Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CA: On the 25th anniversary of the ICBM program at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, activists gathered to march and rally in support of nuclear disarmament in outer space. Organizer Bruce Gagnon, who was himself in the Air Force until protests outside of his base changed his mind towards peace activism, said, "America is addicted to war and militarism."

Gagnon, who is the coordinator of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, warned that the testing and other operations at Vandenberg are "moving the arms race into space." In 1983 the first nuclear-capable Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) was tested at Vandenberg and since then the base's mission has expanded to launching and monitoring orbiting satellites, and managing space surveillance operations, in addition to its work with missiles. The protests also began in 1983.
Full story: STAR WARS PROTEST: Vandenberg Air Force Base by df | | Vandenberg AFB Protest by Mike Wisniewski

ISLA VISTA / SANTA BARBARA, Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - About 350 anti-war activists met to rally at Pardall Tunnel, where they were addressed by speakers at an open microphone, including a man from Iraq and a former Marine-turned-organizer. Emotions ran high and alternated between intense anger against the war, sadness over the loss of life, and hope, joy, and optimism for the future. At times, feelings were tense, and the police helicopter circling overhead made an ominous presence. The demonstrators shortly proceeded to converge on UCSB's Corwin Pavilion with the goal of shutting down the 2008 ICB (Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies) Army-Industry Collaboration Conference.

Police attempted to barricade the event against the approaching students, but the crowd forced itself through police lines and dismantled blockades. Police appeared helpless to stop the flow of demonstrators, who proceeded to occupy the courtyard in front of the pavilion, where collaborators, some in business suits and others, more honestly, in military fatigues, had been in the midst of a lunch break. From the Newswire: 350 War Resistors Blockade and Disrupt UCSB Army/Industrial Conference - 3 Arrests | | Army Biotech Conference Disrupted by UCSB Antiwar Activists

Shouting : "CLINTON ,OBAMA YOU WILL SEE, THE IRAQI PEOPLE WILL BE FREE!" Hundreds of activists ralled outside the Kodak Theatre 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles last January 31,2008. Also shouting and holding banners that said: "End the war and occupation now! All U.S. and foreign troops out of Iraq immediately! Money for jobs, housing, education, health care - not for racist war! the rallyist braved the cold weather and stayed up to 7:30 in the evening even after the debates.
Report and photos: "Democrats lie, GIs die! Democrats lie, Iraqis die!" by RP | Protesting Democrats (more pictures) | Also: Hundreds Attend Anti-War Protest & Picket in Hollywood , January 31 by AJLPP

"Word began to spread as we researched the school and discovered what we had here was indeed a school of assassins, a school for dictators. These soldiers came here to learn counter insurgency. Who were the insurgency? They were the poor, the religious leaders, labor leaders, and many others. And then when the torture manuals were discovered in the curriculum, that got a lot of front-page coverage. Word began to spread, and our numbers in the movement grew." -- Father Roy Bourgeois, founder, School of the Americas Watch

The story of the School of the Americas, or School of the Assassins is a disturbing tale of such organized and planned terrorism; one would never believe it was real. Every year in Fort Benning, Georgia the people protest. This year we brought it to LA. Read Reports: by LadyMadonna | by Ross Plesset and Anna Kunkin | more pics by Anna & Ross

January 1, 2008, Pasadena: At approximately 7:15am four of us began our walk along the Rose Parade route in advance of the parade. We held banners and signs calling for impeachment and urged people to text 30644 to support the impeachment of Dick Cheney.

(A block or so behind us was a contingent of people with signs protesting China's human rights atrocities and its hosting the upcoming Olympics. A float celebrating the Beijing Olympics would be in the parade. This group had an impressive presence with many people and signs visible.)

The members of our group agreed that there was significant positive response to our message as well as considerable negative reactions and blank stares. However, some of us were rather positive in our final analyses, while I tilted toward the negative. Full Report from the Newswire: ATTACK OF THE ARCHIE BUNKER CLONES! (activism at the 2008 Rose Parade) by Self-Hating Caucasian

More Reports: 9:00 AM - Scattered Rose Parade Demonstrations Now Under Way by LA-IMC Newsroom | TV screen grabs of Rose Parade Banners by A | "Not Roses--Peaches" SoPas and Highland Park do it again at the Parade! by Linda Krausen | A Report from the Rose Parade Starting Point by Flunky