Update from the Transform Now Plowshares Support Team

Posted on October 6, 2013
Greg, Megan and Michael outside the federal courthouse before the start of their trial in Knoxville, May 2013. Photo by Felice Cohen-Joppa

Greg, Megan and Michael outside the federal courthouse before the start of their trial in Knoxville, May 2013. Photo by Felice Cohen-Joppa

Dear friends and supporters of the Transform Now Plowshares,

We continue to ask for your support and help.  Sentencing for Sr. Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli has been postponed until January 28, 2014.  On October 1, we received word that Judge Amul Thapar denied the motion to dismiss the sabotage conviction as well as denied the motion for a new trial. For complete background information please visit www.transformnowplowshares@wordpress.com

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With chains, tubes, cakes and dragons, Welsh activists blockade Burghfield AWE nuclear weapons site

Posted on October 6, 2013

1235297_615572321798414_1121065624_nby Ray Davies, CND Cymru Vice Chair

The Welsh Blockade of Burghfield AWE on October 3 turned out to be one of the highlights of my year.

Our bus from Wales was full to overflowing with activists from Aberystwyth, Knighton, Cefn Forest, Blackwood Cardiff, Builth, Llandeilo and Swansea, and we had to commandeer a second van to transport our large dragons.

We were all in high spirits. Our love of peace was the motivation that drove us to act. After a night without much sleep at the Friends Meeting House in Reading, we were up at 5 a.m. and off to the nuclear bomb factory at Burghfield.

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Nine members of the Shut It Down affinity group arrested after chaining themselves to Vermont Yankee gate

Posted on September 19, 2013
Shut It Downers advance to the Vermont Yankee gate: from left - Ulrike Von Moltke, Paki Wieland, Nancy First, Hattie Nestel, Linda Pon Owens, Ellen Graves, Anneke Corbett and Frances Crowe. Photo by Marcia Gagliardi

Shut It Downers advance to the Vermont Yankee gate. Photo by Marcia Gagliardi

VERNON, Vermont—Making good on their promise to continue demonstrating at Entergy’s Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant until an uncontaminated green field stands in place of the still-operating nuclear reactor, on September 18 nine members of the Shut It Down Affinity Group chained themselves to the gate and spray painted the words “Shut It Down Today” on Entergy’s driveway.

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Anti-nuclear blockaders arrested at AWE Burghfield

Posted on September 8, 2013
actionawe.org photo by Brian

actionawe.org photo by Brian

by Andreas Speck

Early in the morning of September 2, activists from all over Europe blockaded the two gates of AWE Burghfield, where Britain’s nuclear warheads are assembled and maintained. For almost an hour, all vehicle access to AWE Burghfield was blocked, until police cleared a lock-on blockade of six Finnish activists on The Mearings to the south of the main gate. Later, a blockade of Scottish activists and another blockade of Belgian activists were cleared to the east of AWE Burghfield, near construction gate. Twenty-two activists were arrested by police.

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Nuclear resister Jerry Ebner begins 6 month prison sentence

Posted on September 4, 2013
Jerry Ebner before being arrested at Offutt AFB on December 28, 2012. Photo by Frank Cordaro

Jerry Ebner before being arrested at Offutt AFB on December 28, 2012. Photo by Frank Cordaro

On September 2, Jerry Ebner began a six month prison sentence for crossing the line at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska during a December 28, 2012 Feast of the Holy Innocents witness.  The base is home to the U.S. Strategic Command, where officers and consultants constantly plan and prepare for global thermonuclear war.

Letters of support should be sent to Gerald Ebner 24467-045, Lexington Federal Medical Center, POB 14500, Lexington, KY 40512. Help with donations to his commissary account is also welcome. As with all contributions to a federal prisoner’s account, a postal money order payable to his full name and ID# must be sent to Federal Bureau of Prisons, Gerald A. Ebner 24467-045, POB 47401, Des Moines, IA 50947-0001.  Jerry has no source for cash on the inside except for what friends and supporters can send him, so please help if you are able.

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Prisoner Support: Every Moment A Crisis, Every Moment A Gift

Posted on August 29, 2013
Pontiac Correctional Center. Photo by Rachel Allshiny

Pontiac Correctional Center. Photo by Rachel Allshiny

by Rachel Allshiny

From Suicide Girls Blog

Working on prisoner support is one of the most exhausting, transformative, frustrating, vital, tedious, rewarding, messy, wonderful things I have ever done.

When someone is in prison, every moment is a crisis. Even when a specific problem or situation is resolved, there remains an overwhelming survival mentality, which affects those inside and their supporters alike. I move from crisis to crisis every day; meanwhile the prisoners I am not actively engaged in supporting at any given minute hover in my peripheral vision, imploring they not be forgotten. None are ever forgotten, of course, but the need to prioritize presents me with difficult decisions about how to use my time and resources daily.

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Manning supporters arrested at L.A. federal building

Posted on August 28, 2013
photo by Mike Wisniewski

photo by Mike Wisniewski

On August 28, the Los Angeles Catholic Worker had a solidarity arrest action for Pvt. Chelsea Manning at the downtown federal building. Community members David Omondi, Barbara Robinson and Jeff Dietrich chained and handcuffed themselves together and attempted to block the main entrance. They were arrested and charged with two misdemeanors: Failure to disperse and Blocking an entrance.

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Chelsea Manning Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

Posted on August 25, 2013

1170715_613704655340311_2144614211_nby Jack Cohen-Joppa

More than three years after the arrest and torturous imprisonment of PFC Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning for revealing thousands of classified State Department cables and war incident reports from Iraq and Afghanistan via WikiLeaks, the 25-year-old army enlistee was convicted of 20 separate offenses at court martial this summer. On August 21, the military judge, Col. Denise Lind, sentenced the former intelligence analyst to serve 35 years in a military prison. Manning’s pay and allowances were forfeited, rank was reduced to Private E-1 and the whistleblower is to be dishonorably discharged.

In the first major break from quiet decorum in the compact military courtroom, supporters called out, “We’ll keep fighting for you, Bradley!” as Manning was hustled out by guards.

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One NATO 5 defendant deported to Poland; second placed in solitary confinement

Posted on August 16, 2013

from the NATO 5 support blog

Sabi Senakiewicz

Sabi Senakiewicz. NATO 5 Support photo.

Sebastian “Sabi” Senakiewicz of the NATO 5 has been deported to his native Poland after spending several weeks in immigration detention. Last November, Sabi took a non-cooperating plea deal to charges of falsely making a terrorist threat after being targeted by two undercover Chicago cops who had infiltrated activist groups in Chicago. He ultimately completed a 4-month boot camp sentence to execute his sentence with the understanding that he would be deported afterwards since he does not have U.S. citizenship.

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~ from the Irwin County Detention Center, by Michael Walli

Posted on August 16, 2013
Michael Walli and the other two members of the Transform Now Plowshares joined with supporters for street theater in downtown Knoxville before walking to court for the beginning of their trial. May 6, 2013. Photo by Felice Cohen-Joppa

Michael Walli with supporters during street theater in downtown Knoxville before the beginning of the Transform Now Plowshares trial. May 6, 2013. Photo by Felice Cohen-Joppa

ELEVATING THE HOST

Four times our corners of ninety
The circle of charity embracing all
Is unbroken with 360
In leap year take a mind leap
Make your election sure
To the House of Bread
Christmas comes full circle
When our foursquare
New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven
Santa Maria sank at Christmas
In the depths of humility Her Soul
Magnified the Glory of The Lord
Who casts down the mighty
From their thrones
And exalts the lowly
She never went back to the Old World
She chastises not a born again Scrooge
She abides at the Cross

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