Man Takes Stand In Canada: Beckley Native Questions Sale of Half of Company to US Arms Maker

[babylonsister]

Man Takes Stand In Canada: Beckley Native Questions Sale of Half of Company to US Arms Maker
by Alison Knezevich


A man from Beckley has made headlines in Canada for quitting his job.For three years, Paul Cottle worked as an engineer at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, an information solutions company in British Columbia.

In January, the CEO gathered all employees and told them half the company would be sold to Alliant Techsystems, a Minnesota-based arms manufacturer known as ATK.

“I knew (ATK) was nothing I wanted to be involved with,” the 31-year-old said. “Leaving my job … was an absolute certainty that I knew right away.”

So he quit right then.

ATK describes itself as “an advanced weapon and space systems company.” It is the world’s leading supplier of solid rocket motors and the largest U.S. manufacturer of ammunition.

It also makes cluster bombs, depleted uranium shells and landmines.

“I’m not anti-war. I’m not against engineers in my position working for the military or working for an arms company,” Cottle said, pointing out that he was hired at MDA to work on a Canadian military project. “What I am against is working for a company that makes weapons that have been shown to be as to harmful to civilians as to soldiers.”

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/13/7034/

[Ilsa]

1. Sorry I missed this earlier.

This is a worthwhile topic. Dan Rather Reports on HDNET ran a long segment on cluster bombs, Israel's use of them against Lebanon in 2006, and how Leahy is trying to make them illegal, with compromised results.

Bless this brave man for doing the right thing.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Strictly speaking, this sale was illegal

For the Harper Government to OK this sale is going against several non-proliferation treaties, especially the Ottawa Landmine Treaty.

There are a lot of raised eyebrows about this deal.

[slackmaster]

3. I'm wondering what MDA plans to do with that $1.325 billion

That's a lot of cash.