Peace Researcher 37 – November 2008
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Waihopai
Protest; Speaking Tour
This can be very short and sweet for the simple
reason that the great bulk of what I do as Anti-Bases Campaign Organiser is
regularly reported in Peace Researcher.
ABC had two major projects in 2008, namely our regular January protest at the
Waihopai spybase and the
Supporting
The Domebusters
Of course between the Waihopai visits of those
two Filipino speakers there occurred the spectacular April 2008 deflation of
one of the spybase’s domes by the Ploughshares Domebusters (which is one reason
why Bob and Cora and their accompanying journalists and photographers were not
allowed to set foot on the base’s property, whereas Amirah and I and our media
companions were allowed right up to the inner gate). For my very detailed
account of that dome deflation, read “Pop Goes The Spybase”, the cover story of
PR 36, August 2008, which can be read
online at http://www.converge.org.nz/abc/pr36-165.html.
And in this issue you can read the latest on the subject, namely
We haven’t set any date for our next Waihopai
activity (beyond publicising that it won’t be the usual January camping weekend
one), as we will connect it to the Domebusters’ trial and as of the time of
writing we don’t know when that will be or even where – the defence is applying
to have it transferred from Blenheim to Wellington. When we have those basic
details, then we can work out what we will do. But rest assured that there will
be ABC activity about or at the Waihopai spybase sometime in 2009. Stay tuned.
Waihopai
Display
The Waihopai display has had a quiet year and
hasn’t left
Peace Researcher
I edit Peace
Researcher, so I’m biased, but I reckon it’s pretty darned good. I
certainly enjoy being the editor and writing about subjects such as the 2007
“anti-terror” raids (see “A Bad Case Of ‘Terrorism’ Hysteria”, my cover story
in PR 35, December 2007, which can be
read online at http://www.converge.org.nz/abc/pr35-156.html.
My only regret is that I don’t have more time to spend on it, the range of
subjects on which I collect material to “one day” write up into articles for it
forms a most impressive pile in my office. Getting out two issues a year is as
much as I can manage, because of my other commitments, but it’s always good
reading and it looks very good, thanks to my wife Becky as layout editor. And
this issue marks a first in that we are printing one page (and one page only)
in colour. It’s the colour coded world map of US bases which accompanies
Bob Leonard, at 70, is now finally retired from
a quarter of a century at Lincoln University, so he has more time for ABC
activities such as writing for PR,
which he edited for the best part of two decades. I’m delighted to have Bob
back as a regular writer. Although we are no longer co-editors, I regularly
consult him about every issue of PR
and we work together closely. Special thanks to committee member
A
Committee Of Activists
ABC is in good shape. We have a small
membership – it is a specialist niche subject – but plenty of active supporters
who don’t need to be actual members (most of those who were the invaluable
local organisers and hosts for
Media
I am the ABC’s media spokesperson and did a lot
of media work both around our usual Waihopai spybase protest in January and an
enormous burst of it caused by the Domebusters’ action – newspapers, radio, TV,
the works, even writing a guest editorial in a liberal Catholic magazine. The
media also rings me for comment about subjects that they think might be related
to ABC’s interests so, for example, this year I have done interviews about new
Police intelligence gathering powers and international Police intelligence
sharing. Those are not actually our subjects, but I’m happy to give the hapless
reporters a quotable quote.
Organiser
Account
The CAFCA/ABC Organiser Account, which provides
my income, has now been doing so since 1991, which is quite remarkable. It is
in reasonable financial health (there are now 47 regular pledgers – 50 was the
highest there has been in recent years), but it needs to fill the coffers some
more, because on a couple of occasions this year it has dropped too low and we
needed to top it up from the term deposit that we keep as an interest earning
contingency fund. The number of donations has dropped, doubtless reflecting the
harder financial times that people are facing. Having said that, the generosity
of some people staggers me – very recently the Account received a $1,500
donation, bringing to $7,000 that one person has donated in less than a decade.
The Account is in sufficient health that my pay has been increased again
recently, from $13.50 per hour to $14. Both CAFCA and ABC have decided to send
out a special appeal in early 2009, and to aim at a wider audience than just
our own members, on the basis that a lot of groups and individuals who are not
members of either benefit greatly from the work of either and/or both CAFCA and
ABC. Once again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you who keep supporting my work,
and therefore that of CAFCA and ABC, by your generosity. I (quite literally)
couldn’t do it without you.
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