‘Never Been a Situation Like This’: Elderly Activists Face Trial After Infiltrating, Vandalizing High-Security Nuclear Site
- Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:30pm by
Erica Ritz
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Three aging activists broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex on Saturday. (Photo: WATE)
Over the weekend, the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn. was infiltrated by three elderly “peace activists” who cut through a number of barbed wire fences to target the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, officials say.
Once the trio had access to the complex– supposedly one of the most secure in the country– they hung banners, spray-painted, and splashed what appeared to be human blood on the side of the building, according to reports.
63-year-old Michael Walli, 57-year-old Greg Boertje-Obed, and 82-year-old Sister Megan Rice (who is a nun) say they are part of the “Transform Now Plowshares,” a movement that opposes the manufacturing of nuclear weapons.
And as the site where the Hiroshima bomb “Little Boy” was partially created, what better place to stage a protest?
Activists Michael R. Walli, Sister Megan Rice and Greg Boertje-Obed, left to right, pose with banners in a picture taken days before the Y-12 break-in. (Photo via Knox News)
Ellen Barfield, a supporter of the cause and friend of the defendants, explained: “People who are part of the Plowshares movement are extremely religious and spiritual people, who are completely against violence.”
So why splash human blood on the building? And how did they get it?
Barfield elaborated:
“There are people devoted to the cause who want to give their blood. It is taken the standard way in standard blood bags…Pouring human blood is a symbol the beauty of life, but also a symbol of the horrific spilling of human and other blood that nuclear weapons represent.”
[...]
“God, or the universe, or the spirit of peacemaking, who knows what it is…We know that the proliferation of nuclear weapons is against the law and it is certainly against God’s law.” [Emphasis added]
WBIR has more information (including an interview with the eccentric Barfield):
Peter Stockton, a nuclear security expert at the Project On Government Oversight, noted: “The Department of Energy has repeatedly claimed that security at the site, which houses 300 to 400 metric tons of bomb-grade uranium, is robust enough to defend against more than a dozen heavily-armed terrorists with inside knowledge of security procedures.”
“[And] when a nuclear weapons facility can’t stop infiltration by an octogenarian nun, it’s time to reassess its security standards,” Mia Steinle, an investigator for the Project on Government Oversight, added.
On Monday, the three were arraigned in federal district court where they appeared, according to witnesses, to be in extremely good spirits.
They reportedly said: “Yes, I understand the charge against me, and there should also be a charge against the U.S. Government…”
Their next court date is scheduled for Thursday, and, according to reports, they could face a year in jail and fines up to $100,000.
WATE has more information on the trial:
But how on earth were the aging activists able to infiltrate a nuclear facility that supposedly has enough defenses to withstand a terrorist attack?
“There’s never been a situation like this before to my knowledge,” Steven Wyatt, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration at Y-12 commented.
“I‘m sure we’ll learn from this, without question, and use what we learn to improve security,” he assured.
Let’s hope.
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Comments (74)
treas54
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:46pmThe article didn’t say that they breached the lab. The whole facility is surrounded by woods and they allow civilians in to hunt turkey and deer. The game has to be scanned before it leaves the security gate to make sure there’s no contamination. It was probably animal blood that they smeared on the walls. Too bad the idiots don’t realize that nuclear material is used for lots of other things besides weapons.
Report Post »william 123
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:08amFunny thing, this has happened before by a group called “Plow Share” out of Silverdale, Washington. 3 elderly people with their wills on their persons, cut the fence and went on a naval base. They were arrested under a sign that clearly stated “deadly force” was authorized due to the area they were in. It shut the base down for several hours and cost the taxpayers an estimated 8 million dollars in lost production. All they received was $150,000 fine.
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:01pmI am 100% certain that at NO point was any ‘material” close to being compromised. After saying that, there should be “NO MAN ZONES” encircling this base!!! Of course, the first time that an 83 year old “peaceful nin” was shot attempting to infiltrate this maximum security base, the WORLD would be outraged and would only fuel the anti-America movements……..
Report Post »chips1
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:45pmThank God that the terrorists kill their own people and not many reach the age of 80. Maybe that‘s why Janet isn’t worried about the borders.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:53pmI am glad I am not the judge on this one. Who wants to jail granny and grandpa?They must have been bored. They should have someone keep an eye on them. They are likely to do something else unless they are scared straight. I would find it hard to put them in prison. That old lady looks so sweet. If they got a lot of money, fine them good, but if not, have them do community service with their apare time for quite awhile and maybe they will get interested in something besides trespassing on serious property. It is time to play gramma and pawpaw now. They need to understand this.
Report Post »Wolf73b
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:01pmI’d do it!
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:47pmI would sleep well at night after jailing these idiots. There are ample ways in this country of exercising free speech and rallying people to your cause. One does not have to break into a sensitive nuclear facility to do it.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:49pmIt isn’t a very serious charge. If the government wasn’t worried about the security, why should the judge?
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:24amNo, despite their ages, they should have known better. There is no excuse, especially for the Catholic nun, who I assume will be hearing from Rome in fairly short order. She may find herself an ex-nun, since the Pope Benedict does not take kindly to political activism of this type.
Report Post »Certainperson
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:38amThrow her sweet looking butt in jail! You must be young, assuming old people are any different than young people. Hippies are hippies, don‘t care if they’re 15 or 95. These coots knew what they were doing and this isn’t some cutesy movie. Pelosi can look sweet too…
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:48pmWell, at leas none of them were on Oxygen, it does not seem like. This world is so crazy.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:44pmWell, no one will care if they drop the soap or not in prison. They can say they just wanted to recharge their pacemakers or something. Their wrinkly old butts need to be in the house doing something else besides acting like they are bad. For the love of Pete, get them something to do. Don’t they have any grandchildren they can brainwash to do the dirty work?
Report Post »Ch
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:33pmREALLY OLD 60′s hippies!
Report Post »oldduffer
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:47pmMinus the long hair, pony tails and body odor. Chances are they not only carried protest signs in the 60′s, early 70′s but belonged to Bill Ayers like group or one of the radical greenie groups like Greenpeace or ALF. Sure like to know if they were teachers, professors or Union flunkies. Too much time on their hands and need swift justice to wake them up.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:52pmThese people do not deserve our protection.
The Bomb saved 1 million lives by obviating the need for a ground invasion by conventional forces.
And yes we had to invade.
At the time Japan was the country that had waged aggressive war against China for a decade before we got involved. Any death toll of the Chinese civilians that the Japanese government killed? 200,000 in one city alone.
Any person saying that we were wrong to drop the bomb is a blithering idiot.
Report Post »BlackCrow
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:26pmHad it been a military installation instead of Department of Energy they would have been dead before they got past the second layer of security.
Report Post »MontaraMissileMan
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:02amYou may think that but it isn’t true. I was a sailor on board one of the subs at NBK Bangor in Washington state when the same group pulled the same c–p there. Where they broke into was enough of a justification to use deadly force. But instead they were arrested and held for a few hours, charged with misdemeanor trespassing/destruction of government property and were allowed to use their trial as a political platform. They shutdown an entire military installation and prevented a sub from heading out to sea. They caused a cost of millions of tax dollars to be incurred for a stupid stunt that should have killed them.
They’re going to get away with it with only a slap on the wrist at worst. Even if this was a military installation, they would end up with the exact same thing.
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:24pmThere isn’t even one person alive who can deal with accepting the big government of 100% pure liberty – no one is that righteous. That‘s why it’s amusing to watch people cast stones.
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:20pmI don’t care what the politics were, that was a ballsy move. Got the message accross too, did they not?
Report Post »taxpro4u03
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:03amYup — and the border fence is ‘complete…’ (5%?) — PACKED with agents and equipment (like putting mittens on a cat to catch mice – they‘re ’neutered.’) And ‘just a few’ came across… What was it, like nine border sites were closed, most of them in TEJAS? Mmmmm -k… :-) Is there no credibility anywhere but in ‘the sleeping giant,‘ mostly ’silent’ majority? Barbarians – the word is rooted in Greek; (the country now in chaos) *BAR.* Ring any bells? — the BARbarians from what Iunderstand going to its ‘roots,’ evolved UP out of the Tribe of DAN – speaking a language which Nobody could understand – hence ‘BARbarians’ — Sounds like the ‘left and right’ paradigms, doesn’t it? How’s about we just be the principled Americans we know we are and carry on…
Report Post »taberphoto.com
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:16pmThey were lucky they weren’t shot and killed upon entry.
Report Post »southernORcobra
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:34pmyeah they should have been where the hell was the security I wonder?
Report Post »edmundburk
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:32pmQue bigoted anti-catholic remark, this so-called nun DOES NOT represent catholism. We have ;progressives in our own ranks, just like protestants have Jim Wallis.
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:26amEdmund – I‘m sure the Vatican will be calling soon and I don’t think it will be to offer legal assistance, at least not for her defense.
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:11pmSneaky old folks…What is bothers me is security is a joke at this place…Next time might be terrorist more determined to do real harm.
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:21pmThe problem is with the security cameras. It doesn’t sense anybody moving that slowly. HaHaHa
How did they trace them? The trail of Geritol bottles and the smell of Ben-Gay?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:33pmMCDAVE, I’m sure that caught the attention of those terrorists that Janet Napolitano admitted sometimes do get across our southern borders.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:34pmRAMONPRESTON, probably the odor coming from their Depends.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:46pmRamon, you are right. It must be the trail and the smell of Ben-Gay. Lol.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:00amThey need to beef up something, for sure.
Report Post »kent grotz
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:19pmMc, what if it had been serious people carrying RPGs? Bad news!
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:10pm‘60’s and ‘70’s hippies who never grew up, or more responsible. Jimmy Buffett mentioned them in an older song, “Growing older, but not up.”
Report Post »Chris
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:09pmThey should not only throw the book at these three idiots, but maybe write a few more and throw those at them too. Then you go hammer the people in charge of security at this facility. The security people could have easily and justifiably shot them, but even better, they should have been arrested before they got over or through the fence.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:58pmAre you aware of the fact that the government can’t even prosecute someone that kills 13 millitary personel and wounds 33 more. Yup! I feel so safe with this muslim protecting me and my family. Guess it’s up to me.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:00amThat is wicked. Just keep an eye on them. They could use with a little attenion, it seems. If they get meaner, then they may need to be deat with more stringently. Take their hearing aids for a week or something. No TV, and make them recite Bible verses or write them. Just don’t be stupid or on the otherhand over react to something that can be contained minimally.
Report Post »Chris
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:58pmThere is nothing wicked about it. Give them the stiff jail sentence that they deserve for what they did. I don’t care that they are old and will probably rot in jail, they deserve it.
Report Post »FreedomWitness
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:06pmGive them a LIFE sentence, uh probably about 2 years.
Report Post »normbal
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:31pmjust a ploy to get prolonged high-tech medical care, free room and board and big screen TV.
Report Post »FreedomWitness
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:04pmThe WRETCHED old HIPPIE degenerates appear to be quite racist. It seems that they are all old, ugly, stupid WHITE PEOPLE. These racists hippies make me sick!
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:09pmHaha. You’re just seeing where you were once at and it gives you a bitter taste in your stomach.
Report Post »FreedomWitness
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:14pmWATERSRPEOPLE don‘t ’drink & post.’ Thank you.
Report Post »FreedomWitness
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:19pmWATERSRPEOPLE – It would give you a bitter taste in your mouth, not your stomach you rummy.
WATERSRPEOPLE = DRINK/DRANK/DRUNK
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:02pmHey lets everybody have like 12 kids because we feel the desire to mate our way to freedom.
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:59pmUh oh lets lock em up because we are all in prison on the earth, and it makes us feel more free to put people behind bars.
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:06pmThen we can go to the zoo where we put animals behind bars so we feel like gods thinking to ourselves “Look at those animals behind bars but we sure are taking care of them – we have the need to protect.” Or maybe they really aren’t getting taken care of.
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:12pmAnd even the less free a society becomes the more they lock up people for small infractions with a growing zero tolerance. It’s quite amusing.
Report Post »Carefreeflyer
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:55pmLooks like their Security meets Government standards.
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:24pmLooks like more of Obama’s “You didn’t do it.”
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:51pmWhy didn’t they go to Iran if they wanted to stop a nuclear war? – Iran is the scary one – not the folks at Y12.
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:28pmYou are right about Iran. They are determined to destroy Israel and the US. One EMP bomb over the US will set us back into the dark ages. No cars, no computers…no food, no water. Bodies will be stacked up like firewood.
Report Post »Constructionist
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:49pmClearly, we are safer now than we have ever been.
Report Post »Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:49pmTakes a while for LSD to wear off?
Report Post »DSTSS2010
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:26amYou’re right, these people were hippies in the sixties. Now they are in their sixties with bad hips.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:46pmThey need to do an Ensure commercial, maybe Tom Cruise needs to take some spy tips for Mission Impossible 5.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:30pmNow, that was funny.
Report Post »possom
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:45pmHAHAHAHAHHHH cough cough cough Damn.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:42pmWell, Jesus was really concerned about nuclear proliferation. And am sure that breaking into government facilities to do damage was one of His commandments .
Report Post »PATTY HENRY
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 9:36pmWANNA BET the DEMS call these Radical Activists “TEA PARTY MEMBERS” ? (just because they have grey hair) ?
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