The Nuclear Resister

Mario and Kimberly Rivera. Photo courtesy Courage to Resist

from Courage to Resist

By James Branum and Courage to Resist. November 4, 2013

Fort Carson, Colorado – Imprisoned war resister PFC Kimberly Rivera has submitted a clemency application seeking a reduction by 45 days in the 10 month prison sentence she received for seeking asylum in Canada rather return to her unit in Iraq.

The request for clemency was based on humanitarian reasons due to pregnancy. Unless clemency is granted, Private First Class Kimberly Rivera will be forced to give birth in prison and then immediately relinquish custody of her son while she continues to serve the remainder of her sentence.

Unfortunately military regulations make no provision for her to be able to breastfeed her infant son while she is in prison.

HISTORIC ACQUITTAL OF ASH WEDNESDAY ANTI-DRONE WITNESS AT HANCOCK AIR BASE, NY

In a historic decision, five Catholic Worker activists were acquitted October 24 of disorderly conduct charges for blocking the main entrance to Hancock Air Base, home of the 174th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard, Syracuse, New York. Hancock is a Reaper drone hub whose technicians pilot weaponized drones over Afghanistan.

The five went “pro se,” defending themselves in the De Witt town court of Judge Robert Jokl.

In his closing statement Fr. Bill Picard said, “We pray for you, Judge Jokl, to have the courage to do the right and courageous thing.”

by 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.

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.

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.