Statement of the Harmonic Disarmament For Life Action

HARMONIC DISARMAMENT FOR LIFE

On August 16, 1987 the day of Harmonic Convergence, George Ostensen, a peace activist from the Northeast, in conspiracy with plowshares prisoner Helen Woodson, enacted a Plowshares action at the ELF Communication System Transmitter Site near Clam Lake, Wisconsin. Early in the morning, George entered the North ground of the ELF Trident communication system. Using a hatchet, saw, and other tools, he proceeded to cut down three ELF poles, notched two other poles, and cut some ground wires. He poured blood over the poles, hammered on ground-well electrical control boxes, placed photos of children and planted flowers inside the boxes and near the poles, and hung peace banners. In statements he carried on to the site George stated: "I act at the ELF Trident communication system in an attempt to stop these deadly messages from being transmitted. These Extremely Low Frequencies hurt our earth by subjecting all God's creatures to highly unstable electromagnetic non-ionizing radiation and giving the Trident first-strike capability to destroy all life." 

In reference to the Harmonic Convergence, the lining up of the planets on August 15 and 16, he stated the convergence is the beginning of the new age, the age of change, movement, spiritual consciousness, and harmony according to ancient Mayan, Tibetan and Hopi calendars. Following his action at the North Ground, George, undetected, went to the Terminal Control Center to inform the security guards on duty of his action. After spray-painting on the Terminal Center "Trident - ELF is in violation of International Law and God's Law" and "Swords Into Plowshares" he spoke with a security guard who asked him to leave the site. George then went to a fenced in area near the control center and manually switched off several generators used to control computers and electricity at the site. George did this three times, following warnings to security personnel that the ELF site must be shut down. Finally, the local sheriff was called and George was arrested - some nine hours after he entered the site. On August 20, George was charged with two felony counts of sabotage - both state charges and each carrying a maximum penalty of ten years in prison if convicted. The indictment also listed Helen as aiding and abetting in the action and noted the ELF site had to be closed for 29 hours. On January 10, 1988 following a three day jury trial in Ashland County District Court, George was convicted of one count of sabotage and acquitted on the second count. 

On February 12, 1988 George was sentenced to 33 months. In July 1988 he was denied parole. On May 2, 1989 his appeal was denied by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and the court ruled that his sabotage conviction was valid. He was released from prison in September 1989 after serving two-thirds of his sentence. On October 2, Gandhi's birthday, he returned to ELF with other friends and carried a Swords Into Plowshares banner up the road to the transmitter site. He was arrested and returned to jail. He waived a parole revocation hearing and was ordered to serve the remaining 11 months of his original sentence. On January 30, 1990 he was released from prison.