The Nuclear Resister

photo by Georgina Shanley

As part of the Brandywine Peace Community’s noontime Martin Luther King Day of Nonviolent Resistance at Lockheed Martin, more than fifty people stood with banners and signs in front of the King of Prussia, PA complex of the world’s largest war profiteer, Lockheed Martin. Many of those gathered (just as in previous years) were from the New Jerusalem Laura, a faith-based addiction recovery community in North Philadelphia.

As people arrived for the day’s demonstration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his message of nonviolent action for justice and peace, excerpts of many of Dr. King’s sermons and speeches were being broadcast loudly in front of Lockheed Martin, located directly behind the King of Prussia Mall, the area’s largest shopping mall (indeed, the largest mall on the East Coast).

from Support the LANL 6

The Los Alamos Hiroshima Day Six (LANL6) were arrested together in the street in front of Los Alamos National Laboratory (see their testimonies) and were tried in the local Los Alamos Municipal Court on January 9th 2013. In the closing argument of the five-hour trial the Defense Attorney reminded the Municipal Judge that the job of every judge in every state according to Article VI of the US Constitution must uphold highest law of the land—international treaties (including the NPT of 1970 enjoining the US to abolish nuclear weaponry) and that the defendants on August 6th 2012 were merely performing their duties (according to the Nuremberg principles) as civilians who are confronted with crimes against humanity.

The accused LANL6 may or may not comply with the penalties (including probation), and may or may not appeal for a trial De Novo. They are Summer, Wind, Cathie, Barbara, Pam & Janet.

Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ December 28. photo by Charlie Rooney

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE

John Heid Arrested at Davis Monthan AFB, Home of Active Combat Predator Drone Unit

On the morning of the Feast of Holy Innocents, December 28, about 15 peace activists gathered outside the gates of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona to commemorate and grieve the contemporary slaughter of innocents.  The group held signs calling for an end to drone warfare.  An Arizona Air National Guard unit based at Davis-Monthan since 2007 operates armed Predator drones used by U.S. military in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

[Nuclear Resister update: Professor Shimoji was released from jail on December 28.]

Information from Civic Activity – an organization supporting citizens opposing spread of radiation.

On December 9, 2012, Masaki Shimoji, an associate professor of economics at Hannan University was arrested and jailed by the Osaka Prefectural Police.  This arrest is extremely unjust in form and content.  It is clearly a crackdown on citizens’ movement.

Professor Shimoji and others are opposing the “area-wide management of the disaster debris” measure, which intended to spread, incinerate and bury harmful substances in the disaster debris all over Japan that should not be incinerated, such as radioactive material and asbestos.  Osaka-city is trying to begin regular incineration and burial beginning in February 2013.

Below is the timeline for the arrest. A letter from Prof. Shimoji follows this information.

from Upstate Drone Action:

In DeWitt, New York,  Town Court, in a swift four and a half hour trial on December 13, Judge Jokl found eleven of the original fifteen protesters of Reaper drones, guilty of trespass. Hancock Air National Guard Base is home of the MQ-9 Reaper drone maintenance and training center, adjacent to Syracuse Airport where soldiers pilot drones used in the extra judicial killings in Afghanistan.

Judge Jokl did not allow the war crimes indictment into evidence, thus limiting his scope of interpretation to NY State law. Within ten minutes of deliberation the judge found the eleven guilty.

The judge sentenced Ed Kinane and Rae Kramer, of Syracuse, Clare and Ellen Grady, and James Ricks of Ithaca, to 15 days in jail. Ed Kinane and James Ricks started their 15 day sentence in Onondaga County Jail immediately. The other three report to jail at 5 pm on January 11th, 2012.