The Nuclear Resister

[May 1 update:  Steve Kelly is now being held at FDC SeaTac.  You can write him a note of support:  Stephen Kelly, #00816-111, FDC SeaTac, P.O. Box 13900, Seattle, WA 98198.]

Fr. Steve Kelly, SJ and Larry Purcell were jailed over the Easter weekend when they refused to sign for release after being arrested on Good Friday with 4 other nuclear abolition activists at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California.  Kelly was also informed that he had an outstanding federal warrant. He agreed on April 2 to waive an extradition hearing.

On April 3, the two men appeared in court for a hearing.  The state charges were dropped for all 6 arrestees, and Purcell was released.

Federal marshals have 30 days to take Kelly into custody to begin serving time for parole violation from his Disarm Now Plowshares sentence.  For now he is at the Main Jail South in Santa Clara County.  

photo by Ted Majdosz

by Art Laffin

“Put Away the Sword” was the theme as 40 people from the Atlantic Life Community, the New Jerusalem Community in Philadelphia, Loras College in Iowa and DePaul University in Chicago gathered in Washington, D.C. from March 27-29 for the annual Holy Week Faith and Resistance retreat sponsored by Jonah House and the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Remembering the Last Supper, arrest, torture, trial and crucifixion of Jesus, the retreat included time for prayer, reflection, community building and nonviolent public witness.  

Nuclear Stations of the Cross at the Nevada Test Site – photo by Richelle Swarts

from Nevada Desert Experience

On Good Friday, March 29, at the conclusion of Nevada Desert Experience’s annual Sacred Peace Walk, 20 participants were arrested at the entrance of the historic nuclear weapons proving ground 65 miles from Las Vegas. The Sacred Peace Walk is a five-day walk through the desert to bring about greater inner and external peace, particuarly focused on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and its offensive pro-nuclear weapons work since 1951. In opposition to such work at the NNSS, many of the participants performed a yoga-dance in flash-mob style just prior to crossing the line which led to their arrests.

from DiaNuke.org

March 28

Based on telephone conversation with Abdul Samad, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Kalpakkam.
It is not the manner in which a protest is conducted, but the target of the protests that determine whether the police will turn nasty or remain cool. This morning, more than 1000 people gathered peacefully on the beach near the Kalpakkam nuclear power plant. The organisers instructed people to sit on the sands, and chant slogans. According to Abdul Samad, “Such a peaceful and organised gathering was unprecedented. It was a soft, well-behaved affair. We told the people that officials will come, and we can present our demands to them, and that the police will come and tell us to disperse, after which those who wish to court arrest will have to walk in an orderly manner and board the bus.” Nearly 650 people, including 200 women, were picked up by the police and taken to wedding halls in three towns — Guduvanchery, Singaperumal Koil, and Chengalpet. About 27 leaders are being held in Singaperumal Koil, while 110 others are being held in the same venue downstairs.

Army Specialist Justin Colby pled guilty to desertion at his court martial March 22, at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, a bad conduct discharge, reduction to the lowest rank (E-1) and loss of all pay allowances. Thanks to a sealed pre-trial plea agreement, SPC Colby will only be serving a 9 month prison sentence.

Colby enlisted in 2003, and during his first post to Korea, he began learning more about the war in Iraq.  When he was ordered to Iraq, Colby told his sergeant he could not make war on a country that had not attacked the United States, and asked to apply for conscientious objector status. His request was refused, and command punished and intimidated him into staying with his unit and entering the war. His experience of a year-long deployment only cemented Colby’s opposition to the war.

A family crisis following his return from Iraq added to his burden, and when Army orders for another eventual deployment to Iraq forced him to abandon efforts to gain custody of his infant son from an abusive mother, Colby went AWOL and eventually fled to Canada in the summer of 2006.