This month Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action published three paid public service announcements (PSAs) in the Kitsap Sun newspaper.
- January 3rd – An Appeal to Navy Personnel
- January 15th – Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr’s Nonviolent Legacy
- January 22nd – U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force
A Kitsap County resident subsequently wrote a letter to the editor speaking to one or more of the January PSAs, condemning their publication as “treasonous.”
That letter was published January 27, 2021 in the Kitsap Sun. Another Kitsap County resident, who is a Ground Zero member and retired naval officer, submitted a response (to the January 27th letter), which was published in the Kitsap Sun print edition on February 1, 2021. Both letters are reprinted below in the interest of open, public discourse.
The Kitsap Sun serves the area around Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, home port to eight of the U.S. Navy’s ballistic missile submarines. The Bangor base has the largest concentration of deployed nuclear weapons in the U.S. The PSAs are part of an effort by Ground Zero Center to reach out to people on base and to the broader community about our nation’s nuclear weapon policies.
For the record, the legal definition of treason is ” the crime of betraying one’s country, defined in Article III, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution: ‘Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.’ Treason requires overt acts and includes the giving of government security secrets to other countries, even if friendly, when the information could harm American security. Treason can include revealing to an antagonistic country secrets such as the design of a bomber being built by a private company for the Defense Department. Treason may include “espionage” (spying for a foreign power or doing damage to the operation of the government and its agencies, particularly those involved in security) but is separate and worse than “sedition,” which involves a conspiracy to upset the operation of the government.”
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Original letter by Conrad Pyler, Port Orchard
Opinions opposing nuclear weapons are insulting
I am compelled to write in opposition to this newspaper’s policy of running full page ads opposing the official policy of the United States to deter nuclear aggression by any and all nation states, which poses a clear and present danger to our government system and our way of life.
These advertisements, if not actually treasonable, insult the zeal and dedication to duty of thousands of men and women who have spent their military careers for decades, sacrificing precious time with families and children, to be on the front lines. It is because of them that no enemy, no matter how strong or emotionally deranged, has even thought about launching a nuclear weapon against our homeland.
My complaint is not against those who author these advertisements, whose rights are protected by the Bill of Rights, but against those in the Sun staff, and ultimately the editor himself, who make the decision to publish them. Shame on you!
Conrad Pyler, Port Orchard
Click here to see this letter as it appeared in the January 27, 2021 Kitsap Sun newspaper.
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Response by Tom Rogers, Ground Zero Center member, retired Navy captain and former submarine commander
Group opposing nukes has every right to speak
In a recent letter Conrad Pyler criticized the editor of the Sun for publishing public service announcements that oppose nuclear weapons. Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, a grassroots organization of concerned citizens based in Poulsbo, has opposed the Trident Weapons System and all nuclear weapons for over 40 years. The purpose of the announcements is to raise the level of awareness among all citizens of Kitsap County to the clear and present danger that nuclear weapons pose to our community, our country and our planet.
The announcements are not insulting to the people at Bangor, nor do they minimize their sacrifices. Their stewardship over the last 40 years has resulted in an exceptional record. They are the best. We can honor our neighbors while opposing national security policy.
Prior to joining Ground Zero in 2003, I was a naval officer for 32 years. I served in ballistic missile and attack submarines, and commanded an attack submarine during the cold war. I understand the destructive power of nuclear weapons and the potential for the failure of deterrence. In the United States citizens have the right to express nonviolent opposition to our government’s policies and newspapers have the right to print material that expresses dissent. Mr. Pyler implies that expressing opposition to government policy may be treasonous. Such accusations are a tool of repressive governments to silence legitimate political opposition. Not in my country.
I applaud the Sun for publishing Ground Zero’s public service announcements.
Tom Rogers, Poulsbo
Click here to see this letter as printed in the Kitsap Sun on February 1, 2021.
***UPDATE 2021-3-3: Here is a third opinion in this conversation, published in the Kitsap Sun (print and online) on February 2, 2021. We will post additional letters on this topic as they appear.
Kudos for publishing opposing views
Is there freedom of speech without a free and courageous free press? Kudos to the Sun for publishing varied opinions, even when you, Editor, are targeted by the author.
Are those who believe that atomic warheads are a tool for peace, any more patriotic or wise, than those who seek other solutions to geopolitical difficulties?
I need to hear both sides, please.
John Tranchina, Kingston
