The State of the Port: One Year of Militarization and Resistance

author : Alice Zillah | Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace topic : Port Militarization Resistance | Port of Olympia

An OMJP sponsored article

by Alice Zillah

On June 23, the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace sponsored a public forum to discuss the shipments of military supplies from the port of Olympia -- shipments which support the Iraq War and other Pentagon activities. After a 17-year absence, the military resumed using the port of Olympia in June, 2004.

OMJP member Crystal Lorentzson opened the forum by presenting an overview of last year's activities: from the canceled visit of the nuclear sub, the USS Olympia; to the public hearing in November; to the establishment of a permanent security zone in the harbor in December; to current activities to get full disclosure about the environmental effects of these shipments.

Carrie Lybecker, a registered nurse and OMJP member, spoke next and detailed many of the questions that remain for her and others. Below are excerpts of her remarks:

In February, under the state Open Records Act, I requested to review all Port records from January 2004 to February 2005 related to the use of the Port of Olympia by the US Armed forces, Coast Guard, or other military agencies; the transport of military equipment and supplies; the presence of military vessels, materials and personnel in the Port; and the establishment and operation of a security zone in the Port of Olympia.

I received from the Port about 700 pages of mostly invoices, for instance what the Port charged the military for the labor costs of longshoremen and police officers. The records do not contain any cost-benefit analyses or accounting reports, any environmental impact or public health and safety analyses or reports. The documents I was given do not include any communications of substance between the Port and the military.

What about the USS Olympia, which is a floating nuclear reactor? Just this past January, a similar submarine, the USS San Francisco, crashed into an underwater mountain because it was using old navigational charts. When the Navy proposed bringing the USS Olympia to our port last May, was it using current satellite maps to navigate our waters?

Are the Navy or Coast Guard using navigational or surveillance sonar in our waters, and if so, is it of the type that maims and kills marine animals?

What about Depleted Uranium? When DU explodes or is pierced, it creates a dust that can be inhaled, transported for miles via wind, and contaminate soil, water, and structures. DU may cause kidney and lung damage; lymphoma; leukemia; lung, brain, gastrointestinal, bone, and liver cancers; and may cross the placenta and affect the fetus. It is estimated that as a result of the 1991 Gulf War on Iraq, about 630,000 pounds of DU contaminated huge areas in Iraq.

Is the cargo returning from Iraq contaminated with DU dust? Are the tanks, forklifts, containers and Humvees outfitted with DU armor? If there was an explosion or crash or train derailment, what sort of fire would result? What would the potential exposure be for area residents, and are our emergency services prepared for this scenario? And frankly, what is probably the more important question is: Do the citizens of Olympia believe that shipping DU materials to war zones is the correct moral choice?

I believe that public officials have an obligation to protect our environment and to provide for public safety and health. We, citizens of Olympia, have a right to information and to participate in the decision-making process. I'd like to close with a quote from the state Open Records Act: 'The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created.'

Bob Van Schoorl, president of the Port Commission, spoke next. (A transcript of Van Schoorl's remarks was not available for this article.) He stated that sonar was not being used in the port of Olympia. Van Schoorl also stated that no bilge water was released in the port. According to Van Schoorl, the water which Green Party members have documented being released was uncontaminated Budd Bay water from the self-contained coolant systems that the ships use.

The subject of DU was one of the main topics of Van Schoorl's talk. He stated that all DU munitions coming from Washington were shipped from Indian Island, and that no munitions were shipped through Olympia. He also stated that all vehicles and tanks were "washed off" before being shipped from Iraq, so that they would not be contaminated with dust containing DU. Van Schoorl said that the ILWU workers unloading the ships wear sensitive radiation badges that can detect radiation, and that no radiation had been detected.

Even if there was DU on the vehicles, Van Schoorl maintained that there is no proof that DU is harmful. He said that uranium is a naturally occurring substance which is found in the environment all around us. Van Schoorl said that in this country we have a "paranoia" about radioactivity.

Van Schoorl said that the port has been pursuing the military as a customer for many years.

"It's not a new endeavor. It's an ongoing relationship we've continued to develop," he said. Since military business accounted for over a third of the port's revenue at the marine terminal last year, Van Schoorl indicated that he would like these shipments to continue.

Dennis Mills of Veteran for Peace spoke last about the moral implications of the shipments. Here is an excerpt from Mills' remarks:

Moving war material from the Port of Olympia may have given some people the impression that we are supporting the troops. For others, it may have been a great economic benefit for the Port of Olympia. The war industry provides jobs and income. It is a sad commentary of our times that we have become dependent and even benefit from preparing for war and carrying it out.

Our military shipments no longer go to our military to be used to kill 'their' military. War has become 'total war'. Warfare changed from militaries fighting other militaries to warfare where the largest number of casualties is non-combatant civilians.

For me, it is morally wrong to kill or have my government kill in my name. My property taxes help fund the Port that makes it possible to ship military material. My implicit approval by doing nothing to stop military shipments has moral implications.

We need to build a peace economy in Washington State and not benefit from the war economy. I pray that we don't rely upon yet another war in Iran or North Korea to balance our books. We need to encourage our commissioners to think outside of the box. We also can help them with our own research and creativity. After all, what will happen to our Port economy if peace breaks out?

After the presenters' talks, members of the audience asked questions and made comments. Several speakers addressed the illegality of the Iraq War, and the constitutional duty of citizens to not participate in it. Van Schoorl said that he had qualms about this war, but that he was not convinced it was illegal. He stated that he did not hear "anyone in Congress" talking about this being an illegal war.

Quite a few audience members were in favor of the shipments, and those who spoke indicated it was largely because they felt these shipments "support the troops." They believed that stopping the shipments would snub the military, which already considers Olympia to be unfriendly to the armed forces because of the reaction to the visit of the USS Olympia in May of 2004.

Several speakers took issue with Van Schoorl's comments on "paranoia" about radioactivity. One woman stated that, having grown up in eastern Washington and seen birth defects caused by the release of emissions from Hanford, she found it disturbing that a public official would criticize citizens for being concerned about nuclear radiation. Another speaker who identified himself as a doctor stated we actually need to be more paranoid, both about radiation and about our government, because "governments lie." A third speaker wondered why the ILWU workers wear radiation badges if DU is not dangerous.

According to the Olympian article published the day after the forum, "Most [audience members] left with the same opinion they came in with." But what was significant was that people with very different opinions were in the same room together, and by and large treated one another with respect. It was also significant that, for perhaps the first time, a Port Commissioner publicly addressed the question of the illegality of the Iraq War. Van Schoorl's comments about not yet being convinced are indicative of the larger task that the local peace and justice movement faces. We must convince our fellow citizens that this war is illegal and immoral and that our port should not be profiting from it. Beyond that, our larger challenge is to remake our local and national economy into one that celebrates peace instead of militarism and war.

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