Sorry I’ve taken so long to make a comment… I’m not at my most politically savvy at the moment (not that I’m the most politically savvy of people at the best of times).

When I watched this, a few questions came to my mind:

- To what extent is the town’s economy reliant on the weapons plant.

- Despite the US Gov’s apparent belief in the vital need of weaponry, do the workers at the plant actually get particularly high wages compared to the rest of the state?

- How likely would it be that the stockpiles could be accidentaly set off (Halifax explosion, anyone?)

Great post!

P.S. I know you heard one of the pieces that I wrote for my final portfolio - did I send you the rest?

Excellent questions from Xander, I’d be curious to hear the answers myself.

And, although I’ve never researched it, ATI Speer, in Lewiston, Idaho, manufactures significant amounts of ammunition for all our wars, too. They’re is the 2nd largest employer in what we call the Lewis-Clark valley, next to Potlatch, the big paper manufacturer.

Why is it the little po-dunk U.S. states are the chosen ones for the manufacture of all the tools it takes to wage death and destruction on the rest of the world? Weird.

Excellent editing and presentation in this video, too, Justin. You continue to impress and inspire me.

While I agree with the political message that you are trying to make, you did a poor job of formulating an argument that questions the morality and worldwide effect of American bomb production. Your skill as a video producer could have been used much more effectively in combination with a more persuasive, well thought out argument.
Your evidence states that the Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester holds “the nation’s LARGEST weapons stockpile in the US,” and happens to be “McAlester’s LARGEST employer.” You assert that “19,000 bombs” were “dropped on Iraq and Afghanistan,” and go on to state that “42,000 tons of bombs” were made in Oklahoma (inferring that the majority of the 42,000 tons of bombs were made at the McAlester plant), also claiming that war has caused “HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dead Iraqi and Afghan people.” Before you make these claims that suggest a connection between bomb production in McAlester and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of foreign citizens, please consider the 2000 census demographics for McAlester, OK. Of the 12,300 McAlester residents age 25 or older, a mere 1811 (14.7%) hold a bachelors degree or better, which is drastically lower than the percentile of US citizens age 25 or older holding a bachelors degree or better (24.4%). The per capita income for McAlester citizens in 1999 was $16,694, much less than the national average in 1999 of $21,587. In short, McAlester is a poorly educated blue collar working town filled with thousands of destitute people. You make reference to these points in a roundabout way (teacher pay and health care) towards the end of your film, but I think you are failing to connect the disparities between McAlester citizens and other U.S. citizens with bomb production. Your argument incorrectly asserts that an area containing such a high percentage of destitute workers would inherently choose to support the slaughter of “HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Iraqi and Afghan people.” In reality these workers are looking for a job, and if the “LARGEST” supplier of jobs in the area happens to be a bomb production facility, the majority of uneducated working class men and women are going to take the jobs that are offered to them without considering the political significance of the jobs they are taking.
In my opinion, your film conveys an apparent disdain for the town of McAlester and its citizens. Your argument could be compared to one that blames American soldiers for the destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, when the real “blame” should fall on the leaders who engineered the destruction of these countries. You should criticize the politicians who are responsible for mandating bomb production at McAlester’s Ammunition plant instead of the people who rely on bomb production as a source of income. You could produce a piece that criticizes specific legislators who support bomb production in McAlester and you might succeed in your argument, but where it stands your argument is seriously flawed by its overly general condemnation of the producers of bombs, not the specific parties who demand its production.
I understand that we both have strong opinions in favor of ending the conflict in the middle east, but you must remember that the citizens of McAlester are not directly responsible for the destruction of foreign countries and you are wrong to assume it.

I was looking on YouTube and found your video about my hometown, McAlester. I find your video horrid and lacking of a major detail; Gene Stipe and Randy Green. You should do research on them and come to a new conclusion of my town. For years, those two “ran” this town and did a horrible job of it. They would not let liquor laws go to vote so restaurants could not move into town. They would not let major businesses come in because they were “concerned about the little man” but really, they had their hands in all the local businesses. So yes, the Ammo Plant was our towns biggest employer because it was the biggest business. You should do a little more research before you start bashing a town that had no control. We may manufacture bombs but that’s not all there is to McAlester. I think you are just trying to turn the attention to something besides yourself and your lifestyle. So stay on your pedestal and keep looking down at us; just remember, there is someone looking down on you.

[...] that I used Google to report information about and utilize pictures of a government installation in this video.  It’s news to me that there is any secret about this plant, information about it is all [...]