B52 Trial Concludes in Bristol"/WMD Here!" Plowshares Trial Starts in North Dakota!

by Fairford Update Tue Jun 12, 2007 20:17

FAIRFORD FIVE LATEST: JOSH RICHARDS ACQUITTED, NEXT TRIAL 2 JULY

In March 2003 peace activist Josh Richards was arrested at RAF Fairford,
reportedly heading towards the B52s stationed there, carrying a can of fuel and
a box of matches with the intention of setting fire to them. After four years
and two trials he was finally acquitted of the arson charge this Wednesday (6
June). Last month, Toby Olditch and Phil Pritchard were similarly acquitted of
trying to break into RAF Fairford on the eve of the Iraq invasion with the
intention of disabling the planes (see www.b52two.org). A celebration party for
them will be taking place in Oxford tonight (8 June) - see [E] below for
details.

Only one trial now remains, that of Margaret Jones and Paul Milling: from 10am,
Monday 2 July, Bristol Crown Court, The Law Courts, Small Street, BS1 1DA. See
http://tinyurl.com/2zpszn for background. Please put this date in your diary and
be there to support them if you can.

by mac consaidin Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:56

WOW, I am new to this site. I have learned so much from reading this story this morning.

Since the beginning of 2003, I have been a regular reader of the www.moveon.org posts but I have never read anything like this there.

Thank you so much for being an honest courageous lawyer and defending these three (and all humanity) in this case.

America - Land of the Free and the Brave -God Help Us!

by Bill Quigley - Lawyer for Michael Walli of "WMD Plowshares!" Sun Sep 17, 2006 09:45 North Dakota, USA

The Echo 9 launching facility for the
intercontinental nuclear missile Minuteman III is
about 100 miles northwest of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Endless fields of sunflowers and mown hay dazzle those
who travel there.
The fenced off site at first appears innocent.
Until you get close you cannot see the sign that says
deadly force is authorized against trespassers. A 40
ton nuclear missile lies coiled beneath the surface of
a bland concrete bunker. Echo 9 is but 50 feet from a
gravel road. This one Minuteman III missile has over
20 times the destructive power of the bomb dropped on
Hiroshima.
After you realize what a launching facility looks
like, you can see that the pastoral countryside is
full of nuclear weapon silos. One nuclear weapon
launching site lies just across the road from a big
country farmhouse, another just down from a camp for
teens. There are 150 other such nuclear launching
facilities in North Dakota alone.
Sunflowers, farmhouses, teen camps and nuclear
weapons – who would have thought the power to destroy
the world many times over could fit in so well? The
people of this state will not need to turn on CNN to
know when the nuclear holocaust arrives.
On the morning of June 20, 2006, three people
dressed as clown arrived at Echo 9. The clowns broke
the lock off the fence and put up peace banners and
posters. One said: “Swords into plowshares - Spears
into pruning hooks.” Then they poured some of their
own blood and hammered on the nuclear launching
facility.
Fr. Carl Kabat, 72, along with Greg Boertje-Obed,
52, and Michael Walli, 57, were the people dressed as
clowns. Carl Kabat is a catholic priest. Greg is an
ex-military officer, married and the father of an 11
year old daughter. Mike is a Vietnam vet who has
worked with the homeless for decades. Greg and Carl
are members of the Loaves and Fishes Community in
Duluth. The three are called the Weapons of Mass
Destruction Here Plowshares.
They placed a copy of the Declaration of
Independence, the US Constitution, international legal
condemnations of nuclear weapons, bibles, rosaries,
bread, wine, and a picture of Greg’s daughter on the
top of the missile silo.
Then they waited until the air force security
forces came and arrested them.
They were charged with felony damage to
government property and were kept in North Dakota
jails until their trial in September.
In their trial they planned to argue to the jury
that because the Minuteman III is a weapon of mass
destruction it is illegal under international law.
They hoped to share with the jury testimony from the
Mayor of Hiroshima about the effects of nuclear
weapons. They asked to have Professor Francis Boyle
testify about the illegality of nuclear weapons. And
they planned to introduce the 1996 advisory opinion of
the International Court of Justice outlawing nuclear
weapons.
They hoped to put on evidence that warheads launched
from the Minuteman III missile silo can reach any
destination within 6000 miles in 35 minutes. The
nuclear bomb launched from a Minuteman silo produces
uncontrollable radiation, massive heat and a blast
capable of vaporizing and leveling everything within
miles. Outside the immediate area of the blast,
wide-spread heat, firestorms and neutron and gamma
rays are intended to kill, severely wound and poison
every living thing and cause long-term damage to the
environment.
But the judge ruled the jury was not permitted to
hear this evidence.
The night before the trial, the peace community of
North Dakota, along with friends and supporters from
across the US shared a Festival of Hope potluck
supper, songs, prayers and calls for peace at a local
Unitarian church. The North Dakota peace community
was very supportive. Even the federal prosecutor and
an air force investigator joined the festival after
being invited to attend by Carl, Greg and Mike. They
too were welcomed by the community.
On the day of the trial, the judge asked people about
their backgrounds and their opinions about nuclear
weapons. Those who expressed any skepticism about the
use of nuclear weapons were struck from serving on the
jury by the government. Likewise, a Baptist
missionary with a dove on her collar and all the
Catholics were excluded.
Fr. Carl Kabat represented himself in the trial and
gave his own opening statement. Dressed in a rumpled
roman collar, black jeans and white tennis shoes, it
was apparent he came right out of jail to the
courtroom.
Fr. Kabat told the jury that he had been a priest for
47 years and spent three years in the Philippines and
several more in Brazil were he witnessed poverty and
hunger on a scale unimaginable to the US. After that,
he said, he was ruined to life in the United States.
He could not allow 40,000 children a day to die from
malnourishment while our country built and maintained
thousands of nuclear weapons.
Carl admitted that he had spent over sixteen
years in prison for protesting against nuclear
weapons. He told the jury that he understood that
because he was 72 he might die in jail in punishment
for this protest. “I don’t know if I am doing the
right thing or not, I am only doing the best I can.
If anyone can think of anything better to do to stop
this insanity – then, by all means, do it! It is up
to all of us to do something to stop this madness!”
He said they dressed up as clowns as “fools for
Christ,” and because “court jesters were often the
only ones who could tell the truth to the king and not
be killed for it!” We realize most people do not care
about nuclear weapons. “To them we are nutballs,” he
said. “We are doing the best we can to stand up
against these evils. My feeling is do what you can do
about injustice, then sing and dance!”
Fr. Carl pointed out in some detail that nuclear
weapons violated international laws. “Now I am not a
lawyer,” he kept saying, “but I know the International
Court of Justice has ruled these are illegal.”
He asked the jury “Why do you think it is it
illegal for North Korea or Iran to have nuclear
weapons when we have thousands? I don’t want anyone
to have them. The weapon at Echo 9 can kill the
entire population of New York City – just that one
missile and we have thousands of them! This is
insane! Polls say that 87% of the people in the US
want us to get rid of nuclear weapons – let’s do it!
People may think we’re nuts for dressing up as clowns
and risking jail to get rid of these weapons, but it
is these weapons that are actually insane!”
Greg Boertje-Obed spoke briefly to the jury about
growing up in the Midwest and the south. He was
dressed in rumpled pants and a t-shirt decorated with
the symbol of a local Native American tribe. He told
them that he was married and the father of a young
daughter. He admitted he basically did not know
anything about nuclear weapons or civil rights. He
joined ROTC to be able to attend college and was made
an officer. His military group discussed nuclear war
and one made a powerful case for first-strike. All
the time he was a churchgoer. In graduate school he
started awakening to the contrast between the
religious values he found in church and the actions
and priorities around him. Greg told the jurors of
his journey into resistance as he realized that
nuclear weapons were both illegal and immoral.
Michael was described to the jury as one of 14
children who grew up in the Midwest. He joined the
Army and spent two tours in Vietnam. After a
religious conversion, he began a life of voluntary
poverty and assisting the homeless and sick.
The prosecutor called an FBI agent who told the
jury all about the events of June 20, 2006. He
described the defendants as polite at all times. The
prosecution projected huge photos of the three dressed
as clowns, pictures of the Echo 9 launching facility,
and pictures of the items left behind on the wall of
the courtroom.
Fr. Carl asked the FBI agent if he had found a
statement that the three left on site. The judge
allowed Carl to read the statement into the record at
this time.
Carl put on his reading glasses and in a loud
voice read to the courtroom:
“Please pardon the fracture of the good order. When we
were children we thought as children and spoke as
children. But now we are adults and there comes a time
when we must speak out and say that the good order is
not so good, and never really was. We know that
throughout history there have been innumerable war
crimes. Two of the most terrible war crimes occurred
on August 6th and 9th, 1945. On August 6th, 1945, the
United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of
Hiroshima , Japan , killing more than 100,000 people
(including U.S. prisoners of war). Three days later
the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of
Nagasaki, Japan, killing more than 50,000 people. Use
of these weapons of mass destruction on civilian
populations were abominable crimes against humanity.
“The U.S. has never repented of these atrocities.
On the contrary, the U.S. has deepened and expanded
its commitment to nuclear weapons. The U.S. built a
large nuclear-industrial complex which has caused the
deaths of many workers and has resulted in killing
many more people by nuclear testing. Our country built
thousands of nuclear weapons and has dispersed
weapons-grade uranium to 43 nations. Each Minuteman
III missile carries a bomb that is 27 times more
powerful than those dropped on the Japanese people.
The building of these weapons signifies that our
hearts have assented to mass murder. Currently the
U.S. is seeking to research a new class of smaller
nuclear weapons – demonstrating its desire to find new
uses for weapons of mass destruction.”
The prosecution then called a succession of young
Air Force folks, who served as security for the
Minuteman missiles in the silos in this area, to
briefly describe the arrest and detention of Carl,
Greg and Mike. Each one said the clowns were
cooperative, non-violent and peaceful.
At the conclusion of the first soldier’s
testimony, Fr. Kabat asked him, “Do you know what was
in the ground at Echo-9?” The flustered airman said,
“No, sir, I do not.” “You don’t know what is in the
ground there?” Fr. Kabat asked again incredulously.
“No sir,” repeated the helicopter airman. The
courtroom was stunned.
For the next half hour, every one of the rest of
the young Air Force people called as witnesses by the
government either said they did not know what was in
the ground, or refused to answer Fr. Carl, saying
“that is not my area of expertise, sir.”
Not one single soldier acknowledged that they
were guarding nuclear weapons!
The final prosecution witness was a Lieutenant
Colonel who said the damage to the site was over
$15,000 because a spin dial lock on a hatch was
damaged and had to be exchanged for another.
The Lt. Colonel, after initially refusing to do so,
admitted that a Minuteman III missile was in the silo
but that the Department of Defense would not allow him
to say anything more.
After the prosecution rested, the judge ushered
the jury out of the room. Then the three were allowed
to introduce into the record the evidence of the
International Court of Justice decision about the
illegality of nuclear weapons, the testimony of the
mayor of Hiroshima, and two statements by Professor
Boyle about international law and its condemnation of
nuclear weapons. The judge was asked to dismiss the
case because of this evidence. When the judge
declined, Greg told the judge that he was making a
mistake. The judge responded that in light of all the
other federal cases he had reviewed he was not making
a mistake. “But in the judgment of history, you are,”
Greg responded. The judge noted Greg’s objection for
the record and re-started the trial.
With all the rest of their evidence excluded, the
three defendants tried in their own words to tell the
jury about how international law condemned nuclear
weapons, what kind of damage the weapons caused, and
how the very existence of nuclear weapons was robbing
the poor of the world of much needed resources.
Fr. Carl choked up several times talking to the
jury when he described the extent of hunger and
starvation he had witnessed. “Nuclear weapons,” he
said softly, “and hungry children, are the two
greatest evils in our world.”
Michael told the jury how he joined the army at
the suggestion of a family member and ended up
spending years in Vietnam. While there he heard about
the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., described on the
base as “an agitator.” He described his later work
with the poor and how it was consistent with his peace
work. He concluded by correcting the record. “These
young military people testified that after we arrived
at Echo – 9 it became a crime scene. But in truth,
Echo 9 was a crime scene long before we ever got
there. Nuclear weapons are war crimes that are
designed to kill innocent civilians. They are
outlawed by international law and by God’s law. This
was a crime scene long before we got there, and is
still a crime scene today.”
Greg showed the jury the picture of his daughter.
“I brought this to Echo 9 as a symbol of why we again
and again try to disarm nuclear weapons. We do this
for the children.”
With the evidence finished, it was time for the
jury to decide. The judge would give instructions to
the jury about how to decide the case.
The defense asked for two instructions about
justice – one from the preamble to the US Constitution
another from Judge Learned Hand – both were denied by
the judge. Defendants asked that the jury be read the
First Amendment – denied. International law? Denied.
Nuremberg Principles? Denied. The US statute
defining war crimes? Denied. The US statute defining
genocide? Denied.
The judge then went forward and instructed the jury to
disregard anything about nuclear weapons,
international law, and the good motives of the
defendants. The effect of these instructions was to
treat the actions of the defendants the same as if
they had poured blood and hammered on a Volkswagen –
pure property damage.
Limited like this, the jury came back with felony
guilty verdicts for all three defendants. As they
filed out, Fr. Carl called out to them, “Thank you
brothers and sisters!”
One of the jurors told people afterwards that
many on the jury learned a lot in the trial and were
sympathetic to the defense, but “the judge’s
instructions left us no option but to find them
guilty.” As she walked away, the juror waved to
supporters and yelled “Peace!”
The local paper reported one lawyer concluding
that, despite their convictions, “History will have
different judgment on their actions.”
The three remain in jail. They are in good
spirits and at peace in the justice of their
convictions.
Greg pointed out that juries in Europe were
allowed to learn about international law when
evaluating the actions of peace protestors. “Why do
English, Scottish, and Irish juries get to know about
international law, but not US juries? Why do our
judges keep our juries deaf and blind to the law of
the world?”
Mike noted “The ungodly will always say ‘Let our
might be our norm of justice.’”
Fr. Carl, who feels “fantastic – as usual,” said,
“One with God is a majority, and some day the will of
the majority will triumph!”
For their convictions, they face sentences of up
to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000
each. They will remain in jail in North Dakota until
their sentencing date of December 4, 2006.

*****

For more information about the men contact the Loaves
and Fishes Community in Duluth at 218.728.0629 or
Nukewatch at 715.472.4185. Copies of some pleadings
in the case, pictures and updates from the men are
posted on the Jonah House website
http://www.jonahhouse.org

by Art - Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (DC) Sat Sep 16, 2006 20:31 Washintgon DC, USA

I was at the aforementioned Air Show protest last weekend in Virginia Beach where thousands of people worshipped flying gods of metal. It was idolatry in its truest form! Three of our friends may face property destruction and trespass charges. Please check out the slide show of the protest at the below listed web site.

Also our three peacemaking plowshares friends who were on trial this week in Bismark, ND for hammering and pouring blood on a Minuteman III missile silo in June were convicted by a jury yesterday. They will be sentenced on Dec. 4 and face a maximum sentence of 10 years and/or $250,000 fine. For more info
see www.jonahhouse.org.

Below is a letter from Steve of the Norfolks Catholic Worker, who took action at the air show.

We keep our eyes on the prize and hold on!!!
In peace,
Art Laffin

Friends,
On Saturday, September 9th, five Virginia and North
Carolina Catholic Worker communities and friends
protested US warmaking during the annual NAS Oceana
Air Show. In the morning, 25 people held an hour and a
half vigil on Oceana Blvd. as cars drove by heading
into the base for the show. In the afternoon three
people, myself from the Norfolk Catholic Worker and
Bill Frankl-Streit and Brian Buckley from the Little
Flower Catholic Worker in Louisa Co. climbed on top of
an F-22 Raptor on display and held a banner reading
"Weapons of Mass Destruction--Nothing to Celebrate."

We were arrested and indefinately banned from the
base. We have yet to be charged but Naval Criminal
Investigation Services is considering pressing
trespassing and Destruction of Government Property
charges.

peace, Steve Baggarly (Norfolk, VA)

by Jonah Sat Sep 16, 2006 19:02 Cleveland, USA

LINK to photos & report
http://www.jonahhouse.org/WarthogAS.htm

by Update Sat Sep 16, 2006 15:59 Bristol Crown Courts

http://www.guardian.co.uk/antiwar/story/0,,1873846,00.html

by Hung Jury Bristol Fri Sep 15, 2006 18:10

A judge at Bristol Crown Court has ordered a re-trial in the case of two peace activists charged with damaging military equipment to stop planes taking off. After a day and a half of debate, the jury failed to reach any clear verdict.

Paul Milling and Margaret Jones are charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage after disabling several dozen bomb carrying and fuel vehicles at RAF Fairford in March 2003. They were attempting to hinder take-off of 14 B-52 planes to bomb Iraq at the start of the 2003 invasion. Milling and Jones say this was a bid to delay the planes’ departure for Baghdad and give more people time to flee the city – thus protecting property and helping to prevent war crime.

The trial begins next week at the same court, of Phil Pritchard and Toby Olditch, charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage for trying to reach and disable a B-52 bomber at Fairford

by Solidarity Fri Sep 15, 2006 07:57 Bismark, North Dakota, USA

A federal jury has found three men guilty of breaking into and
vandalizing a missile silo site in northwestern North Dakota.

Carl Kabat, 72, Greg Boertje-Obed, 51, and Michael Walli, 57, were
convicted of destruction of government property Thursday for the June
20 vandalism to the Minuteman III missile silo site near Garrison.

The three men admitted during the course of the two-day trial to
dressing up as clowns, breaking into the missile silo site, spray painting
messages on cement surrounding the underground silo, splattering their blood on
the site and pounding on the silo lid with hammers.

The jury went into deliberations in the case at around 2 p.m. Court
officials announced about an hour and a half later that the jury had
reached a verdict. At about 3:45 p.m., the jury foreman delivered the
unanimous guilty verdict to U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland.

The defendants, their attorneys and the tens of people who came in
support of the defendants showed little reaction as the verdict was read. The
three men each face up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines or
both.

After dismissing the jury, Hovland told Kabat, Boertje-Obed and Walli
they will not be sentenced until a presentence report is complete. Hovland
scheduled sentencing for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 4.

The men have been held in several jails since their arrest. Most
recently, they have been in the custody of the Burleigh County Detention Center.
Hovland told them they could be released from jail if they would promise
to appear at all court proceedings. He said if they could not promise
that, he would allow them to stay in a local halfway house if they
promised to obey the rules.

“They essentially require that you be good,” Hovland said of halfway
houses rules.

He told them they could do more good in a halfway house than sitting in
jail.

Kabat, who represented himself in the case with the assistance of
Bismarck attorney Mandy Maxon, said he would not make any such agreements with
the court and also told Hovland he would not cooperate with the probation
officer assigned to conduct the presentence report.

“I will not promise anything or sign anything,” said the Catholic
priest who appeared in court wearing his white collar.

Boertje-Obed, who represented himself with the assistance of Bismarck
attorney Jeffrey Weikum, said he will not cooperate with the rules of a
halfway house because it is part of the “unjust” court system.

Walli, who was represented by New Orleans attorney and Loyola
University professor Bill Quigley and Salt Lake City attorney Daniel Gregor, said
he would also not cooperate with the rules of a halfway house.

Hovland said Kabat, Boertje-Obed and Walli will be held in the Burleigh
County Detention Center until sentencing.

The trial for the three nuclear-weapon protesters began with a
morning-long jury selection Wednesday. That afternoon, both sides made
their opening statements and the prosecution presented its case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Hochhalter said after the trial the case
was “very unusual” compared to those usually tried in the federal
courthouse. The prosecutor said he enjoyed visiting with the defendants and defense
attorneys during court proceedings.

“They had great counsel,” he said. But “an attorney is limited by what
evidence he has to work with.”

Hochhalter said he had respect for what the defendants believe. He said
he would defend their right to express those beliefs, as long as their
actions are “within the bounds of the law.”

Thursday morning, the defense presented its case. All three defendants
testified, and each defendant also had a character witness testify on
his behalf. Hochhalter chose not to cross-examine the defense witnesses.

As they did in their opening statements Thursday, the defendants and
their attorneys did not deny the government's allegations against them.
Instead, they tried to appeal to the jurors “consciences” to explain
justification for their actions.

Kabat admitted to “rambling” during his 50 minutes testimony, during
which he was questioned by Quigley. Kabat first spoke of his early years
growing up on a southern Illinois farm, then spoke about his missionary work to
the Philippines and Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s.

Several of the jurors began taking notes when Kabat started talking
about the first time he was arrested for a protest. In all, Kabat said he has
spent 16 years in prison for protesting nuclear weapons.

Kabat said he has tried other ways of protesting nuclear weapons, such
as writing letters to Congress and participating in rallies.

“We don't claim to say that we have the way” that will be successful in
protesting nuclear weapons, he said. “I don't know what the answer is,
how to do it.”

Kabat also explained why the men dressed in clown suits. He said they
were being “fools for God and humanity.”

“We're fools, we're, we're nut balls,” he said.

Walli's testimony lasted about 20 minutes. He told about growing up an
“impressionable” youth who was convinced by a family member to enlist
in the military before he could be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. He
said he served two and a half years in that conflict, and he discovered
his religious feelings after he returned.

He said he has been involved with missionary and volunteer work since
then.

Walli said he has always admired the people who took part in
nuclear-weapons protests and was asked to be part of the protest in
North Dakota.

“The opportunity presented itself,” he said.

Boertje-Obed read a short statement to the jury in which he admitted
that he was one of the men involved in the incident at the missile site. He
also showed a photo of his 11-year-old daughter, which he left at the
site.

“Our action was for the sake of children's futures,” he said.

Michele Naar-Obed, Boertje-Obed's wife, testified on behalf of Walli,
whom she said has lived with her family for several years. Michael Miles, of
Wisconsin, also testified on behalf of Walli. Bill Sulzman, of
Colorado, spoke for Kabat. The three witnesses, who were examined by Gregor,
described their relationships with the defendants and described them as
men of conviction.

After a recess for lunch, Hovland gave the jury its instructions. Then,
both sides gave their closing arguments. Hochhalter told the jury in a
short statement that the evidence showed the men were guilty of
traveling to the site and breaking into it.

“And they did do damage there,” he told the jury.

He told the jury to evaluate the evidence of the case as was required
of them and to not evaluate the men's motives for their actions.

“And really, that's all that's required of you to find the defendants
guilty,” he said.

Kabat and Boertje-Obed gave their own closing arguments, which were
substantially similar to their opening statements the day before. Kabat
implored the jurors to “be the conscience of the community here, the
state and the country.”

Boertje-Obed said the value of the missile silo should not be
considered because he and the others considered the missile system to be of
“negative value.”

Quigley spoke for Walli in a closing argument that was nearly 20
minutes long. He told jurors that the prosecution had not proved beyond a
reasonable doubt that damage had been done in amounts of more than
$1,000. He told them the damage done may be substantially less than the more
than $14,000 the prosecution claimed.

Displaying the damaged lid of the silo, he asked the jurors, “Is this
$16,000 worth of damage?”

Quigley said after the trial the question of how much damage was
actually done was not brought up in cross examination of prosecution witnesses
Wednesday because “that was a decision the defendants made in timing
when they wanted to bring it up.”

Quigley also told the jurors the men's actions were more in line with
someone breaking a vending machine to feed hungry people during
Hurricane Katrina than it was with someone stealing a television or committing
other criminal acts.

In a brief rebuttal, Hochhalter said the defendants may have had a
motive, but that did not justify their actions.

“Actions such as these defendants took are not lawful,” he said.

Hochhalter told the jurors the prosecution had shown them damage to the
silo lid before and were not trying to hide it from them. He told them
they would have the opportunity to look at that and other evidence in
the jury room if they so chose.

“It's the evidence that helps you determine the facts,” he said.

Comments about motives against nuclear weapons and other such
statements are often not allowed in the courtroom. Hochhalter said after the trial
that Hovland had ruled earlier that such defenses were irrelevant.
However, he let the defendants discuss the motives anyway.

“He was attempting to be as fair as possible,” Hochhalter said. “I
think it was a good thing for him to do.”

“I'm disappointed that the law was followed and justice was not done,”
Gregor said.

Quigley predicted the men will someday be held in the same esteem as
Martin Luther King, Jr. or the members of the Boston Tea Party. He said
the missile silo site may someday hold a monument to Kabat,
Boertje-Obed and Walli.

“History is going to have a dramatically different judgement on them
than what happened today in court,” he said.

by Solidarity Thu Sep 14, 2006 20:25

http://www.jonahhouse.org/WMD%20Here%20Plowshares/Media...1.htm

by Update Thu Sep 14, 2006 19:47 Bristol Crown Courts, England

The jury have so far failed to reach a verdict in the first of three anti-war disarmament trials, now at the end of its second week of hearing in Bristol Crown Court

Paul Milling and Margaret Jones are charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage after disabling several dozen bomb carrying and fuel vehicles at RAF Fairford in March 2003. They were attempting to hinder take-off of 14 B-52 planes to bomb Iraq at the start of the 2003 invasion. Milling and Jones say this was a bid to delay the planes’ departure for Baghdad and give more people time to flee the city – thus protecting property and helping to prevent war crime.

The jury today sought clarification from the judge on whether ‘delaying’ the commission of a [war] crime could be regarded as equivalent to preventing it.

The judge will advise on this point of law tomorrow, and direct the jury again.

by Jonah Thu Sep 14, 2006 18:12

http://www.langleycreations.com/photo/actions/airshow06/

by Jonah Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:45

Wednesday, September 13. The jury was selected. the prosecution presented their case. The US proscutor, Fr. Carl Kabat, Greg Boertje-Obed and Bill Quigley, for Mike Walli, gave opening statements.

Seven Air Force personnel testified. The prosecution rested their case.

Thursday, the defense will put forward their case.

Fr. Carl Kabat has already served 15 years for nonviolent resistance, Greg Boertje-Obed also several years for previous plowshares actions, Michael Walli is a Vietnam Veteran.

The defendants face serious jail time if convicted.

More background on the defendants, their disarmament of an ICBM missilo silo, photos of action, updates. Go to www.jonahhouse.org

For background on the plwoshares movement. Go to
www.plowsharesactiuons.org

by Jonah Thu Sep 14, 2006 00:28

http://www.jonahhouse.org/SLC06.htm

by Pat Wed Sep 13, 2006 23:58 Ithaca, New York, USA

They’re all released!
Join us in a celebration of the St. Patrick’s Four and their families.
This Sunday, September 17 (Peter DeMott’s release date!), 1-5 pm
Southside Community Center, 305 SouthPlain St, Ithaca, New York
(between Green and Clinton St.)

We are grateful for the generous outpouring of support on the part of the community, during the trials and after sentencing. We want to celebrate that generosity and join together for the first time since the sentencing in January.
We know that the war goes on.
Drawing on this spirit of generosity can give us both hope and determination to continue the resistance to war.
We have much to celebrate and much work ahead for peace and justice.

Refreshments provided.
Reflections from the defendants
Ideas and inspiration for the future

Here is a short reflection by Peter DeMott:....
"The level of violence in war-ravaged lands grows daily more widespread, more horrific, more relentless. Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, (and soon Iran?) all witness bloodshed, bombing and barbarism, even as the voices of many people working for peace around the world go unheeded.

The violence continues as it has for millennia. In James Hillman's book A Terrible Love of War, it states: "During the five thousand six hundred years of recorded history, fourteen thousand six hundred wars have been recorded. Two or three wars each year of human history." Violence has ever and ever will beget more violence.

Modern war, because of the proliferation of weapons and because of their increased destructive capabilities, claims more and more lives, primarily from the civilian sector. In solidarity with the victims of wars past, wars present and wars yet to come, and from a sense of "enlightened self interest," we each need to rededicate ourselves to peacemaking lest the human family annihilate itself in a final paroxysm of bloodletting. How any one of us or any group of us takes up this most vital work depends on our particular set of circumstances. But take it up we must."

Other reflections from the defendants will be posted on the website in about a month.
http://www.stpatricksfour.org" www.stpatricksfour.org . .

by Solidarity Wed Sep 13, 2006 23:48

Catholic Worker and father of seven Jim Dowling, artist & activist Adele Goldie, father and activist Bryan Law and former human shield and hostage Donna Mulhearn go to trial in outback Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia on Oct 3rd. they have been charged with draconian lregislation drawn up in the Cold War of the 1950's and never used before...it carries a 7 year maximum sentence. Charges arise form an action last December when the four, known as "Christians against All Terrorism" carried out a citzen's inspection of the secretive CIA/NSA Pine Gap base.

Check out their website for background info, info on trial, photos of the base and the visit of renowned terrorist Negoponte to the base days before they arrived.....

www.pinegap6.org