Great Anti-nuclear Deathship Protest

What a day!  The action went very well.  On Monday 19 October, ten
kayaks/waveskis/canoes, surf-boarders, a yacht, the Magic Bus and countless
people on South Mole did a wonderful job in protesting against nuclear
deathships coming into Fremantle.  The street theatre went well, brightening
up the protest.

The Australian Navy invited U.S. and British nuclear warships for joint
exercises.  This included the USS Fort Fisher, USS Ogden and USS Tarawa,
designed for carrying nuclear weapons for use by the Marine Corps.  The HMS
Boxer with its helicopter is designed for using nuclear depth bombs. The
British warship didn't come back in for "rest and relaxation" after the
exercises, so only the U.S. ships were set upon.

The media was fairly good on the day.  Interviews were done for radio
stations and the West Australian.

The newspaper coverage unfortunately suggested the protesters were all from
People for Nuclear Disarmament despite the very clear statements about
individual people in the media releases.  On the whole, the newspaper report
was good.

The Fremantle Port Authority was certainly expecting something.  They
published a notice the Saturday before the warships came in.  It is about an
exclusion zone for "others concerned" and making special reference to the
"prohibited bathing" clause 353(A), which people were charged on last time. 
Very cute.

Thanks to the people who put time and effort into talking with sailors.  It
has pointed out some important realities, namely that a lot of them are in
the Navy because it is the only way for them to get out of the poverty trap
(U.S. social security is nowhere near as good as Australia's).  For some
other sailors, it was their only way to avoid long prison sentences.  Yes,
some people would be in the armed forces because they want to kill kill kill,
but the brunt of anti-death criticism is best levelled at those in control of
the war machines.

Some of the sailors seem to be using the line that there are no nuclear
weapons aboard their warships, regardless of the "Neither Confirm Nor Deny"
policy. (Which states that no one can know if there are or aren't nuclear
weapons aboard.)  Maybe they are briefed into saying this before they leave
the warships, which leaves Australians in a dangerous sense of safety. 
Congratulations to those who have pointed this out in public to the
embarrassment of the sailors.  Did you notice the dolphins join people in the
water during the protest?  What a fantastic show of solidarity!