ON AUGUST 1, BATH IRON WORKS WILL “CHRISTEN” DDG 109, JASON DUNHAM.

WE WILL GATHER BETWEEN 8:30 - 9 AM, AUGUST 1, 2009 IN FRONT OF THE MAIN OFFICE ON WASHINGTON STREET AND WALK DOWN TO THE SOUTH GATE SOMETIME AROUND 9:30 AM. BIW’S GATES OPEN AT 10 AM. THE CEREMONY BEGINS AT 11 AM. EVENT WILL BE OVER BY NOON.

CONVERSION WILL BE THE THEME. WHY BUILD ANOTHER WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION WHEN PRODUCTS FOR PEACE CAN BE BUILT; WINDMILLS, TRAINS, DOUBLE HULLED TANKERS, HOSPITAL SHIPS, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PLATFORMS. THE LIST IS ENDLESS.

EACH OF THESE SHIPS COSTS OVER $1 BILLION. THEY CARRY 56 TOMAHAWK MISSILES (EACH CAN CARRY A 200 MEGATON WARHEAD), STANDARD MISSILES, 20MM GATLING GUNS WHICH USES DEPLETED URANIUM PENETRATORS.

BEGUN WITH DDG 51 THIS SHIP WILL BE THE 58TH AEGIS DESTROYER BUILT. IT IS TIME TO STOP THIS WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS WHICH ARE SORELY NEEDED ELSEWHERE IN OUR COUNTRY.

THE AEGIS PROGRAM IS COMING TO AN END AND THE DD 1000 SERIES PLANS FOR ONLY 3 SHIPS YET NO THOUGHT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. OF THE 283 CURRENTLY ACTIVE SHIPS, 62 ARE AEGIS DESTROYERS YET ONLY 2 ARE HOSPITAL SHIPS. THE WINDMILL FARM AT MARS HILL IS AN EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION. THE WINDMILLS FOR THE MARS HILL PROJECT WERE MADE AT A CONVERTED SHIP YARD IN DENMARK. THEY COULD HAVE BEEN MADE AT BATH IRON WORKS.

THERE HAS BEEN A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS STREAM OF GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY OFFICIALS VISITING BIW LATELY, ESCORTED BY OUR CONGRESSIONALS, NOT FOR CONVERSION PURPOSES HOWEVER BUT TO PROMOTE CONTINUED WAR PRODUCTION. NOT A WORD HAS BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT CONVERSION WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION WHY? AND THIS IS WHAT WE MUST ASK OUR CONGRESSIONALS, ESPECIALLY THE NEWLY ELECTED 1ST DISTRICT CONGRESS PERSON.

WITHOUT ANY FIRM COMMITMENTS TOWARDS CONVERSION IT IS TIME TO CLOSE THIS WAR PRODUCTION FACILITY.

SEE YOU ALL THERE.

SPONSORED BY MAINE VETERANS FOR PEACE