We started off with a grounding prayer type blessing thing. Then we waited for the exact moment when the anniversary of the A-Bomb went off at 4:15 PM.

     

  

There was a squeal from the bullhorn and then a minute of silence while we contemplated our existence.

     

That was followed by a string of interesting speakers. The guy in the green shirt is a survivor of Hiroshima. He lost his father in that time frame and grew up an orphan. After emigrating to the USA he was a farm worker for a while, and more recently became a Baptist minister.

Tara (purple shirt) said that Livermore Labs has released enough radiation to shorten many lives. It has also given many neighbors cancer, enough that local cancer rates are six times the average in the rest of the county. These are good reasons to march on the lab!

        

The guy in the blue/gray shirt is a labor activist. You can read his article by clicking here.

Umi (orange/blue skirt) made such a profoundly artistic statement that you must imagine hearing terrible beauty to understand it. That's the best explanation I can give you.

  

Food Not Bombs was dishing up wonderful vegetarian food. I put $2 in their donation jar. Desert was chopped fruit. That was good to. They had plenty for everybody.

     

The musicians were Emma and the Revolution. Emma is the one playing a musical instrument. The Revolution is the one dancing. Somewhere in there Emma said they are from Washington, DC. She called California "a slightly radioactive state."

The woman in a blue shirt is a Russian anti-nuclear activist. She to is deeply aware of cancer clusters around nuclear processing facilities near her home. She put the number of people affected at "almost half a million." She is worried about "political adventurism" caused by the existing nuclear stockpiles and the needs of current and future politicians to find ways to get leverage from that.

  

     

  

  

Jill Stein seems to be the only Presidential candidate going for the peacenik vote. At least this was the only candidate table I saw there.

     

Wilson Riles Jr. wrapped up the speaking by explaining that we were going to march down to the front gate of the Livermore Lab and chain and lock the place peacefully.

As the marchers gathered I started taking pictures of their signs.

     

     

     

     

     

  

     

  

     

  

  

  

     

     

  

About this time the people that were so opposed to the bomb that they wanted to get arrested to dramatize their opposition gathered to go do that at another gate that wasn't padlocked shut. I didn't follow. Getting arrested sounds expensive to me. I'd rather turn up my feelings by sharing what I saw with you.

  

I'm thinking "Jacobs Ladder exists".

  

  

     

Sister Occupy of Modesto. I'm just not sure how Catholic she really is. Fun to talk to though.