Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1989)
11th HOUR From Page 3___ Auh-ho-oh's sentiments are echoed among campers who rearranged work schedules and spent hours trav elling to reach the site. The hassles were small compared to what Auh-ho-oh thinks can be achieved with public demonstrations such as "Reclaim the Test Site II." "If my choice is to stay at home and do nothing," she says, "click my tongue and say 'Isn't that a shame,' or to go out and support other people who are willing to give money, time and possibly even their freedom in the hope that it will make a difference, then I'll be here with them." Auh-ho-oh was arrested for trespassing when she crossed the cattle guard onto the Nevada Test Site. The crime carries a $315 fine. Although thousands are cited for trespassing or given other citations, few' show up for their court dates. "1 felt very strong," she says of the crossing, "I felt very tall." People must know that their actions make a difference, Auh-ho-oh says. "There's a saying that evil exists only when good people remain silent," she says. "It matters very much what we do, and if we're not a part of the solution then we're the problem." For Karen Lipps of Indianapolis, who was arrested for trespassing when she crossed the fence onto the Nevada Test Site, the protest is a selfless act. "In the worst case, when the bombs are coming and we have 20 minutes to live," she says. "I can tell my daughter, 'Mommy did everything she could to stop this."' Lipps says many protesters have come in hopes ol preserving the future for their children. "Otherwise our children will not be able to grow up," she says. But at the same time, people must realize that nucleai disarmament will not necessarily harm economic stability or take away jobs, she says. "The test site would make a great Harley-Davidson plant," she says, adding that some people have serious suggestions for economic conversion. Not only is Peace City a mecca for sometimes uncon ventional solutions to economic, political and social prob lems, it is a meeting place for peace makers from all over the continent. Wild Turtles, an affinity group that formed in 1987 while protesting a Trident missile silo in Cape Canaveral, Fla., met once again at "Reclaim the Test Site II." The group, says Yeshua Moser of Ohio, consists of 25 people, actually called the Wild Turtles Permanent Float ing Non-Violent Direct Action Affinity Group. Members live in several cities and some travel constantly with the peace movement. Moser publishes a newsletter once or twice a year t keep members informed about what other members ar° doing and what their next destination is. Julie Baxter Jackson of Menlo Park, Calif., claims the Wild Turtles, whose theme is "All heads together in one shell," is the best affinity group in the world. "I think we take ourselves more seriously," she says "A lot of us live on the road so networking with each other is extremely important." The group attends several peace movements through out the year and does "more creative" actionsat protests she says. For instance, the group hiked 35 miles one night during a "back country" action. With only the moon to guide them, they made it to a Research and Development Area of the Nevada Test Site where no other group had been before. Had they been caught by U.S. Department of Energy security forces, all would have faced trespassing charges or worse. But the group went unscathed and unnoticed by DOE officers, Jackson says. Before leaving the area, they left a sign that said, The Future Site of the Wild Turtles Solar Research Center in caro of the Shoshone Nation." ■ - ft I i- ' I M John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan Right: Jim Rolino of the Nye County Sheriffs Department asks a protester if she is willing to walk to a nearby holding pen where other arrested protesters wait to be taken to the Beatty County Jail 75 miles away. Diana Johnson/Daily Nebraskan