PEACE ISSUES
School of the Assassins Vigil
The US Army School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia has trained 60,000 Latin American soldiers who consistently have returned to their countries to murder, torture, rape and intimidate the poor and those who work for the rights of the poor.On November 16, 1997, 601 people "crossed the line" onto the Ft. Benning Army base to say NO! to this School of Assassins. These veterans, nuns, priests, students and other people of conscience and compassion came from around the country to carry crosses and coffins filled with petitions calling for the SOA to be closed down.
On November 22, 1998, once again people from around the country -- "first timers" and "repeat offenders" -- will walk together in a solemn funeral procession onto Ft. Benning. Together we will honor and speak for our sisters and brothers who have been killed, raped and tortured by SOA graduates Do not let the truth be silenced.
Even if you don't want to "cross the line" your presence and support is needed to stand up and say NO! to the School of the Assassins.
SOA Watch
1719 Irving St. NW
Washington DC 20010
Casa Materna Update
We received the following letter from the organizers of the "Drive for Justice" where we sent the boxes for Casa Materna, to be transported by their group to Matagalpa, Nicaragua.Dear Neahtawanta Center,Thank you so much for your wonderful support for our "Drive for Justice"! We received your packages and know the women at La Casa Materna will definitely appreciate your donations. Our storage space is quickly filling up with diapers, notebooks, sewing machines, desks, and books. Each box is proof of the many caring, generous hearts who have shown their solidarity with the men, women, and children of Nicaragua. We are so thankful your center has supported La Casa Materna's efforts to improve the well-being of its own community. The positive support we have received while working on htis project has strengthened our belief in the power of love and community. We pray this sense of hope will be passed on to the Nicaraguans we will be visiting.
Thank you! We will be sure to let you know how much La Casa Materna appreciated the supplies after we return in August.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Cavallaro, Marjy Givens, Sayrah Lohrstorfer, Jenny Deines, Amanda Malloy, Julia Weidmann, Jeanine Heinz
We also heard recently from Kitty Madden from the Casa Materna, that the boxes we sent down are still being held up in customs in Nicaragua, so they haven't been delivered yet. Let's hope that process doesn't take much longer.
Update on the Trial of Ardeth and Carol
In late July, long-time peace activists Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert cae to Traverse City to visit and speak about their upcoming trial. They spoke with deep conviction about their committment to disarmament, and that they had dedicated their lives to this cause. They shared large pictures that were taken at their latest action at Andrews Air Force Base in May. We talked with them about how to sustain interest and involvement in peace issues. Their advice to us: "Build a strong community." The trial took place on September 22 and 23rd, and the following is part of the email message sent by Jonah House after the trial. Carol and Ardeth are in jail.This update was received via email:
From: Disarmnow@aol.com
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:55:33 EDT
Subject: GODS OF METAL PLOWSHARES CONVICTED, JAILED; SENTENCING TO BE JANUARY 4Greenbelt, Maryland, September 23 &emdash; The Gods of Metal Plowshares activists &emdash; Fr. Frank Cordaro, Sr. Carol Gilbert, Fr. Larry Morlan, Sr. Ardeth Platte and Kathy Shields-Boylan &emdash; who May 17 disarmed a B-52 "strato-fortress" nuclear bomber on display at the Andrews Air Force Base, were convicted today in Fedral District Court. Following a two-day trial before a packed courtroom, the five were found guilty of "depredation of U.S. Government property" totaling less than $1,000 in damage.
The activists face a possible maximum sentence of one year in prison and/or a fine of $100,000 each. Probation is also a possible penalty.
The five interrupted an annual "Air Show" going on at "the President's air force base," calling the public display of nuclear and other weapons a "worship of false idols." They used household hammers to "beat swords into plowshares," to "disarm these gods of metal." Besides hammering holes in the giant bomb-bay doors of the world's largest nuclear bomber, all five poured their blood over the B-52, calling it "the bloodiest weapon of this the bloodiest century in human history."
Federal Judge Alexander Williams, Jr., set sentencing for Monday, January 4, 1999. However, he ordered that the five be jailed immediately after they declared their intention to refuse to cooperate with the post-conviction orders of the court. As a result, the activists will serve at minimum three and one-half months in jail. All the activists have been free on personal recognizance since their action in May.
The disarmament activists each testified on their own behalf and acknowledged freely that they had voluntarily tried to disarm the B-52, in view of the fact that religious precepts, moral imperatives as well as domestic and international law forbid the conspiracy to commit murder inherent in the possession of nuclear weapons.
In her testimony, Sister Carol Gilbert decried the corrosive influence upon children affected by the so-called "air show." She offered into evidence several photographs taken at the air show, of youngsters playing with the guns and ammunition made accessible, like toys, by the military. Kathy Shields-Boylan also emphasized the absurd nature of the weapons display with families picnicing under the wings of bombers.
Sister Ardeth Platte, OP, originally from Michigan, ran through her extensive biography of working for justice. She told of her years on the City of Council of Saginaw, the legal process of citizens working to keep Project ELF out of the state, the state wide referendum in which the populus overwhelmingly opposed the Navy facility's construction, only to be ignored by the Pentagon. Project ELF was built. Ardeth turned to nonviolent resistance and had much better results. First Wirtsmith Air Force Base closed, a campaign to which she and Sr. Carol Gilbert dedicated their time, then K. I. Sawyer, in the upper peninsula of Michigan closed once the two women moved there.
All but one of four proffered expert witnesses were banned from testifying by the judge, effectively strangling defense arguments. Dr. Frances A. Boyle, Profesor of International Law at the University of Illinois, spent two and one-half hours on the stand clarifying and reclarifying for the prosecutor that international law makes nuclear weapons illegal, criminal and prohibits their use, threatened use and possession.
During cross examination, prosecutor Deconcini dwelled on the one U.S. judge on the fifteen member International Court of Justice in the Hague, the one dissenter for declaring nuclear weapons completely illegal. Dr. Boyle argued that one of 15 does not make a majority opinion in spite of the fact that the U.S. judge had worked for the U.S. State Department. Judge Williams declared that all of the arguments involving international law were confusing and he got virtually nothing out of the testimony of Professor Boyle. Prior to announcing the guilty verdict, Judge Williams, in a mess of confusion, contradicted himself perfectly. He said, "I came to believe that international law is part and parcel of our U.S. law," and then concluded that, "Higher law is not to be used as a defense in this case."
The experts whose testimony was ruled inadmissable by Judge Williams included Bishop Thomas Gumbleton from Detroit who would have addressed Christian ethics and morality supporting the disarmament action; Dr. Michael True, a retired processor of English, author and expert on social change movements and the legitimacy of nonviolent direct action; and Admiral Eugene Carroll, USN Retired, who intended to speak on the mission of the B-52 bomber including its nuclear capability.
In the words of Sr. Ardeth Platte, "we don't want to be acquitted on a technicality or because of ineptness, we want to be acquitted because we as citizens have a legal obligation to interfere with state crime, an obligation to obey and respect the supreme law of the land, to carry out this responsibility even in the face of misdirected federal prosecution.
Information on sending letters:
Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert and Kathy Boylan (that is the name she has to use in court and jail because it is on all her ID) were moved from the Baltimore City Jail's Women's Detention Center to the following address:
Kent County Detention Center
Unit A
104 Vickers Dr.
Chestertown MD 21620No ID #s seem to be in use at the jail. It is small; there are only 4 women
including them. They believe (and have been led to believe) that that is where they will do their time at least until sentencing on January 4. They ask that mail be sent to them there. Please know that books can be sent only from the publisher. Visits are limited to 1 hour a week on Saturday between 1 and 3:30 p.m. Since Kent County is Eastern Shore Maryland, this may not prove an inconvenience. They are well and more than endured their time in the Baltimore City Jail. We had just gotten their clothing in on Tuesday and a walk-person with tapes; all had to be left behind. Such is prison.
Letters to Frank Cordaro and Larry Morlan should be sent to:
Frank Cordaro (#982205)
Charles Co. Jail, BC 15
PO Box 1430
La Plata MD 20646Larry Morlan (#982204)
Charles Co. Jail, BC 15
PO Box 1430
La Plata MD 20646
Return to the Index of Synapse 45, Fall 1998