Posted: September 30th, 2011 under News, Upcoming Events.
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9/16/2011 – BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. — The scheduled launch of an unarmed operational test Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Sept. 21, was postponed pending completion of post test analysis of the failed launch that occurred July 27. The launch has not yet been rescheduled.– From Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs. Click HERE for actual post.

Posted: September 22nd, 2011 under News.
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On Thursday, September 15, 2011, U.S. Magistrate Rita Coyne-Federman dismissed the trespassing cases (stemming from a November 3, 2010 arrest) against Fr. Steve Kelly, S.J., Fr. Louie Vitalie, OFM, and Dennis Apel. In her decision Coyne-Federman stated that the 9th Circuit Court’s ruling in U.S.A. vs Hobart Parker made it clear that, although she believed the Base had applied a sufficient amount of control over the public highways that run through the Base to give them authority to arrest and cite for trespassing, the Base could not legally do so in concurrent jurisdiction.

It was a victory for those who have received Ban and Bar orders from the Base and who can now protest at the Main Gate without the threat of being arrested. Present in the courtroom were a number of personnel from Vandenberg Air Force Base including the Base Commander, Colonel Richard Boltz. After the verdict Magistrate Coyne-Federman stated her ruling was likely “only round one,” intimating that she thought the Government might appeal her ruling. Dennis Apel, however, already has an identical case pending in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which, if successful, should permanently resolve the issue unless the Government chooses to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.

Posted: September 22nd, 2011 under News.
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A hearing will take place on September 15, 2011 in the trial of Fr. Stephen Kelly, S.J., Fr. Louis Vitale, O.F.M. and Dennis Apel. The three were arrested and charged with trespassing at Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 3, 2010. They have submitted a Motion to Dismiss the charges and the September 15 hearing, before U.S. Magistrate Rita Coyne-Federman, will be to decide whether or not the charges will be dropped.
The hearing will be at at 1:30 pm at Federal Bankruptcy Court, located at 1415 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Posted: September 9th, 2011 under News, Upcoming Events.
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Vandenberg Air Force Base/Space Command has set the date for the next Minuteman
III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile test launch. It is scheduled for World Peace Day,
Wednesday, September 21.

The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. land-based nuclear tipped intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM). As of 2010, the LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM
in service in the United States. It is one component of a nuclear triad, which is
complemented by the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and by
nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers.

The letter “L” in “LGM” indicates that the missile is land silo-launched; the “G”
indicates that it is designed to attack ground targets; the “M” indicates that it
is a guided missile. The name “Minuteman” comes from the Revolutionary War’s
Minutemen. It also refers to its quick reaction time; the missile can be launched
in approximtely 1 minute. The Air Force plans to keep the missile in service
until at least 2030.

The current U.S. force consists solely of 450 Minuteman-III missiles in missile
silos around F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming; Malmstrom AFB, Montana; and Minot AFB,
North Dakota.

These tests violate the spirit and intent of the Nuclear Non Proliferation
Treaty and make the world a more dangerous place. Please include a protest
against this launch in all Sept. 21 World Peace Day events.

Posted: August 26th, 2011 under News, Uncategorized.
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L to R: Theo Kayser, David Omondi, Fr. Louie Vitale, OFM, Jeff Dietrich, Jesse Lewis, Mariah Klusmire

On August 6, forty Catholic Workers and friends gathered at the front gate to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Near the end of the one and one-half vigil, six people, including L.A. Catholic Workers Theo Kayser, David Omondi, Jeff Dietrich, and Jesse Lewis, along with Guadalupe Catholic Worker Mariah Klusmire, and Franciscan priest, Fr. Louie Vitale OFM, crossed the line and knelt down to pray for peace and a disarmed U.S. Empire. All six were immediately arrested, taken to a building on the base, cited and released at Pioneer Park in Lompoc an hour and one-half later. All have pending court dates. See photos HERE.

Posted: August 12th, 2011 under News.
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