Mayer protesting

Norman David Mayer (March 31, 1916 - December 9, 1982) was an anti-nuclear weapons activist who was shot and killed by the United States Park Police after threatening to blow up the Washington Monument. Image File history File links NOrmanMeyer. ... Image File history File links NOrmanMeyer. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... The United States Park Police is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the United States. ... Washington Monument The Washington Monument usually refers to the large white-colored obelisk in the center of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built as a memorial to George Washington, the first President of the United States and the leader of the revolutionary Continental Army, which won independence from...

Raised in El Paso, Texas, Mayer was a 1943 Harvard alumnus and former World War II bomber pilot. He had trouble readjusting to a civilian life, finding himself unemployed and arrested for drug possession. Downtown El Paso, Texas, looking south into Mexico from the US side. ... Harvard, see Harvard (disambiguation) Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ...

Mayer focused late in life on protesting nuclear weapons in 1978. He wished to stage a destructive and dramatic event to grab attention for his cause, and unsuccessfully tried to purchase explosives. Mayer subsequently moved to Washington, DC in June of 1982, and spent every day for the next few months displaying large plywood signs in front of the White House and proselytizing to passing tourists. Mayer eventually found this manner of protesting frustrating and ineffectual and developed a new attention-getting scheme. 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. ...

On December 8, 1982, Mayer drove a white van bearing the message "#1 PRIORITY: BAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS" in large letters on its side up to the base of the Monument and jumped out wearing a black motorcycle helmet, a bright blue snowsuit and carrying a remote control. Mayer claimed that he would destroy the Monument with 1,000 pounds of TNT loaded in his van unless a national dialogue on the threat of nuclear weapons was seriously undertaken. Mayer also claimed that he had a hidden accomplice who also could detonate the explosives. December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The U.S. Park Police evacuated nearby buildings and closed down area streets for several blocks. Eight tourists were initially trapped inside the Monument, but were released after AP reporter Steven Komarow began negotiating with Mayer. Ten hours into the negotiation, Mayer jumped in his van and started to drive off, threatening to become "a moving time bomb in downtown Washington." The police opened fire, striking Mayer four times—twice in the head—and killing him. Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ...

The Park Police later claimed that they did not intend to shoot Mayer, but were instead aiming for the van's engine. Their subsequent investigation disclosed that Mayer had neither explosives nor an accomplice.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Mayer, 66, was inurned at Arlington National Cemetery over the objections of the military. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Arlington Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Robert E. Lees home. ...

George Stephanopoulos, who was White House Press Secretary and communications director under President Bill Clinton, was a 21 year old intern at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when Mayer stopped in his office several times to discuss nuclear disarmament. On December 8, 1982, Stephanopoulos made his first appearance on Nightline to discuss Mayer. George Stephanopoulos (born February 10, 1961) is an American broadcaster and politician. ... The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official with a rank one step below Cabinet level. ... William Jefferson Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. ... The Endowments headquarters at 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private nonprofit organization promoting international cooperation and active international engagement by the United States of America. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ted Koppel on Nightline in 1995. ...

In 2003, a similar incident ended differently, when disgruntled tobacco farmer Dwight Watson surrendered and was convicted on federal charges after driving a tractor into a pond on the National Mall. Watson claimed he had explosives to protest about the government's treatment of tobacco farmers and Gulf War veterans. Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005 Tobacco (, L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America or to the dried and cured leaves. ... Dwight Ware Watson (b. ... 1901 plan for the National Mall proposed by the McMillan Commission. ... The 1991 Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations mandated by the United Nations and led by the United States. ...

Trivia

In 1997, a punk music group in Washington named themselves the Norman Mayer Group. Punk Rock is an anti-establishment music movement that began about 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified by The Ramones,the Misfits, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

References

• All too Human, by George Stephanopoulos, Back Bay Books; 2000.