Lockheed Watch CNY
by elana levy and Jessica Maxwell

On June 22, during the morning rush hour, a small

Lockheed Martin is the largest arms proliferator in the world, exporting weapons to 40 countries.

group of activists associated with Lockheed Watch CNY held banners on three consecutive bridges over Route 81 just north of downtown Syracuse. The same three banners were held at the entrance to Lockheed Martin on Electronics Parkway on June 29. Hundreds - likely thousands - of people saw the banners as they commuted to work.

Construction on Southbound lanes of I-81 kept traffic moving at a snail's pace - often coming to a complete stop - allowing commuters ample time to read and react to the banners. At least two TV stations stopped by to film the banners and interview participants, and WAER quoted the group's press release in their morning news segment the following day.

The $23 billion that Lockheed Martin receives annually from the US federal government (ie, our tax dollars) comprises 80% of Lockheed Martin's budget. Imagine what might be accomplished if that money paid Lockheed Martin's engineers and other employees (over 2300 people in CNY alone) to work on projects that serve the public interest, like renewable energy or public transportation.

Lockheed Martin uses US tax money to produce weapons of mass destruction that violate international law, including landmines which kill over 26,000 people every year, mainly civilians and children after a war has officially ended. Over 150 nations have banned landmines. Lockheed Martin also manufactures depleted uranium systems which are used in the war against Iraq, in violation of a UN resolution that classifies them as illegal weapons of mass destruction. Depleted uranium is cited as the number one cause of a six to ten-fold increase in cancer in Southern Iraq after 1991 and is also widely believed to be the cause of the "Gulf War Syndrome" that many US troops experienced after the 1991 Gulf War.