With every passing day it seems our one and only world moves closer to nuclear holocaust. Hopefully common sense will prevail and we will edge back from the brink. But there is something significant we can do right now here in Madison to achieve some semblance of security. We can stop the F-35 nuclear-capable fighter jets from being stationed at Truax Field, which experts say would make Madison a nuclear target.
But time is running out. The killer jets are scheduled to arrive this coming May, so we only have two months to turn the tide. We need all hands on deck if we are to succeed. We need to exert as much public pressure as possible on our Governor, County Executive and Senator Baldwin. These are the three people who have the power to prevent this abomination.
Safe Skies wants to implement two general strategies which we will briefly summarize here.
Strategy 1:
Save Our Children Campaign
There are 59 schools and daycares within three miles of Truax Field! A substantial body of scientific research indicates that military jet noise can result in hearing disruption and hearing loss, which affects children’s attention, concentration and memory. This impacts their reading and math comprehension, which can cascade into poor overall academic performance and lack of motivation. Chronic exposure to high levels of aircraft noise can also exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adults.
Year after year, Wisconsin posts the worst academic achievement gaps in the nation between black and white students. Even the US Air Force admits the F-35s will have a disproportionate impact on low-income students and children of color. Governor Evers (the former Wisconsin Superintendent of Schools) says he is very concerned about the ability of our children to learn, as well as their mental health.
We need to demand that the Governor’s deeds match his words. The Save Our Children Campaign is intended to educate and motivate the public concerning the real danger our children face, and to build our base to pressure our public officials. We want to focus on schools, parent groups, faith groups and neighborhood associations. We are making a video about the impact of jet noise on infants and children, which we can share with these groups at public presentations.
Strategy 2:
Nonviolent Direct Action
You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation.
Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. – Martin Luther King Jr., Why We Can't Wait
Rooted in grassroots “people power,” nonviolent social movements have been a powerful means for ordinary people to act on their deepest values and to successfully challenge immoral and unjust social conditions and policies, despite the determined resistance of entrenched powerholders. – Bill Moyer
In brief, if the Governor and the Senator refuse to meet with us and take our concerns and grievances to heart, we need to raise the stakes. That means disruption of the status quo.
This is not the time to be shy or meek. It is time to be bold and courageous. Whether you are more comfortable reaching out to others to get them involved, helping to disrupt the status quo, or offering support to disruptors, all are equally important right now. You may want to consider venturing outside of your comfort zone.
Safe Skies and Midwest Catholic Workers will be hosting a major event, the Faith & Resistance Gathering, from March 24th to 27th. (See the notice on our website for more details.) Whether you want to help recruit people to participate, or help plan direct action, both are important and it would be great if you can do both.
Whatever your skills, talents and passions are, we need you now! Are you an artist? We need you. Are you a musician? We need you. Are you a writer? We need you. Are you a public speaker? We need you. Are you a strategic planner? We need you. Are you a teacher? A student? A caring and concerned parent? We need you. Are you an attorney? We need you. Do you have media connections? We need you. Are you a philanthropist? We need you and your money. I think you get the idea.
We need you now. Come June, July and August, you can go fishing or to the beach. (Just watch out for the PFAS.) We need you right now!
Please call or email our organizer, Tom Boswell, and we will connect you to other people and get you involved.
tomboswell2002@yahoo.com – 608/718-7312