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News :: Peace |
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Concerned Citizens Inspect UIUC For Evidence of Weapons of Mass Distruction |
Current rating: 0 |
by Paul Kotheimer
Email: herringb (nospam) prairienet.org (verified)
Phone: via IMC 217 344 8820
Address: 218 W. Main Ste. 110 Urbana, IL 61801 |
28 Apr 2004
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An impromptu group of concerned citizens and UIUC students gathered Tuesday afternoon for a "weapons inspection" of the UIUC Engineering Campus. |
An impromptu team of citizen activists met on the Engineering Quad of the University of Illinois yesterday with the intent to exercise their rights to information about publicly funded research on the campus. Organizers, affiliated with a course in UIUC's Communications Department, passed out guidebooks and leaflets in advance, mapping out the the locations of buildings where research projects funded by the U.S. Military or related departments were suspected.
Citizens not affiliated with the University were invited to take the tour and teamed up with UIUC-affiliated citizens, so that each non-affiliated citizen-inspector would be the guest of a person with a valid I-Card. White lab coats and clipboards were provided to as many citizen inspectors as possible.
The group met at noon at the fountain just south of the Beckman Institute. As participants met and coordinated their actions, they were confronted by at least two onlookers who mocked and insulted the action's design and intent. These onlookers consistently referred to action participants as "protestors" rather than "inspectors" or "researchers."
At approximately 12:15, the group began its tour of inspection, working as best it could in the face of a number of notable impediments: The University had denied inspection organizers access to building plans and layouts, making it difficult for the inspection team to locate a number of offices. The University cited a "Homeland Security risk," even though the building interior maps in question were scheduled to be published online within two weeks of the request date. One building on the inspection tour was passkey-admittance only. Inspectors were denied admittance there.
At the Beckman Institute, the inspection team was met at the ground floor by UIUC Building Security Staff and told that they were not permitted upstairs without an appointment. The team attempted to contact the research director of the facility in question, with no success.
The team was given an impromptu presentation by a graduate assistant at a lab researching solid rocket propellants. Inspectors were denied access to inspect the labs due to restrictions barring non-U.S. citizens.
At another research site, inspectors were escorted through the hallways by a facilities administrator. The group was asked to provide a record of the identity of each inspector.
A photograph of two of the organizers was featured on the front page of Wednesday's , the UIUC's student newspaper.
The photo included a caption, but did not accompany an article. |
This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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Was this Action Just a "Stunt"? |
by Paul Kotheimer
herringb (nospam) prairienet.org (verified) |
Current rating: 8
28 Apr 2004
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I'm the author of the article above. I wanted to add some more information from my own point of view and in my own voice. Here it is:
I participated in the weapons inspection action as an observer--an observer with a context: I work for the UIUC, in a crumbling and underfunded 80-year old building. To my eyes, the contrast between my usual work surroundings and the brand-fresh paint and polish of some of the newer buildings makes me wonder: Whence comes this funding, when staffing in my department is being cut by attrition and by the elimination of student wage hours from the budget?
While telling people around town about this action, I've been asked questions like: "Was this a prank? A stunt?" And my answer has been, well, yes and no. True, none of us possessed the training needed to identify a research facility for WMD's, even if we had been allowed access to labs. None of us was mandated by any official body to uncover WMD research on the campus of the UIUC.
However, we went about our performance with a certain seriousness which come from a basic desire to know, along with a notion that, as citizens in a (purported) democracy, we had the right to know what was going on in the publicly funded academic institutions which are the economic anchor of the entire region of the State of Illinois. It's in this sense that our action yesterday was no "stunt."
I took part in this action after seeing a performance by renowned anti-war activist and songwriter David Rovics. These two days of witnessing action for peace have helped me focus on what I want to do next as a person of conscience against the current wars and against all wars.
In fact, the two events back to back inspired me so much, that this morning I woke up with a new song in mind--a very simple ditty which anyone can learn on guitar. I dedicate the song to Zoe Ginsberg, Maggie Quirk, and Zoe Swords: Three rocking youth activists who co-ordinated yesterday's weapons inspection. I'll post an mp3 here soon, but in the meantime, here are the lyrics:
A TODDLER'S PARENT'S ADVICE FOR TEENAGERS
Look: They dress you up
In shades of green (olive green)
And take away your individuality,
Then they ship you off
By flying fortress or submarine
And send you home when you've become a casualty.
So don't sign up for the armed forces!
Don't pick up the pen.
You've got the power to say that there will never be war again.
If you don't give a shit about your own future,
Do me a favor, and think about mine.
DON'T
FUCKING
SIGN!
--Sing it with me outside the Armory on ROTC uniform day sometime, won't you? |
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Re: Concerned Citizens Inspect UIUC For Evidence of Weapons of Mass Distruction |
by Truth in advertising
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 2
28 Apr 2004
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It appears that the Library gets shiny new buildings too. In addition to a reconfiguration/remodel of a number of departmental libraries in the Grad.
From the Projects site:
Library Remote Storage Warehouse
Phase: Planning
Planner: Steve Hesselschwerdt
Project Manager: Peter Maas
Project Assistant: Kay Rude
Budget: $5,500,000
Construction Start: TBD
Substantial Completion: 6/4
Architect/Engineer: Larson & Darby, Inc., 815/987-5260
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This project is for the construction of a multi-phase storage facility primarily for book storage and a small administrative support area. The initial phase will be for approximately 10, 000 gsf to support one million volumes of books; future phases will complete the build-out and total seven million volumes of book storage. The site is Campus owned and in Champaign, Illinois. The project will follow a recently completed Program Analysis and Program Design. |
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Please read the website policies |
by 5
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 18
30 Apr 2004
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Perhaps before posting 10 comments on website in one day, you should *read* the policies of that website. On the opening page of this website, you can click on "Open Publishing" to see the philosophy.
As you will find, you can post anything you want. However, tolerance for trolls and off-topics posts is low as others have abused this website's openness and simply posted insults and contributed little fact or information to the articles. I am not an editor, just a reader. But when I look at the new comments of the day and see one name over and over with no real *content* in those posts, I suspect a troll and rate accordingly. Once a post or comment drops below a certain number, I believe it automatically gets kicked to the hidden bin. Still readable if you go to the hidden bin and it doesn't clog up the discussion. Apparently other reader suspected you to be a troll as well. |
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Re: Concerned Citizens Inspect UIUC For Evidence of Weapons of Mass Distruction |
by NRA4Freedom
nra4freedom (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: -2
06 May 2004
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If you citizens are REALLY as concerned about WMD's as you make out by this thread, here is a link to some information that the the media just doesn't seem to be reporting on for some reason...
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/le20040506.shtml
Will any of you go there and read some truth, or are you afraid it might interfere with what you would RATHER believe about it?
"...It's not generally known, but the CIA has found 41 different material breaches where Saddam did have a weapons of mass destruction program of various types. It was completely illegal. But no one could find the stockpiles. And the liberal press seems to be focusing on that...." |
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NRA, Check your facts.... |
by simple searcher
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
06 May 2004
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My first search on google turned up:
International coverage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3672891.stm
National coverage:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005016
Indymedia repost:
http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2004/04/1692908.php
You can search conservative sites for their news stories. This seems to be a pet cause of many sites from Free Republic to NewsMax to RushLimbaugh. Is this the talking point for the day? |
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Re: Concerned Citizens Inspect UIUC For Evidence of Weapons of Mass Distruction |
by Margaret
somewhere (nospam) else.net (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
08 May 2004
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As a PhD chemist who is doing cooperative threat reduction work on former biological weapons facilities in Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and as someone works works with former UNSCOM chem & bio inspectors, and as someone who works with former UNSCOM/current ISG ballistic missile inspectors, the *only* one talking about VX and other nerve agents in the Jordan case is Loftus, who does not have any of those credentials. (BTW - they are all liquids - VX is comparable to motor oil; referring to nerve agents as a "gas" is not an indicator of credibility.)
Kudos to the CU group! |
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Re: Concerned Citizens Inspect UIUC For Evidence of Weapons of Mass Distruction |
by support engineering
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
17 May 2004
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I am an engineering student at the University of Illinois, one of the nation's premier public engineering research institutions. First of all, I'd like to address the "brand-fresh paint and polish" that you speak of. The reason that the engineering buildings are new and beautiful is simply money. The college of engineering makes U of I tick; its alums donate unbelievable amounts of money and both the state and federal governements dump huge amounts of well placed money into the college of engineering in exchange for second-to-none research. As for the clearance goes...if you were running a multimillion dollar facility, would you want a bunch of people who dont understand your research milling about your lab, touching your equipment, and interfering with your work? So instead of questioning the wonderful things this campus is responsible for, I implore you to not bite the hand that feeds you, so to speak. Without some of the best minds in the world at the college of engineering, your University of Illinois would be just another run-of-the mill state school, and your 80 year old building would be lucky to even be there. |
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