Author Archive for jack

Iraqi-American physician and humanitarian Dr. Rafil Dhafir, jailed nearly nine years on charges involving his charity to the people of his native country during the years of economic sanctions between the 1991 and 2003 U.S.-led attacks, has been moved from the notorious Communications Management Unit into general population at the U.S. prison at Terre Haute, […]

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Mic check reading of citizens' arrest warrant inside Entergy's office, from left, Frances Crowe, Susan B. Lantz, and Paki Wieland of Northampton, MA; Hattie Nestel of Athol, MA; Nina Swaim of Sharon, VT. Photo courtesy Marcia Gagliardi.

Eleven women of the Shut It Down Affinity Group occupied the offices of Entergy Corporation on Old Ferry Road, Brattleboro, Vermont, on Monday morning, December 12, and attempted to make a citizens’ arrest of the board and officers of Entergy, operator of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon.

All the women were arrested for unlawful trespass and directed to appear for arraignment on various January dates in Brattleboro Superior Court, Criminal Division.

Shut-It-Downers cited Entergy for “heedless disregard of public health, public safety, and the right of the citizenry to hear the truth.”

Fr. Martin Newell, center, with codefendants Chris Cole and Sr. Susan Clarkson

Fr. Martin Newell of the London Catholic Worker community was sentenced to 24 days imprisonment on Friday 9 December 2011 at Highbury Magistrates Court.  Martin was brought before the court for refusing to pay a fine arising from cutting into the Northwood Headquarters/ London
in December 2008.  The anti-war direct action was timed for the “Feast of the Holy Innocents” on the Catholic liturgical calender. The feast day follows Christmas and commemorates the massacre of children in a search and destroy mission by King Herod who saw the birth of Christ as a threat to his power.

A private firm’s plan to dump low-level radioactive waste in their East Midlands landfill met with nonviolent resistance on the morning of December 2. Three days before, Kings Cliffe Waste Watchers, with the backing of 98% of area residents who opposed the plan in a recent referendum, were given leave to appeal a British High Court ruling in favor of operator Augean. But the court refused to grant an order barring the waste until the appeal is concluded. Augean had earlier agreed to wait until the legal dispute was settled, but now said they’d go ahead, and could just dig it up again if the ruling was not in their favor.