Responding to the Message of Fukashima By Louie Vitale In “From Hiroshima to Fukushima,” an article published in The Nation on March 15 in the wake of the nuclear power disaster in Japan, historian Jonathan Schell once again hit the mark. The author of the ground-breaking book The Fate of the Earth published in the […]
Pacific Life Community activists enter the Lockheed-Martin missile complex, March 7, 2011. Photo by Jim Haber.
About sixty people came from as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico and Poulsbo, Washington for a two-day retreat of the Pacific Life Community in Menlo Park, California.
The retreat culminated with a two-hour vigil at the gate of Lockheed-Martin’s nearby Sunnyvale missile plant. Twelve people representing the faith-based network of activists who are dedicated to “ending nuclear weapons and war making through nonviolent direct action” walked past the gatehouse to bring their message directly to workers. Their path was soon blocked, and when they did not leave, all were arrested. Most were cited and released a short time later; Fr. Steve Kelly refused the conditional release. He was jailed for two more days before being released on time served. Court dates for the others are set in April.
Larry Purcell, a Catholic Worker from nearby Redwood City wrote about the local contrast in government spending:
Early this month a group of us went to Sunnyvale to protest at Lockheed/Martin Corp – the biggest military contractor in the world. It’s hard to imagine how big Lockheed/Martin is. According to William Hartung, “One of every 14 dollars doled out by the Pentagon” goes to Lockheed. Put another way, “that amounts to a ‘Lockheed/Martin tax’ of $260 per tax paying household in the United States.”
Early this month a group of us went to Sunnyvale to protest at Lockheed/Martin Corp – the biggest military contractor in the world. It’s hard to imagine how big Lockheed/Martin is. According to William Hartung, “One of every 14 dollars doled out by the Pentagon” goes to Lockheed. Put another way, “that amounts to a ‘Lockheed/Martin tax’ of $260 per tax paying household in the United States.”
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Greetings Disarm Now Plowshares Supporters!
In just over one month our dear Disarm Now Plowshares 5 – Anne, Bix,
Lynne, Steve and Susan – will walk into the Union Station Courthouse
in Tacoma once more, this time to face sentencing following their
conviction resulting from their November 2009 Plowshares action.
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Mark Kenney was sentenced to a six month prison term on February 25, for stepping across the line at Offutt Air Force Base. The Nagasaki Day (August 9) demonstration was part of an annual vigil and protest at the home of the U.S. Strategic Command, overseer of the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal. Federal Magistrate Judge Thomas D. Thalken accepted Kenney’s guilty plea, and noted that Kenney’s prior record of line crossing at Offutt resulted in his serving 30 day, 45 day and two six month sentences (the two six months sentences being given by Judge Thalken).
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Georgina Smith
Anti-Trident Woman Released Early from Prison
Eight-one year old Georgina Smith was released yesterday from Cornton Vale Womens Prison ten days early after an anonymous benefactor paid the compensation order she had refused to pay.
Upon release Georgina said “I am fine. I’m not a frail old granny. Anti-nuclear people don’t fade away as soon as they are eighty. They go on resisting these beastly weapons. It was very kind of whoever paid my fine to do so, but what they don’t realize is that when we do these actions we want to take responsibility for them ourselves, even if that means going to prison.”
Georgina served thirteen days of the 45 day sentence for refusing to pay £1,500 compensation
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Sylvia Boyes
Sixty-seven year old Sylvia Boyes, a Quaker from Keighley, appeared today at Bingley Magistrates Court. She was sentenced to 14 days in New Hall Prison for refusing to pay fines arising from a series of protests against Trident in and around Faslane Naval Base in Scotland during the summer of 2009.
Boyes is the third peace activist sentenced to prison in the United Kingdom in two weeks. Eighty-one year old Georgina Smith was jailed a week ago for 45 days for refusal to pay a £3000 compensation order for her part in painting the Scottish High Court, also in protest against Trident. Chris Cole was sentenced January 19 to 30 days for nonpayment of fines from a graffiti protest at a 2009 London arms trade fair. Cole was just released February 2. With statutory credit, Boyes should be released after about one week.
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Felton Davis of the New York Catholic Worker has put together a special collection of articles from the Catholic Worker newspaper, appearing between 1955 and 1961, dealing with nuclear weapons and the threat of all-out war.
Davis writes that he believes the deceased writers “would all be rolling over in their graves,” to see William J. Broad’s article in the December 16 New York Times: “U.S. Rethinks Strategy for the Unthinkable.” The article describes the Obama administration regurgitating the conclusion of a Reagan-era official who claimed that “with enough shovels” to cover each other in dirt for a few days, nuclear war wouldn’t be so bad.
“‘It’s more survivable than most people think,’ said an [Obama] official deeply involved in the planning…”
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Western Shoshone lead prayer at the Nevada Test Site. Photo by Jim Haber
Las Vegas, NV, January 29, 2011 — Marking the 60th year since the first atomic bomb was tested on land belonging to the Western Shoshone National Council, near Indian Springs, Nevada, eight activists stepped onto the land and were immediately arrested by Nye County sheriffs.
The Western Shoshone National Council had issued permits for the activists to enter their land. “You bless the land with each of your footsteps,” said Johnnie Bobb, a leader of the Western Shoshone Nation. Taken into custody immediately after stepping onto the land were: George Homanich, Judy Homanich, Mary Lou Anderson, Renee Espeland, Brian Terrell, Denis DuVall, Jim Haber and Jerry Zawada.
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Dear friends,
Over the years we have spent time in prison and/or supported other activists who have been in prison for acts of conscience. We write to you now with a special request on behalf of Helen Woodson.
The Silo Pruning Hooks: Fr. Carl Kabat OMI, Larry Cloud Morgan, Fr. Paul Kabat OMI, and Helen Woodson.
Back in November of 1984, Helen was part of the Silo Pruning Hooks action. She went to a Missouri nuclear missile silo along with Larry Cloud-Morgan, Fr. Carl Kabat OMI and Fr. Paul Kabat OMI. With sledgehammer and jackhammer, the group followed the biblical mandate of Isaiah to turn swords into plowshares. They were convicted and received a varied number of years of prison time for their action.
With the exception of a few days, Helen has been in prison ever since. (A couple of times in past years when released, she immediately engaged in an action that resulted in arrest and being returned directly to prison for violating parole.)
She is scheduled to be released in September of 2011 after 27 years behind bars.
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The Creech 14 (missing: Sr. Megan Rice and Fr. Louis Vitale). Photo by Jim Haber.
Anti-drone protesters vow to continue activism following guilty verdict in Las Vegas courtroom
Las Vegas — On Thursday, January 27, activists charged with trespass, along with their supporters, filled Judge Jansen’s courtroom to hear his verdict regarding their April, 2009 protest at Creech Air Force Base. Crews at Creech control the drones used in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, killing civilians in remote controlled assassination attacks.
In a 20-page written decision, Judge William Jansen found the fourteen guilty of trespass as charged, ruling that their defense did not meet the legal requirement of imminence for acquittal based on necessity.
Before being sentenced, twelve made statements calling for an end to the drone bombings and for nonviolent ways of resolving international conflict. The Creech 14 were arrested during an April 2009 demonstration at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada, protesting the remote piloting of armed killer drones from Creech in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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