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Home Front: WoT
Clowns Sabotage Nuke Missile
2006-06-24
On Tuesday morning, a retired Catholic priest and two veterans put on clown suits, busted into a nuclear missile launch facility, and began beating the silo cover with hammers, in an attempt to take the Minuteman III missile off-line. Seriously. The trio -- members of the Luck, Wisconsin group Nukewatch -- said the break-in was part of "a call for national repentance" for the Hiroshima and Nagaski A-bombings in 1945. The activists used bolt-cutters to get into the E-9 Minuteman II facility, located just northwest of the White Shield, North Dakota.
I'm not comforted by the thought of our missiles being accessible with a set of bolt cutters...
"Using a sledgehammer and household hammers, they disabled the lock on the personnel entry hatch that provides access to the warhead and they hammered on the silo lid that covers the 300 kiloton nuclear warhead," the group said in a statement. "The activists painted 'It's a sin to build a nuclear weapon' on the face of the 110-ton hardened silo cover and the peace activists poured their blood on the missile lid."

This was all done while wearing face paint, dunce caps, misfitting overalls, and bright yellow wigs. "We dress as clowns to show that humor and laughter are key elements in the struggle to transform the structures of destruction and death," the statement said. "Saint Paul said that we are 'fools for God's sake,' and we say that we are 'fools for God and humanity.' Clowns as court jesters were sometimes the only ones able to survive after speaking truth to authorities in power." Guards responded within minutes. And when they arrived, the protesters "ate a lot of gravel," DefenseTech was told. "The individuals were taken from the area and brought to the McLean County Jail," the AP notes. "The three are being charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief, both Class A misdemeanors, and bond was set at $500 each.... The FBI is involved in the case and federal charges are pending."
Posted by:Captain America

#17  Sorry, but in the days of terrorism, it's got to be shot first ask questions later. The double fence and postings makes it all legal. Life is tough. It's a lot tougher if you're stupid.
Posted by: Ulavitle Crosh3522   2006-06-24 21:19  

#16  
Homey don't play dat!
Posted by: xbalanke   2006-06-24 20:43  

#15  True Story: A Catholic priest and two nuns decided to do a protest at Wurtsmith AFB, Easter Sunday 83. Their first mistake was to assume that since it was a beautiful Easter Morning in Detroit, it was the same way four hours north. Wrong - the temp was in the upper '30s when they got out of the car wearing only thin spring outfits.
Second mistake was trying to scale an 8', triple-razor-wire topped fence in said clothes. They did it, but were a bloody mess on the other side.
Third mistake was in having no idea where they were. Of course, they set off the motion sensors and the SP's raced off, but they'd gotten into the woods - BAD mistake, as a chunk of the George Washington National Forest is on base property. Damn near impenetrable to the point where base personnel had off-limits orders for it. THEY wandered around - surrounded by cops - for about 45 minutes until they stumbled out onto a road not even within sight of an airplane and were promptly shown what SAC security was like. (Believe me when I tell you it was NOT pretty - the intruders stumbled and fell repeatedly.)
The worst part was that once they were thrown off the base, they called the Detroit media and told them that they had actually gotten up to the alert birds and had a communion service before they were arrested. Completely untrue, but the media ate it up. I'm told that when later challenged on it, the priest said that the lie was for the greater good.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2006-06-24 14:17  

#14  Find an empty nuke silo, take the tools away and lock them in it.... throw away the key. Return in 6-8 months to check on them.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-06-24 10:27  

#13  Nah, don't shoot them, you'll just create martyrs.

Try them, convict them, put them in a Federal pen for a few years. Nobody will hear of them outside the looniest left. Make sure they spend their days breaking up boulders, just to remind them of that good old taste of gravel ...
Posted by: Steve White   2006-06-24 10:24  

#12  I concur SPOD.
Posted by: Broadhead6   2006-06-24 10:16  

#11  I think it would be funny to see three clowns laid out riddled with bullet holes. Would that be irony?
Posted by: tu3031   2006-06-24 10:09  

#10  They should be shot. I am not jesting or kidding. Crossing that fence into that area should get you shot and killed. These fools need a refresher course on what is tolerated. Pain of death should be the lesson.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2006-06-24 10:05  

#9  The Dominican nuns who attacked a missile silo got "between 30 and 41 months" each. Hopefully this time, the federal judge won't be so lenient.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-06-24 09:45  

#8  a retired Catholic priest
Seems pretty spry for a retiree maybe he "retired" for reasons other than old age and infirmity.
Posted by: regular joe   2006-06-24 08:25  

#7  Them clowns ain't too funny.
Posted by: JohnQC   2006-06-24 07:41  

#6  You could beat on a silo cover with a sledgehammer until Hell froze over, before you would do any damage. Those things are tough! Besides, unless they open the cover in a launch prep, you are not getting into the silo. And if they open it and you are on the wrong side -- SQUISH!
Posted by: Shieldwolf   2006-06-24 02:15  

#5  federal charges are pending

Saint Paul said that we are 'fools for God's sake,' and we say that we are 'fools for God and humanity.'

Well - at least they know they are fools. If the federal charges take hold, they'll have lots of time to laugh/cry and entertain their cellmates and brag about just how stupid they really are.
Posted by: 2b   2006-06-24 01:37  

#4  Guards responded within minutes. And when they arrived, the protesters "ate a lot of gravel," DefenseTech was told.

eating gravel makes a SAD CLOWN!

"The individuals were taken from the area and brought to the McLean County Jail," the AP notes. "The three are being charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief, both Class A misdemeanors, and bond was set at $500 each.... The FBI is involved in the case and federal charges are pending."

gotta be kidding me.. at a minimum they should get 40 years breaking rocks.

for the full salutary effect though, they should have been shot on sight in costume.
Posted by: RD   2006-06-24 01:01  

#3  Guys, read the article...they got in the fence and beat on the silo lid....they didn't actually get anywhere near being near the missile. My dad served in the 68th Strategic Missile Squadron and there's no way you're getting into the silo WITH the missile before guards are there. The silo lid can shrug off anything short of a nuke or serious bunkerbuster.
Posted by: Silentbrick   2006-06-24 00:49  

#2  In the days of Strategic Air Command, these bozos would have been dead before the first hammerblow fell. Must be getting old because I miss the good old days.
Posted by: RWV   2006-06-24 00:07  

#1  well that doesnt say much good about site security...
Posted by: Ebbaving Ulese5797   2006-06-24 00:06  

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