Stop the F-35

Dear Supporters of Stopping the F-35,

More upcoming events to build on the successes of the past month! We hope you can join us.

Protest at the Democratic Party Fundraiser
Thursday, 7/19 5:30 pm Ethan Allen Homestead picnic area, Burlington.

Leading supporters of the F-35 bomber (and the ones who can stop the basing in our community), including Senators Leahy, Sanders and Rep. Welch as well as Gov. Peter Shumlin and other candidates will be in attendance. We plan on meeting up between 5:00-5:30pm. Contact info@stopthef35.com for more info, or go to the www.StoptheF35.com. More details below.

Burlington Farmer’s Market Flash Mob
Saturday, July 14, 11:30 am.

Come participate in a spectacular event this Saturday, July 14 at Noon at the Farmer's Market in Burlington.  
Bring signs (or just your singing voice), and meet at the fountain in City Hall Park at 11:30 a.m. if you'd like to sing the whole song .  If you are just shopping in the stalls at noon, you can just join in when you hear us start. 
CHORUS (to the tune of The Yellow Submarine) "We all want to Stop the F-35, Stop the F-35, Stop the F-35.  We all will Stop the F-35, Stop the F-35, Stop the F-35." 
We could still use volunteers to film, distribute literature/information and sing.  See you there!"

****Community Action Night to Stop the F35s****

Wednesday, 7/18 at 6:30 Winooski School Cafeteria.

Please join us to help continue and strengthen the opposition movement by signing up for your area of interest/expertise in the categories of media and messaging, political outreach, protests and special events, legal/research teams, and fundraising. There are many tasks needed both large and small. We will organize a course of action to enlist the many talented folks who are concerned about this issue, and we will work to put into place a coordinated campaign against the F35 stealth bombers. There will be also be sign-making for the protest the following night at the Democratic Fundraiser at Ethan Allen Homestead, so please bring any old white or light colored sheets you may have to be used for protest banners. Contact Eileen Andreoli at mmmvt1@aol.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stop the F-35! Protest at the Democratic Party Fundraiser

Senator Pat Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch, and Governor Peter Shumlin will all be attending.
Come tell them all, "Stop the F-35! Support and do not destroy neighboring communities.”

When: Thursday, July 19, 5:30 pm (we will be gathering between 5:00 and 5:30)

Where: Ethan Allen Homestead Pavilion, Burlington, VT

 
Join the Stop the F-35! coalition in protesting some of the biggest supporters of the harmful and wasteful weapons system that has been called, "the plane that ate the Pentagon."
 
The Democrats Cheerleading the F-35 Attack Bomber Don’t Deserve Our Money
 
We will hand each Democratic leader a large check for a negative 700 million dollars for the value of property in Winooski put at risk if they continue their support for putting Winooski in the flight path of the F-35 bomber in violation of the Air Force's own basing criteria.
 
We will tell them that we will hold each of them personally responsible for the the hearing loss, the stress, the property loss, including the affordable housing, the educational program loss to children, and the loss to businesses in downtown Winooski.
 
We think it is wrong for Vermont Democratic leaders to place their political careers (wedded to advancing military interests in Vermont) ahead of impacted communities.
 
We think it is wrong for them to give lip service to the devastating environmental impacts of the F-35 bomber and then sacrifice schools, health, communities, and property values just the same. The Democrats want our money to run for office when they are promoting $1.45 trillion (Pentagon estimate) for an unneeded, incredibly destructive F-35 attack bomber--while our infrastructure is crumbling and while we desperately need sustainable jobs programs.
 
We don’t agree that the Democratic Party leaders can simply stand behind the rhetoric of F-35 = jobs, while attempting to hide from the real and significant impacts of the F-35 basing in Burlington.

No official in the Air Force ever said:
the Burlington Air Guard Station will close if Burlington does not get the F-35
the Vermont National Guard will lose a single job if it does not get the F-35
no other vital missions are available
Those arguments have no basis in fact and are pure scare tactics.

Vermonters all know very well that with the increasing floods we need the Vermont National Guard to be equipped to save lives here in Vermont and around New England. The F-35 bomber has no place in such a vital mission and the enormous cost for this buying and operating this plane detracts from the VTANG service we desperately need. Ironically, the massive amount of fuel the plane burns contributes to the global warming problem that causes the flooding.
 
Pork and Hypocrisy

Noting how hypocritical the Congressional delegation is (claiming to be anti-war and against wasteful spending while cheerleading for the F-35 attack bomber) Garrison Nelson, UVM Political Science professor, commented “Pork is pork...[t}he only way they can spin it is by talking about jobs - high-paying government jobs. Otherwise it's just pork."  http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/95003/for-vt-delegation-little-political-...

We demand that our Congressional delegation and our Governor reconsider their position supporting basing the F-35 in Burlington--tell the Air Force, "No F-35 for Burlington." Tell the Air Force and Vermont Air National Guard to find a mission compatible with the residential neighborhoods surrounding the Burlington International Airport.
 
Sponsored by the Stop the F-35 Coalition.  Contact info@stopthef35.com to co-sponsor this event.