This post describes the culmination of what appears to be a very powerful demonstration of what pure intent and spirit can accomplish with even a small group of people. Sarah and I have had a progressive set of "actions" that we have been doing over the last two years that I will share at the end of this post.
Here is the invitation that Sarah posted on Facebook inviting a group of people to gather near the Rock Island Arsenal, specifically the old site of Ft. Armstrong. This same site was the location of a very sacred Native American place as described by Chief Blackhawk. It was the home of the "white wing swan man:"
"The Quad Cities, our beautiful home, needs a cleansing from the energies that have brought war and agribusiness as the center of our local economy. It is time for the energies of peace, love, and abundance to be dominant in this region. Let's gather outside the military beast that is the arsenal and meditate on a peaceful economy, one based on love and not fear. We'll meet just outside the arsenal, and send love and light to a new vision for this sacred piece of land. I would like to make this a weekly event.. we can talk more while at the site, I am open to feedback. But let's use the amazing power of our minds, and the unstoppable force of people coming together in love, to bring in a new reality!"
After our gathering, this was the post on Sarah's Facebook page.
Here is the article posted the next day in the QC Online -
New defense bill contains $150 million for arsenals
Last Updated: Aug. 02, 2013, 11:25 pm
By Eric Timmons, etimmons@qconline.com
The 2014 defense appropriations bill that passed the Senate Defense Appropriations Sub-Committee on Thursday contains $150 million to be distributed among the Rock Island Arsenal and arsenals in Arkansas and New York, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
The workload at the Rock Island Arsenal's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center has dwindled because of the end of the war in Iraq and the winding down of the war in Afghanistan.This has forced the Arsenal to charge above-market rates for manufacturing services offered to private companies, Sen. Durbin said at a Friday news conference in Rock Island.
The $150 million in funding would be used to "maintain stable, low rates while covering overhead," he said.
Partnerships with private firms are viewed as a way of maintaining the Arsenal's workforce as war-generated demand declines.The Arsenal also is facing challenges from the spending cutbacks known as the sequester that were triggered when Congress could not agree on a bipartisan deficit reduction plan.
During the past 12 months, hundreds of positions have been cut through attrition at the Arsenal. East Moline Mayor John Thodos, who chairs the Rock Island Arsenal Development Group, also said between 40 and 50 private contractor jobs recently were lost because of the sequester.
The development group works to help lease Arsenal space to private companies. But Mayor Thodos said business had been hurt by the sequester.
Sen. Durbin, who chairs the Senate Defense Appropriations Sub-Committee, said Friday he will use his position to advocate for the Arsenal.The 2014 defense appropriations bill he helped author -- along with Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. -- contains defense spending of $594 billion.
In addition to the $150 million for the arsenals, the Senate bill also would direct the Secretary of the Army to assign the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center "enough work to sustain its critical skills." The bill has yet to be called for a vote in the Senate, with Sen. Durbin saying such a vote is expected in September.
The House version of the bill has $598.3 billion in spending.
____________________________
Soon I will be posting the other little activities that have happened in the last two years since I learned that I was now living near the location of the largest arsenal in the world.
Posts
