NH #540: Anti-Nuclear Nun Sister Megan Rice - A Commemoration​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​‍​​‌​‌​​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​‍​​‌​‌​​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

Libbe HaLevy

00:00:01

Nuclear heroes, those who oppose nuclear in all its various forms are a growing group of staunch individuals who dedicate some portion of our lives to turning around the insane push, to increase all things, nuclear, be it weapons, power reactors, uranium mining, highly radioactive waste, or any of the processes necessary to support and manage them. But few people have had the impact of a tiny nun who in 2012 at the age of 82, joined with two associates and easily broke into the United States, Fort Knox of uranium to stage a peaceful protest against nuclear weapons. As for her reasons for taking an action that resulted in her being imprisoned for two and a half years, sister Meagan rice explained

Meagan Rice

00:00:56

Renouncing and denouncing and exposing nuclear weapons or any crime. We’re all invited humanly speaking. We must expos and OPO is crimes against humanity. There’s only one thing to do, and that is anybody who is available and free to expose an oppose nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

Libbe HaLevy

00:01:20

She makes it sound so simple and logical that when you hear a call to action like that from a woman like that, it’s possible to think that maybe we can join together to eliminate this seat that we all share.

Announcer

00:01:35

Claire hot seat. What are those people thinking? Claire hot seat. What have those boys been breaking their hot seat? Ms. Sinking, our time to act is shrinking, but nuclear Hotsy. It’s the bomb.

Libbe HaLevy

00:02:07

Welcome to nuclear hot seat. The weekly international news magazine, keeping you up to date on all things nuclear from a different perspective. My name is Leiby Halevi. I’m the producer and host as well as a survivor of the nuclear accident at three mile island from just one mile away. So I know what can happen when those nuclear so-called experts get it wrong. This week, a commemoration of the life of sister Meagan rice, who passed away on October 10th at the age of 91 of congestive heart failure, a long time peace activist. She is best known for the 2012 transform. Now Ploughshares action where she and two associates easily broke into Y 12, the Oak Ridge Tennessee site of what was supposed to be U S is heavily guarded Fort Knox of uranium, a national security asset. We’ll share an interview recorded just after sister rice was released from prison, having served two and a half years for what the government called sabotage.

Libbe HaLevy

00:03:16

We will also have nuclear news from around the world, numb nuts of the week for outstanding nuclear bone headedness and more honest nuclear information than Steve Bannon could ever be bothered to share all of it coming up in just a few moments. Today is Tuesday, October 26th, 2021. And here is this week’s nuclear news from a different perspective, starting off here in the U S where potassium iodide pills are going to be distributed to people near the Perry nuclear power plant. In case of a nuclear accident, this would be in Ohio 40 miles north, east of Cleveland. For those of you who don’t know potassium iodide is a non-prescription medication that can protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine. If taken within three to four hours of the start of exposure to a nuclear accident and note that it is only good against radioactive iodine and not any of the other radio nuclides that are released when a nuclear reactor starts behaving badly.

Libbe HaLevy

00:04:25

So while it’s good for the thyroid, do not be tricked into thinking that this is an overall protection from all things nuclear, because it is not the Easter Navajo DNA against uranium mining or end Dom has filed additional observations and additional testimony on the merits of the case of at all versus the United States of America for alleging violations of human rights regarding the issuance of a license to mine, uranium in the crown point and church rock communities, which are on Navajo nation land, Jonathan Perry and Dom directors said the filing is crucial for the protection of communities, the people, our Homeland and culture, we will stand for our human rights and not allow our value as indigenous people to be diminished. The federal government must realize that we are not disposable and that water is life in Wyoming. That state is weighing plans to host a multi-billion dollar demonstration so-called nuclear power plant, Tara powers Nutrium reactor belong history of similar nuclear reactors dating back to 1950.

Libbe HaLevy

00:05:39

One indicates that Wyoming is likely to be left with a nuclear lemon on its hands. This is from an article published by Arjun Maka, Johnny, who is president of the Institute for energy, environmental research, and M V Ramana, who is professor and Simon’s chair in disarmament global and human security and director of the Liu Institute for global issues at the school of public policy and global affairs at the university of British Columbia. The nature M reactor design uses molten sodium as a coolant, as opposed to water, which is used in most existing commercial reactors. And it’s likely to be problematic in Japan, a sodium fire within the first months of a reactor starting led to Japan’s Manjoo demonstration reactor being shut down the French super Phoenix, which was the largest sodium cooled reactor was plagued by operational problems, including a major sodium leak and was shut down in 1998, after 14 years, having operated at an average capacity of under 7%.

Libbe HaLevy

00:06:45

In other words, this design is definitely a lemon. We will link to the article by McKinsey, Johnny and Ramana on our website, nuclear hot seat.com. Under this episode, number 5, 4 0 2 articles. We will link to by Dr. Paul Dorfman. He is an academic at the UCL energy Institute, university, college, London, and chair of the nuclear consulting group, both articles dealing with nuclear’s vulnerability to climate change and state that present and planned coastal and inland nuclear installations will be at significant risk. One of the articles, which looks at risks, both in the UK and the United States sites, the UK Institute of mechanical engineers, which says that UK nuclear coastal installations together with their spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste stores are vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding storm surge, and what they call nuclear island ING. In other words, waters from flooding rising so high that they surround a nuclear site and make it inaccessible by roads.

Libbe HaLevy

00:07:55

Perhaps alarmingly. They point out that these us coastal nuclear sites could be relocated or even abandoned. And keep this point in mind when listening to this week’s numb nuts of the week in the United States, the Pentagon reports that 79 military bases will be effected by rising sea levels and frequent flooding, including 23 nuclear installations, strategic radar stations, nuclear command centers, missile test ranges and ballistic missile defense sites, seven of which store nuclear weapons onsite. Similarly, the U S army war college says nuclear facilities are at high risk of temporary or permanent closure due to climate threats with 66, 0% of us nuclear capacity vulnerable to major risks, including sea level rise and severe storms, but try telling the left hand what the right hand knows, because in this example of nuclear bone headedness, we have new

Libbe HaLevy

00:09:10

Such nuclear myopia. This week, the Biden administration released four separate reports on how climate change threatens us national security and will likely create conflict around the globe. These included a report on migration, the national intelligence estimate and separate analyses from the defense department and the department of Homeland security. And how many times did they mention anything? Nuclear just once as in some of the countries, most vulnerable to climate change like India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, climate catastrophes might jeopardize the security of their weapons. Yeah, but what about right here in the good old USA in case you haven’t noticed the United States is a nuclear power and climate catastrophes might jeopardize the security of our weapons. And then there’s the potential flooding of coastal nuclear reactors from sea level rise, sea Fukushima, to understand what that can lead to. And then there’s the possibility of dam overflow flooding from torrential rains and dam failures, upstream of nuclear reactors that could flood out emergency cooling systems.

Libbe HaLevy

01:10:29

Again, if you want to understand what that means, see Fukushima, and then there is this finding more powerful storms and more frequent flooding are threatening military preparedness domestic basis, like Tyndall air force base in Florida and Marine Corps base camp Lu Xun in North Carolina have already endured billions of dollars worth of damage and sea level rise. And the Pacific jeopardizes key quote, war fighting infrastructure. Well, we can’t have anything damaging our ability to make war. Can we, all of which goes to show that when it comes to nuclear dangers created by climate change, the current administration in Washington has just as big a blind spot as the previous ones. And that’s why Biden administration and all those reports on climate change and national security, you are this week’s

Libbe HaLevy

01:11:33

As I said, we will link to the two articles by Dr. Paul Dorfman that contradict this numb nuts Surrey. And here’s a numb that’s adjacent story, a recent incident at a national Institute of standards and technology reactor is linked to staff turnover. The incident occurred on February 3rd, but was only submitted in a report to the nuclear regulatory commission on October 1st. What happened less February is that the reactor at the NIS T center for neutron research in Gaithersburg, Maryland released radiation into the surrounding facility. According to the report, during a routine refueling operation in experienced staff members failed to identify and improperly secured fuel element that caused that element to overheat and deform. In other words, inadequate training and licensing of operators was one of several factors that contributed to the accident in the usual nuclear. The dog ate my homework excuse and I S T wines that the reactors refueled manually and hands-on experiences needed to ensure that certain steps of the process are performed properly.

Libbe HaLevy

01:12:51

But turnover has led to a decline in the aggregate experience of the reactor staff and the recent trainees have had less opportunity to participate in refueling operations due to the pandemic. So why don’t you just shut the damn thing down, or is that too logical that will be linked along with this article entitled to avoid Armageddon don’t modernize missiles, eliminate them. This is written by Daniel Ellsberg famous for his release of the Pentagon papers and Norman Solomon, who is executive director of the Institute for public accuracy and author of war made easy as well as a co-founder of roots action.org. It calls for shutting down all of the nations Intercontinental ballistic missiles, which is 400. ICBM’s that dot the rural landscapes of Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming missiles that are uniquely and dangerously on hair. Trigger alert. According to former defense secretary William Perry, who’s quoted in this article.

Libbe HaLevy

01:14:01

If our sensors indicate that enemy missiles are on route to the United States, the president would have to consider launching ICBM’s before the enemy missiles could destroy them. Once they are launched, they cannot be recalled. And the president would have less than 30 minutes to make that terrible decision. There is now a code pink petition to eliminate nuclear weapons from the Biden budget. And it is meant to go to the house appropriations committee to defund nuclear weapons. Right now we will have links up to the Ellsberg and Solomon article, as well as the code pink petition, which you can click on, go to sign and then pass along to your friends. All that will be on our website, nuclear hot seat.com under this episode, number 5, 4, 0 in Japan, that country’s new prime minister has said that there can be no delay to plans to release contaminated water.

Libbe HaLevy

01:15:00

That’s radioactively contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific ocean, despite opposition from fishers and neighboring countries, the wastewater, which is pumped up from reactor basements, and despite being treated still contains radioactive tritium has built up at the site since the plant suffered the triple meltdown in March of 2011, more than 1 million, tons of water are currently being stored in 1000 tanks at the site. But teff co Tokyo electric power company has warned that space will run out late. Next year. They have been saying this every year for the past five years, it also is reported to contain 63 additional radio nuclides because the filtering system did not work fully to remove all radionuclides from the water. But prime minister coz has said that every effort would be made to reassure local people that disposing of water in the Pacific was safe.

Libbe HaLevy

01:16:07

It doesn’t mean it is safe, just that they’re going to war to reassure the local population. And it would seem the rest of the world with a their there, Missy, you don’t worry your pretty little head about it. Tactic, however, protest to this plan, just keep rolling in from around the world. South Korea will once again, call for international discussions on Japan’s plan to discharge this radioactive water into the Pacific ocean at this week’s international maritime gathering the London convention and protocol South Korea has urged Japan to have in-depth discussions with neighboring countries before pushing ahead with the plan and has been working to garner international support for seeking alternatives, whether because of these efforts by South Korea or on their own China and eight Asia Pacific island countries have raised a collective objection against this disposal of wastewater from Fukushima into the Pacific ocean. The nine countries adopted a joint declaration.

Libbe HaLevy

01:17:12

Following a meeting led by Beijing among the eight island countries that signed are Kiribati Fiji and Paul Paul new Guinea, the European commission will decide this fall. If nuclear power will be classified as sustainable when truly the only thing sustainable about it is the amount of radioactive waste it creates. And the persistence of that waste at dangerous levels of radioactivity to life for tens and hundreds of thousands of years. But Finland has just lobbied the EU to declare nuclear power sustainable. After an unpublished cabinet decision that was supported, believe it or not by the greens, if nuclear power gets the so-called green label financing for nuclear projects will be easier to come by. And the terms of any loans will be softer than for other energy products, including those of genuinely sustainable technologies while citing the oft repeated lie that nuclear energy produces no carbon emissions because it does it every step of the fuel chain, except the split instant.

Libbe HaLevy

01:18:26

When the atom is split, there is no mention of the creation of radioactive waste in the UK. On October 22nd, there was a fire at the Sellafield nuclear site at a building associated with the Magnavox reprocessing plant in what may or may not be a coincidence just three days earlier, the Sellafield site conducted an emergency exercise that warned the local populace, that it might involve the sounding of the site siren and the use of low-level pyrotechnics and blank firearms. Low-level pyrotechnics three days later, a fire. Hm, interesting. You might have noticed that there are a lot of articles that I’m linking to this week because so many of them are out and that’s because the United nations climate change conference cop 26 begins on Sunday, October 31st. So some of the strongest and most persuasive articles are just coming out. Now, here are some more on international issues.

Libbe HaLevy

01:19:34

Michael Schneider publisher of Schneider’s world nuclear status report. 2021 said that the governments of Britain, Canada, China, Russia, and the United States are wasting time and money on plans for what he calls fantasy PowerPoint designs of small modular nuclear reactors that could never be built in time to save humanity from the climate crisis. Schneider points out that paper designs are cheap until they’re actually being built. The average construction time for new reactors was 10 years after the first concrete has been poured, not including planning and the licensing processes, which took much longer. In other words, while solar and wind technologies, which are genuinely renewable, are ready to go out of the box. Anything nuclear is going to take a minimum of 10 plus years and small modular nuclear reactors don’t even have a design that has been proven yet. So it’s going to be taking much longer Dr.

Libbe HaLevy

02:20:39

Jim green, who is national nuclear campaigner for friends of the earth Australia echoes that point in his article, small nuclear reactors, huge costs, green great name for a nuclear campaign or sites, a new report published by the country’s most influential coal lobby on the subject of small modular nuclear reactors and labels it jiggery pokery of the highest order, possibly one of my favorite new phrases, because it means deceitful or dishonest behavior in UK slang. He goes on to explain that the coal industry’s idea behind promoting nuclear power is that it will slow the transition from fossil fuels to renewables and believes that promoting nuclear is in the interest of some of the coal industries, companies to slow transition to other forms of energy production. In a second article, entitled organized crime goes nuclear green rights that serious insider sabotage has hit major nuclear countries in recent ears, mentioning fraud, counterfeiting, bribery, corruption, sabotage theft, and other criminal activities that are rife in the global nuclear industry.

Libbe HaLevy

02:21:56

He includes a lot of corroborating information in the article. Yeah, nuclear published an article on Poland’s nuclear folly that was translated from the Polish and reports that the Polish ruling law and justice party has created an official energy document called the Polish energetic policy. And it announces the construction of six nuclear power units by 2043 in Poland, this from the country that was first to detect and report to the world on the Chernobyl disaster and a joint statement by international physicians for the prevention of nuclear war and its affiliates in Australia, the UK and USA announced their agreement that for Australia to acquire nuclear powered submarines with UK and us assistance could jeopardize global health and security Australia would become the seventh country to use nuclear propulsion for its military vessels and the first state to do so, which does not possess nuclear weapons or nuclear power reactors links to all these articles will be up on the website, nuclear hot seat.com under this episode, number 5, 4, 0, we’ll have this week’s featured interview in just a moment, but first nuclear weapons, reactors, uranium mining, radioactive waste accidents.

Libbe HaLevy

02:23:17

So-called permissible, radiation exposures. The list of nuclear dangers and disasters is as endless as the dangers of plutonium, which remains highly radioactive for 240,000 years yet, despite the known risks, this industry perpetuates itself, making obscene amounts of money while threatening the future of the planet and of life itself. That’s why hot seat is here to help, you know, what’s going on in the nuclear world and what you can do about it. We’re dedicated to giving you the nuclear stories you can’t find in mainstream media, and we provide them on an ongoing basis. So you get context and continuity and can understand the full picture. We also provide a healthy dose of skepticism, as well as humor, whenever and wherever possible. We covered not only what the industry is doing, but how brave activists around the world are fighting back. As you will hear in today’s interview and how any one of us, yes, even you sitting right there at your computer can take an action towards stopping the nuclear madness, but in order to keep going, we need your help.

Libbe HaLevy

02:24:35

So if you like nuclear, hot seats mission, and the information we make available to you every week, here’s what you can do. Go to nuclear, hot seat.com and click on the big red donate button. That’s where you can help us with a donation of any amount. And you can also set up a recurring donation for as little as $5 a month here in the U S that’s the same as a cup of coffee at a nice tip. So if you value the work that nuclear hot seat does do what you can now and know that however much you can help, I’m deeply grateful that you’re listening and that you care. Now here’s this week’s featured interview. It’s one of my favorite interviews from the first 10 years of nuclear hot seat. And it’s offered this week with sadness, sister Meagan Royce passed away on October 10 at the age of 91.

Libbe HaLevy

02:25:28

She was a Roman Catholic nun who was arrested more than 40 times for protesting America’s military industrial complex sister Meagan is best known for breaking into the wide 12 complex at Oakridge Tennessee. One of the world’s largest uranium storage sites. It’s a maximum security site. So how maximum is that? Security? Y 12 has some 500 security officers authorized to use lethal force within its protective area. It has five bear cat armored vehicles, Gatling guns that can fire up to 50 rounds per second, and shoot down aircraft, video cameras, motion detectors for perimeter fences, and rows of Dragon’s teeth, which are low pyramid shaped blocks of concrete that can rip the axles off approaching vehicles and bring them to a dead stop. Thus, it was extremely embarrassing that on July 28th, 2012, one diminutive octogenarian nun, and two other anti-nuclear activists, Greg obit and Michael Wally, both over 55 years old, we’re able to hike over a steep Ridge.

Libbe HaLevy

02:26:46

You simple bolt cutters to get through three rings of barbed wire and walk stroll, perhaps into Y twelves newest George building, a windowless white concrete Hulk that had been billed as the Fort Knox of uranium. These three were not spotted by security for almost 30 minutes after they arrived. During which time they splashed blood against the walls and spray painted slogans. Like the fruit of justice is peace and woe to an empire of blood. They lit candles and read an indictment against the American nuclear arsenal. And when a security guard finally did show up, they broke a loaf of bread and offer him a peace, which he refused. It’s no wonder that an extremely embarrassed government threw the book at these three activists, charging them with not only trespassing and destruction and depredation of government property, but sabotage a felony with a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, sister rice, and the others served just over two years before being released after an appeals court vacated the sabotage convictions. I originally spoke with sister Meagan rice on May 25th, 2012, immediately after she was released from prison. And there is no better commemoration for her life than hearing her own words,

Libbe HaLevy

02:28:16

Sister Meagan, welcome to nuclear hot seat. First of all, did you know that your case was in the process of being reviewed by the sixth us circuit court of appeals? And were you in any way expecting that the sabotage ruling against you was going to be taken away?

Meagan Rice

02:28:39

I certainly knew it was happening and I can only say common sense would say, that’s what would have to happen. So, you know, anything, we were always ready for every surprise in this country.

Libbe HaLevy

02:28:55

And common sense is not necessarily the most common thing we have. So it was great news that was received by people throughout internationally, our community. When you learned of the court’s decision, what was your reaction?

Meagan Rice

02:29:09

I wasn’t all that excited because I really expected that, that when I found out at three in the morning, I was listening to the BBC and it was just a tiny little announcement at the end of a six or seven minute summary of the world news. And it just said in the statement that, you know, the naming us all or are given immediate release,

Libbe HaLevy

02:29:35

Let’s take this back to how the action started. This has been credited, or at least been mentioned in connection with something called transform. Now plow shares. Is that a group? Is that a movement? Tell us a bit about what that is

Meagan Rice

02:29:52

Since about 1980, starting with father Dan Berrigan, brother, bill Barragan started the Ploughshares movement, which has done many, many actions, direct actions to expose the illegality and the immorality that we all know in our hearts of, of nuclear weapons. And so each of the actions, I’m not sure of the number in my head, whether it’s certainly more than 30, but I don’t know has a special name does like every battleship has a special name. And so the last one which happened on the 2nd of November, 2009 in Kipsap Bangor, Trident submarine base was called this arm now. And it came to me that, okay, what’s the next step? You know, part of the process, the main process of disarming is not to deplete the planet and stop and all the jobs for people, but to transform the whole thing into what we need. So the word transformation just came. So the next step after disarming on really part of it is transformed now into life enhancing alternatives.

Libbe HaLevy

03:31:21

How was the determination made that you would target the Y 12 uranium depository at Oak Ridge?

Meagan Rice

03:31:29

I was the research that we were doing mainly at that point, Greg and I, and we were moving from community to community. He lived in Duluth and so we went east. We had to go east anyway, and we stopped in Kansas city, which was the place where they were making all the non-nuclear parts to nuclear weapons. For other words, continuing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. They were willing to do something for August, 2012. So we didn’t need to do anything there. Then we moved on eastward and consulted with the peace movements all along the way and communities that were there. We got up to Maine even to Bangor. And I mean to near Portland, you know, bath, and that was another submarine carrier manufacturing place. And then we moved down and we realized that the one that hadn’t had a good direct action was Oak Ridge. We wanted to have something for 2012, August 6th and August night. You know, something around that time too. Remember, 68 years ago,

Libbe HaLevy

03:32:47

You, Michael and Greg took several symbolic actions on the site. How did you determine what those actions were and what they would symbolize?

Meagan Rice

03:32:59

It was very easy. I mean, these are the same symbols that have been used and we’ve meditated on them and understood them. I started being connected with Jonah house after my mother died in, and I was there in 1999 and 2000 when a, an action was going on. So I was there to reflect and pray with that community and be instructed by Phil Berrigan and Liz and the people living there. I understood fully and the same way with Greg. He was living there. We understood the importance of those symbols of exterminating, a sacred life. So the sacred symbol of life, certainly as blood. And to show that to the workers, without having to say anything was very educative and renouncing and denouncing and exposing nuclear weapons or any crime, we’re all invited humanly speaking. We must expos and oposed crimes against humanity.

Libbe HaLevy

03:34:08

How supportive was your order as you were making these plans and going into this action?

Meagan Rice

03:34:15

When I came back from Africa, I asked where I felt I could, you know, work best in this country. And I had been to the nuclear test site in Nevada, 20 years before this is 2003 and four now really mainly 2004. And I realized that they needed somebody in Nevada. So I was allowed to do community work there and help out with that peace movement for the next six, seven years. But I was then realizing that was nuclear testing and the action ChIP-seq bang bore and the state of Washington had made me see, it was two years later that nothing really had happened. So we were ready to make another message. And so I asked to be able to focus just on nuclear weapons where a year. And they were very, very supportive of that. And I, I didn’t have to say what I was doing. We are an order with whose terrorism or whose mission is to meet the ones of the age. And we have been studying, what are the ones of the age since we began encouraged by our founders, Cornelia Connelly in 1846. So we’ve been constantly searching to meet the wants at the age. And I could see that this couldn’t be a more important want of the age to meet, to try to meet.

Libbe HaLevy

03:35:48

Let’s take this into the action itself at the point that you were dropped off and you were facing that chain link fence, as you were about to go in, what were your thoughts? What were your feelings? Were you scared? Was this a profound moment? Did you pray beforehand? How did this get started?

Meagan Rice

03:36:11

We had like an eight day retreat before that, in the area of Knoxville with the people who were very happy to be part of this designing and shaping of what would happen and just the wonderful grace of energy in our shared prayer through the eight days. And we had known from satellite, whatever. I didn’t have to worry about that. Exactly what an aware. And so we were dropped off, not in front of the chain link fence, but before the woods, you know, we were able to Mount the bridge, which is Oak Ridge in the dark, and we just follow it. And we just walked through no path or anything. We just headed to the top winding our way. And obviously we were led. And then we finally, after about two hours going up, we reached in, I wasn’t even thinking about being afraid because we were getting through and nobody was stopping us and we could look down on this.

Meagan Rice

03:37:19

It was probably four 30. So before Dawn and we just were able to move right on down and we were inside the three, well, first the outer Vince was still in the woods that didn’t take any time. And we closed it up, you know, with little plastic ties or a short right angle, two sides of a triangle so that we could slip through with a flap. And we were all rather thin people and was very easy. And then we got to the top of the region looked over and then we just kept on going. We saw that security car just drove by. We saw it drive back. And then we just started and got to the first of the last three fences. Couldn’t have been five minutes to get through one, nothing was electrocuting us. We just moved on and got through three. And we were there by quarter to five.

Meagan Rice

03:38:16

And I had looked last time, I looked at my watch, it was scored defy, and we did exactly what we knew we were going to do totally on unheated unimpeded. And it took maybe 10 minutes, maybe, you know, you didn’t look at your clock, but not long at all. And then we had finished the three or four things we planned to do quietly, not having any, just we were all very focused and then very way down at the opposite end of the building, which is very long, this fan that had been driving around the roadway before drove right next to the building, probably 25, 30 feet inside the last fence, I guess. I don’t really remember. I mean, I couldn’t measure exactly. And anyway, it drove very slowly up to us and we were ready to meet it. And we bowing before them. That was just that one, man, Kurt Garland. And we read, he was willing to listen to her. We just were ready to read to him why we were there and that is available. And I hope people know that we wrote that during the retreat in the eight days before

Libbe HaLevy

03:39:28

Given a link to it, I will definitely post it up on the website in connection with this episode so that people can actually read what you said.

Meagan Rice

03:39:37

The two things that we brought in were the statement. And then the second one was the indictment, a list of what laws were being infringed by continuing the manufacturer testing use and storage of nuclear weapons.

Libbe HaLevy

03:39:54

So it sounds like rather than what has been reported, that you were there for two hours before a guard showed up that it was really a relatively short period of time.

Meagan Rice

04:40:05

That was always, yeah. I find that it’s just a mistake. We landed on the downside as a Ridge. Probably I think it was by two or two 30. So we were looking at it by four 30. Okay. So it could be like two hours to get up the hill. Okay.

Libbe HaLevy

04:40:28

But the actual action itself, it sounds like it took maybe 10 to 15 minutes. Yeah,

Meagan Rice

04:40:35

Certainly 20 at the outset at the most. Anybody could have done it in that little time.

Libbe HaLevy

04:40:41

How did the guard respond when he suddenly came upon the three of you on this site?

Meagan Rice

04:40:48

It wasn’t all that sudden. It was slow. He responded just by looking at us, we could hear him saying on the phone, his cell phone are peace protestors. You better send somebody along. Something like that. He was very, he had known that we repeat, it was most obvious that we were peace protests. And he had had that experience. He had been at Rocky flats for many years and then somewhere else. And you know, you can always tell when their peace protest,

Libbe HaLevy

04:41:21

How were you treated by the authorities when they did show up?

Meagan Rice

04:41:25

I felt that they were, I mean, there was just, the second person was nervous and had this gun and this and that, but it was very gently. We were handcuffed and told us that on the ground and which we did, you know, this is now 5 15, 5 30. It took a little while for the more vans to come. And we were on the ground with our hands, cuffed at the back with our ankles cuffed from then on, you know, we watched the sun come up. People gradually, you know, like undressed, cause it was Saturday morning. Those that were higher up in the line of the marshals spoke very politely to us. You don’t do you want to answer some questions you don’t have to without your lawyer kind of thing. And then we sat there, you know, it wasn’t until maybe 10 o’clock. They brought three collapsible chairs, but we would stand up, you know, just because it was stiff and all that. And they had to help me get up, you know, you’d stand maybe every 20 minutes for five minutes or something like that. Took them all that time to get their act together. In other words,

Libbe HaLevy

04:42:39

You were initially charged with misdemeanor trespass and then suddenly the charges were upped to damaging the defense facility under the sabotage act, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. And there was also the charge of causing more than $1,000 damage to government property, which carries up to 10 years in prison. Why do you think the charges against you were so dramatically increased in their severity?

Meagan Rice

04:43:08

Obviously they didn’t want a trial. They thought we would try to get out easily with a plea bargain.

Libbe HaLevy

04:43:15

Oh, is that the strategy?

Meagan Rice

04:43:17

Oh, absolutely. They always want plea bargains.

Libbe HaLevy

04:43:23

Was there any question in your mind about taking the plea bargain?

Meagan Rice

04:43:28

No possibility of a question.

Libbe HaLevy

04:43:32

And what did you hope to accomplish with the trial and the resulting disability? Okay.

Meagan Rice

04:43:38

To doing what we had to do, it’s the obligation of every, we’re all equally responsible to expos and oppose known crimes. So it was nothing else we could do, but do it in order to make a very clear message quickly.

Libbe HaLevy

04:43:57

I know you take your ministry with you wherever you go. And you ended up spending over two years in prison. What was it like for you in there and what sort of work were you able to do or you move to do with the women who you met there?

Meagan Rice

04:44:15

I would say I was more minister move and ministry ministry. We believe is totally shared. It’s a giving and a sharing and a receiving, and none of those can be exaggerated in order to be harmoniously accomplished. And it happened to me. I received as much as I shared as much as I gave you. We always say in west Africa go by opposite opposites. When you’re in the reality of the thing, nobody could imagine what the reality is until we experience it. And I have been overawed by a nasally strong and gifted women and some compassionate men. There were not many for me to interact with at some work, very respectful and interacting that way. But of course we, I was fellow inmate and they also had a lot of time to interact with the world because I did try to respond in some way to everybody who has written either by a joint letter because people need to be honored. I mean, everybody is involved in this and equally whether they’re writing leathers, whether they’re sitting at home with their arthritis or whether they’re just, you know, sending energy through prayer, to harmonize and heal the world. And it’s just part of that grand scheme of healing, the planet of its wounds being healed, of course,

Libbe HaLevy

04:45:51

In this time between your release and the fact that you’re going to still have to go back to court for re sentencing sometime this summer on the one remaining charge. What are your plans for this period of time before you find out finally, whether they are going to put you back in jail or whether they’re just going to declare time served and let you go.

Meagan Rice

04:46:17

I haven’t had time to do any planning. My time has been taken up and programmed by something ever since we were released last Saturday evening at six o’clock. So I just followed the, what was the next call for, you know, the next day? What, what had he emerged? I had a remote plan. I knew that I could, you know, get a medical checkup immediately and then some recommendations in the same building to see whatever I needed, slight checkups, which were very, very minor and everything is very mild. And I don’t have anything to worry about. You know, it’s just very practical things. So I’m just staying nearby and doing, accomplishing those things and trying to respond to telephone calls from people like you. We haven’t even had a chance to talk to each other, Mike and Greg, you know, because Greg was in transit and there just hasn’t been time for me to dial them and nor them to dial me.

Libbe HaLevy

04:47:22

Were you in contact at all during the time that you were improving?

Meagan Rice

04:47:26

Not really, really. We were meant to be, but Greg got his paperwork done coming from Leavenworth, but each of the places where I was just didn’t respond to it, I definitely had it. We had a right to be in touch with each other, but we couldn’t, they never came and told me it’s okay to do it

Libbe HaLevy

04:47:48

In your mind. Where would you like your action to lead? What do you want to happen now? And given that the listeners to nuclear hot seat are international. We have 38 countries that listen to this show on a monthly basis. What can we do to support you in where you want this to go next?

Meagan Rice

04:48:12

I don’t think I’m seeking support for me. There’s only one thing to do. And that is anybody who is available and free and carrying on with what they’re all doing to expose and oppose nuclear weapons of mass destruction. And I see that people have each has their own gifts of creativity, their own style of doing it. And I totally honor, I’m going to say you, and I’m speaking to all the people that you’re in network with and thank you and just carry on and continued to see how we can make this and that shit, you know, more, you know, and just react to the denial of the non-proliferation treaty conference. You know, the review that just ended on Friday and let’s support of that Ray of hope there, the countries that are just getting out of that thing because they failed New York times doesn’t even mention what was happening at the UN for the last month. So we all need to get in touch with the people who are involved in these international treaties and what can we do? How can we speak out? Because we are the majority, we’re not the minority,

Libbe HaLevy

04:49:32

Mr. Meagan rice, you are one of my heroes. I am honored to be speaking with you. I support you. And if there’s anything I can do to help you in the future, please do not hesitate to let me know

Meagan Rice

04:49:45

You’re doing it. The theory you’re on it. So we it’s a mutually assured admiration society. Since we say that,

Libbe HaLevy

04:49:56

Thank you so much for that sister, Meagan rice, you are a hero to so many of us and I am deeply honored that we’ve been able to spend this time together on nuclear hot seat,

Meagan Rice

05:50:10

Bless you Derry and divert to, to what you’re doing. You’re doing a great job and thank you.

Libbe HaLevy

05:50:18

Her words meant a great deal to me. That was the late great sister, Meagan rice who passed away on October 10th, 2020, one of congestive heart failure

Announcer

05:50:32

Activists.

Libbe HaLevy

05:50:40

The international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons or ICANN has published a new report entitled why NATO members should join the UN ban on nuclear weapons. The 116 page report proposes that NATO takes steps to become a non nuclear Alliance in line with the new norm set by the United nations. Further those NATO members that are ready to join the TPN w as it’s referred to the treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons should be free to do so without fear of repercussions from their allies, particularly the United States, France and the United Kingdom, which still possess nuclear arsenals. The report highlights the widespread support for the TPN w within many NATO states, as evidenced by public opinion, polls, parliamentary, resolutions, political party, declarations, and statements from past leaders. It also notes that NATO members face no legal barriers to joining the treaty so long as they commit not to engage in or support any nuclear weapons related activities.

Libbe HaLevy

05:51:52

We will link to PDF copies of this report in three different languages, English, French, and German. There’ll be on our website, nuclear hot seat.com under this episode, number 5 45, 4 0. And for those of you who want to do something in your personal life to take funding away from the nuclear industry, here is our brief interview with Susie Snyder of don’t bank on the bomb. She tells you about a program that you can use in your personal life to strip the money out of the nuclear industry. And it’s not only you by sharing this information, it will reverberate within your banking institutions, with your financial planner and with pension funds, as well as in any community religious or social groups. You frequent just talk about it. The goal is to starve the money out of companies that make and make money from manufacturing. Any portion of the nuclear weapons chain here to explain it in two very fast spoken minutes is Susie Snyder.

Susie Synder

05:53:00

It’s amazing. It’s called don’t bank on the bomb, and that’s the website too. Don’t bank on the bomb.com. Step one, find out if your bank invests a nuclear weapon, producers, step two, contact your bank, tell them you don’t want them to step three, tell the world what the bank says. And if they don’t get rid of investments, go public because no bank wants to look like a bad guy. It takes one or two people only to make a huge difference, and that can cut off the money stream to companies that make nuclear weapons, you and I, we have more power than we think, and that power is sitting in our wallets. And how can people find out

Libbe HaLevy

05:53:40

Whether the companies that were told the bank is supporting, having any connection with the nuclear weapons?

Susie Synder

05:53:46

Well, we do a significant investigation every year. Now it’s not completely exhaustive, but we profile 28 companies that have association with nuclear weapons, modernization, and maintenance, and it’s on our website. Don’t bank on the bomb.com. And we really want people to use our information and contact us all the time. You can do that in through the website, really easily contact me on Twitter, whatever works, and I’m happy to find out more. And if you find out, learn about more companies involved in nuclear weapons, tell us we’ll do the research and we’ll make it public for everybody to use. Love it.

Libbe HaLevy

05:54:22

Susie Snyder of don’t bank on the bomb, we will have a link up to their website, amazingly enough. It’s called don’t bank on the bomb.com. That’s where you can find a list of the 28 companies that currently build nuclear weapons and links to all the footnotes that your financial advisors will want to read to understand exactly what is at stake here. It’s on the website, nuclear hotseat.com under this episode, number five 40. This has been nuclear hot seat for Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 material for this week show has been researched and compiled from nuclear-news.net renard.wordpress.com beyond nuclear.org in eis.org. And I R s.org, the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, or I can w.org Cleveland nineteen.com the ecologists.org physics today. Doug salutation.org news and the guts.com trib.com. The nation.com code pink.org. The guardian.com E N dot Y N a dot C O dot K R Y L E dot F I gov.uk Whitehead in news.co.uk renew economy.com dot a U the energy mixed.com.

Libbe HaLevy

05:55:52

The bulletin God org, independent.co.uk, and the captured and compromised by the industry. They are supposed to be regulating nuclear regulatory commission. Every episode of nuclear hot seat is just packed full of information about nuclear matters that you’re not likely to find in most other places, or you might find a bit here in a bit. There we bring it all together. So of course you want to make certain that you get the show every week and it’s easy for you to do so. Just go to nuclear, hot seat.com. Look for the yellow box, fill in your first name and an email address and bam you’re in our database. We will send you the episode every week with a brief description of what’s in it. And we will not sell your information, share your information. We won’t even bug you with a whole bunch of email, just one a week.

Libbe HaLevy

05:56:47

And because you are on the ground wherever you are with whatever you’re facing in a nuclear way, and it’s right there, you probably have information that I don’t. And I want that information. So if you have a story lead, a hot tip or suggestion of someone to interview, send an email to info@nuclearhotseat.com. And remember if you appreciate weekly verifiable news updates about nuclear issues around the world, take a moment and go to nuclear, hot seat.com. Look for that big red button, click on it, follow the prompts. Hey, anything will help. And we always appreciate your support. I know we have listeners around the world. We’re up to 124 countries where nuclear hot seat has been downloaded and listened to. So don’t be shy. Let me know what’s going on. This episode of nuclear hot seat is copyright 2021 Leiby Halevi and hardest street communications, all rights reserved, but fair use allowed. As long as proper attribution is provided. This is Leiby Halevi of hardest street communications. The heart of the art of communicating, reminding you that in the words of sister, Meagan, rice, none of us is out of prison. As long as one nuclear bomb exists. If that’s not a nuclear wake up call, I don’t know what is so your assignment, should you decide to accept it is to not go back to sleep because we are all in the nuclear hot seat,

Announcer

05:58:29

Clear hot seat. What are those people thinking? Nuclear hot seat. What have those boys been? Braking, nuclear hot. See the Ms. Sinking our time to act is shrinking, but the visceral Hotsy, it’s the bomb.