An 82-year-old Catholic nun has been sentenced Tuesday, February 18th to 35 months in prison after breaking into one of the U.S. government’s most secure facilities and helping deface a uranium-processing building with spray paint.
Megan Rice, an octogenarian nun and seasoned peace activist, along with fellow protesters Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli were convicted in May for sabotaging the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on July 28, 2012. All three are members of the Plowshares movement of Christian pacifists. The nun and her two accomplices broke into the nuclear weapons complex by cutting through three fences with bolt cutters and sneaking past dogs and armed guards and a sign warning that trespassers risk becoming subject to deadly force.
Once inside, the group defiled the wall of a $548 million storage bunker containing much of the nation’s bomb-grade uranium, spray painted Biblical slogans of peace, and defaced the exterior of the complex with a hammer. The three spent more than two hours inside the restricted area before guards found them singing and hanging banners. They reportedly invited the guards to break bread with them and offered the guards a Bible, candles, and flowers.
Although officials claimed there was never any danger of the protesters reaching materials that could be detonated, the break-in raised questions about the safekeeping at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. The facility holds the nation’s primary supply of bomb-grade uranium and was known as the “Fort Knox of uranium.”
U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar sentenced Rice to 35 months in prison for her role in the July 28, 2012, break-in and protest. The judge sentenced Walli and Boertje-Obed to five years and two months in prison.The two men received longer sentences based on their previous criminal history.
Any company linked with ‘nuclear’ will of course not want anything at all to impinge on their profits/share dividend. Thus one the one hand they will spend lots of money on pro-nuclear industry lobbyists and propaganda and cut corners on small fry things such as safety and security. Bolt cut able wire – nice and cheap! Plus there doesn’t seem to have been to much actual security in force mentioned either. G4S – here in the UK, re the Olympics, it was such an incredible sham BUT then twas the incredibly ‘efficient’ government that gave them the contract. You would think with security/terrorist issues we have, esp in London, that it would THE major priority to 100% vet each and every candidate. Nope. Not to generalize (but then again why not, easier that way) any British Muslim could have applied and worked there. Did I mention it was British born Muslims of Pakistani origin that carried out the attacks in London in 2005? Thus, not a few people concerned about what could happen again. Oh, of course, that could have been construed as ‘racist’. A card that ‘community’ like to play when that issue raised. Which reminds me, one should check out how many Somalian British born ‘young men’ fly out to Somalia and Yemen for special ‘training’. And I am not talking about how to wire a plug.Anyway, since we had that wonderful friend of General Pinochet and Reagan in charge – one M Thatcher – it has ALWAYS been about profit before safety. Thus the many fatal train crashes we have had in this country over the years since. Cutting corners/costs.
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