Peace activists deserve leniency; actions exposed dangerous security flaws

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http://oakridgetoday.com/2014/01/27/guest-column-peace-activists-deserve-leniency-actions-exposed-dangerous-security-flaws/

Guest column: Peace activists deserve leniency; actions exposed dangerous security flaws

Posted at 3:53 pm January 27, 2014

By Danielle Brian, executive director of Project on Government Oversight

If justice is served Tuesday, a federal judge will exercise leniency when he sentences Sister Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed, and Michael Walli for their non-violent protest at the Y-12 nuclear facility in Oak Ridge in July 2012.

The three peace activists did much more to raise awareness about the security gaps at Y-12 than any harm committed when they breached the compound’s outer fence.

Important lessons were learned about the nuclear weapons complex’s security failings and, more importantly, the failings were discovered through non-violent methods.

We hope the court will take into account that the only real impact their protest had was to expose the extremely flawed and dangerous security at Y-12.

For background on the case, go to http://www.pogo.org/blog/2013/05/20130509-y-12-protestors-exposed-security-failures-found-guilty-1.html

Founded in 1981, POGO is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO’s investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government.

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1. Sentencing has been posponed th Feb 18

because of snow