“The Board of Commissioners’ actions raise the question: Is this how they are going to deal with the affordable housing crisis?”
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“The Board of Commissioners’ actions raise the question: Is this how they are going to deal with the affordable housing crisis?”
“Like all of us, these young people want to see true democracy, wherein there are systems and places for active engagement. Unfortunately, the commissioners’ meeting was not an example of that.”
“Are you OK with your local and state taxes helping these weapons industries?”
“Did the Board of Commissioners listen and act on behalf of their informed and passionate constituents? Not a chance.”
“And yes, there often are multiple causes of war, but that means the influence of defense contractors can’t be discounted, either.”
“So, I’m asking you to consider that building excessive numbers of weapons factories may actually be causing war rather than preventing it.”
“The group is dedicated to building a healthier, safer and more caring future for our children and grandchildren. This includes meaningful jobs, living wages, health care, supporting families and a sustainable environment.”
“Now we lament with our brother and sister homeless friends downtown that Asheville has outgrown its kindness, its friendliness and toleration over the years.”
“In our letter, we listed the following nine principles we have formulated for local land use devoted to economic development in Western North Carolina.”
“What if the USA stopped starting and supporting wars, and then some of the billions of dollars of the defense budget that go to military contractors were spent on affordable housing, food, health care, education and other necessities for those here at home who do not have access to them?”
“What tragic tunnel vision our elected officials and business leaders have. With their eyes set only on so-called economic development, they fail to see or act on the very real threats to our very existence on this planet.”
“On that Earth Day, I aligned myself with many others in Asheville and around the country who were standing up for people and the environment.”
“Asheville peace activists are guided by MLK and many others who were often threatened and imprisoned for their acts of civil resistance.”
“We sincerely felt that we had no other recourse than to commit this act of civil resistance because of the secrecy and complicity of elected officials and the business community in making this deal.”
“He heaps venomous scorn, most of it unfair and baseless, on an organization staffed exclusively by conscientious volunteers who selflessly devote their time and energy to doing what they can to preserve and protect the environment of Western North Carolina.”
“Cataldo Perrone, spokesperson for Pratt & Whitney, was quoted in the Mountain Xpress as saying, ‘The military aircraft we power are engaged in defensive operations designed to help defend freedom around the world.’ I think we need to take a closer look at that claim.”
“Speakers at the rally decried both the county’s lack of transparency and public review in recruiting Raytheon to come here as well as the deadly threat that massive arms sales and bloated military budgets pose to emergency climate-crisis mitigation goals already decades behind schedule.”
“Marrying one of the world’s biggest war corporations has consequences.”
“Then there’s Mr. Thomson’s concern that my candidacy will cause Buncombe County to lose its only African American commissioner. And though I agree this is an important issue, I felt it was more important to oppose Mr. Whitesides because he voted to subsidize the Pratt & Whitney plant by $27 million of our tax dollars — a plant that will be making parts for one of the most lethal weapons on Earth, the F-35 Lightning.”
“Bill will work to investigate how Raytheon Technologies’ subsidiary Pratt & Whitney was approved for almost $100 million dollars in varied tax incentives to build a fossil-fuel-intensive airplane parts plant here.”
“We need to get rid of the atrocity that is the P&W factory and prevent the county Board of Commissioners from recruiting more weapons factories to Buncombe County.”