Reject Raytheon AVL

Melody Shank Speaks at Global Zero Congressional Event

On June 28th, Reject Raytheon AVL member, Melody Shank, was a panelist at a Congressional Staff Briefing held by Global Zero. The event was held to share the results of a just-published report, The Real Cost of ICBMs: US Economic Development Beyond Defense Spending, about the need to move away from Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) as part of the US military strategy and how to convert the economies of the local communities where ICBM silos are located. Melody spoke about the difficulty of engaging in local economic development and industry recruitment processes as illustrated in the case of Pratt & Whitney coming to Asheville. You can read her comments at the link below.

Comments for Global Zero congressional briefing

by Reject Raytheon AVL

Global Peace Wave

On June 25th, Reject Raytheon AVL was one of many peace organizations around the world that created a sustained global peace wave around the earth. Groups across the world held Zoom peace rallies to highlight our need to stop further militarization and to focus on cooperation to end the wars that are ravaging lands and people. In Asheville we held an hour long vigil at the UnVance Monument and spoke of our hopes for a war-free world for our 15-minute on-line rally.

by Reject Raytheon AVL

We Have a Song!

Tom Neilson, peace and social justice advocate, has been writing songs for over 50 years. He wrote this song for our action here in Asheville, just this spring! It will appear on his next album. Check out his many other songs on SoundClick.

https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=14440140

Lyrics

Pratt & Whitney’s a Raytheon Division

And they say they make their engines with precision

They gave Asheville a financial provision

It’s always good to grease a palm when you want to drop a bomb

And it helps when you buy the decision.

Now if Asheville wants to go and drop a bomb

They’ll have a brand new engine from Pratt & Whitney Raytheon

It doesn’t matter that the planes don’t fly

They just want a piece of the pie

While they feed their money to the Pentagon

We’re building engines for planes that don’t fly;

F35s just fall from the sky

We’re building engines & we don’t ask why Just want a piece of the pie

For aerostructure, military avionics Aeronautical system electronics

They’ll pollute your water and your soil, then go & get the gas & oil

Critical thought is in a state of catatonics

Now Asheville has cyber security

It can build a plane to bomb an enemy

It doesn’t matter where, the engines take ‘em there

How it works in a war economy

We’re building engines for planes that don’t fly; F35s fall from the sky

We’re building engines & we don’t ask why Just want a piece of the pie

On Earth Day, Asheville earth Protectors Conversion economy architectors

For two hours shut down the war industry

No war machine making in their community

Citations for these Raytheon rejectors

We’re building engines for planes that don’t fly; F35s fall from the sky

We’re building engines & we don’t ask why Just want a piece of the pie

100 million in subsidies to cut down all the trees Environment toxicities, human calamities

War is leading to extinction; you’ll go out with out distinction

I guess you better ask why. Not a good piece of the pie It’s time to answer the call. Reject Raytheon we say, Let’s work for the day When there’s plenty of pie for all.

by Reject Raytheon AVL

MountainX Op Ed: "Just Say No to Raytheon Technologies"

https://mountainx.com/opinion/just-say-no-to-raytheon-technologies/

by Reject Raytheon AVL

Rally for 1st Anniversary of Nuclear Weapons Ban

January 22nd Action

Celebration of the One Year Anniversary

of the

Entry into Force of the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapon

by Reject Raytheon AVL

December Actions: Calling for Climate Action

Highlighting the Link between Climate Urgency and Need for a Green Transition

We displayed our new 18’x6′ banner on the bridge for passersby to see. We got many honks and wavies from drivers on busy weekend afternoons.

We wanted to call attention to the crisis our environment is in, and advocate for the most viable political solution, the New Green Deal. The US military is the largest contributor to greenhouse gases, and the $785 trillion dollars in the 2022 defense budget Congress just passed could have gone a long way to mitigate the climate emergency.