The Nuclear Resister

by Kathy Kelly

May 29, 2013

A few evenings ago, as the sky began to darken here in Kabul, Afghanistan, a small group of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, (APVs), gathered for an informal presentation about WikiLeaks, its chief editor Julian Assange, and its most prominent contributor, Bradley Manning. Basir Bita, a regular visitor to the APV household, began the evening’s discussion noting that June 1st will mark the beginning of Bradley Manning’s fourth year in prison. Two days later his trial will begin, a trial which could sadly result in his imprisonment for a life sentence. June 1st also begins an international week of support and solidarity, aimed at thanking Bradley Manning. #ThankManning!

May 2013

Dear Friends of Jonah House,

      We are in a spirit of CELEBRATION!  June 1, 2013 marks 40 years since the original Jonah House community began its life together in Baltimore. June 1, 2013 also marks 18 years since the community moved, as a whole, from the Park Ave. row-house to St. Peter’s Cemetery and the house that peacemakers from all over the world helped to build. This summer Jonah House Community of Resistance will have new members to continue peace-making and caretaking the cemetery.  Amy and Ted Nee-Walker with Amber and Kevin Mason will be here forming a new part of the beloved community. Amy and Ted come to Jonah House from Mary House Catholic Worker in New York and Amber and Kevin from Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington DC.  

Credit for time served; Also, powerfully written legal brief filed with the court by attorney Roger Hunko

Fr. Steve Kelly, SJ was given a 60 day sentence on March 20 by Judge Settle for violating conditions of supervised release put in place at the end of his prison sentence for the Disarm Now Plowshares action. It’s expected he will be released in 9 days, since he’s been held in custody since a Good Friday arrest at Lockheed Martin in California, and gets credit for most of the time served. Then his Disarm Now Plowshares file will be closed. [later note: Kelly is scheduled for release on May 24.]

Attorney Blake Kremer, part of the legal team for the Disarm Now Plowshares, reports that there were eloquent statements in court made by Steve and supporters. Kremer also forwarded this powerful legal brief written and filed with the court for today’s hearing by Steve’s standby counsel for the Plowshares trial, Roger Hunko (also available here):

photo by Ted Majdosz

from a report by Art Laffin

May 17th marked the 100th day of the hunger strike of Guantanamo prisoners, with protests and vigils around the world calling for an end to indefinite detention, torture and the closing of Guantanamo.  In Washington, D.C., a noon-time vigil on Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House brought the hunger-strikers urgent plea for justice to President Obama.

Shortly after the vigil ended, fourteen people, most of whom are members of Witness Against Torture (WAT), walked onto the White House sidewalk in the “picture postcard” area and held a nonviolent witness. A huge banner was unfurled: “Immoral, Illegal, Ineffective — No Torture, No Guantanamo.”

Attorney Bill Quigley with Transform Now Plowshares members Greg Boertje-Obed, Sr. Megan Rice and Michael Walli outside the Knoxville courthouse before the first day of trial

THE PERSECUTION OF THE OAK RIDGE THREE

from Counterpunch

by Fran Quigley

In just ten months, the United States managed to transform an 82 year-old Catholic nun and two pacifists from non-violent anti-nuclear peace protestors accused of misdemeanor trespassing into federal felons convicted of violent crimes of terrorism.  Now in jail awaiting sentencing for their acts at an Oak Ridge, TN nuclear weapons production facility, their story should chill every person concerned about dissent in the US.

Here is how it happened.