Dud Hendrick of Veterans for Peace spoke at the “christening” of the warship USS Levin October 2 at General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works. Inside the gates were both Maine’s senators, plus Rep. Chellie Pingree, and Gov. Janet Mills, full of praise for building yet another warship to hasten climate crisis.

Here is what Dud told us:

Value Change for Survival

This past June, I had the privilege of a life-time, having the opportunity to sit with and interview the renowned Onondaga faith-keeper, Oren Lyons.  The now 91 year-old chief spoke of values. 

Values. 

 As you may know, the Onondaga people are one of the six tribes of the Iroquois nation (Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and the Tuscarora).  Values—we learned a great deal that is relevant to our presence here today.  Chief Lyons informed us that in the Iroquois Nation decision-making philosophy/governance is based on the well-being of the seventh generation into the future.  

Unquestionably, there would be no more warships built here if such wisdom were governing the planning process of our dominant culture.  It can arguably be posed that the values of the dominant culture have brought us unfettered militarism, depletion of resources, climate crisis, and, in general, a fouling of our planet, Mother Earth, as the Onondaga call it.

Chief Lyons also spoke of his work with the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival convened back in the ‘80s and ‘90s.   Over 1000 prominent world leaders representing over 83 countries, to include the Dalai Lama, Bishop Tutu, Mother Teresa, Mikhail Gorbachev, and VP Al Gore convened annually for several years, pledging to work against the, “perils of armaments, for balancing resources, and for a fundamentally changed and better world.”  

Chief Lyons was given a standing ovation on the closing when he read a letter Chief Seattle had written to President Franklin Pierce in 1855 saying, “the white man’s hunger for land would eat the earth bare and leave only desert.  Continue to soil your bed and one night you will suffocate in your own waste.”  At the conclusion of their deliberations, the collective wisdom was summarized by their closing statement to the leaders of the world: Value Change for Survival. 

Consider the inanity of our military spending.  The U.S. annual military budget is approaching $800 billion!  More than the next 10 nations’ spending combined.  China spends less than a third, Russia, just over $60 billion, Iran–$15 billion and, get this, the bogie man, North Korea, at $4 billion, lower than the New York City police department!!!  General Dynamic’s CEO, Phebe Novakovic, receives a compensation package is in the $19 million range!

We know the politicians are in the pockets of General Dynamics and we know what is expected of them in return.  Just as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and their brethren determine what major media allow us to read and hear and we are ill-informed for it.  And then there are those 800 U.S. military bases on foreign lands—most, if not all, contributing to the fouling of the planet in ways so familiar to the neighbors of the over 600 superfund sites associated with domestic bases, as acknowledged by the Department of Defense.

The military is the single entity that contributes most to the climate crisis and the assault on Mother Earth, our home.

This picture altogether is outrageous. It’s all so appalling as to defy belief. 

Bath Iron Works and its ilk will either change willingly or change will ultimately be forced upon it.  Those of us who live to see that day when wisdom and sanity and concern for the 7^th generation rules will celebrate. 

Value Change for Survival!  

May the will of the people ultimately force the value change or Mother Earth will.

Our elected officials pretend they don’t know that by investing in warships they are sponsoring a crappy jobs program, in terms of how many jobs are generated. Research shows that investing in other industries and economic sectors would actually generate many more full-time with benefits jobs. 

All these politicians know about research by Pollin & Garret-Peltier at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) of UMass Amherst. 

But General Dynamics donates to their election campaigns so they keep doubling down on hurtling toward our doom as a species.