Anti-War Vigil *GPO Monday 4pm-6pm

by Ciaron D8 Report Tue Dec 09, 2008 13:05

Well another cold one with the 3 amigos Colim in Gitmo suit, Dotty and myself confronting the psychadelic French Christmas tree and the consumer rush to Xmas. Trying our best standing out against ongoing Irish involvement in the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Dominican nun dropped by who shared with us her work against the small arms trade. Other folks stopped for a while top take photos and chat. Mark came down to hand out some leaflets for a meeting. Some school kids had mixed reactions to us oppoing war...they seemed to think war sounded pretty exciting. Go figure...XBox I guess?

Reports come through how close we were to a nuclear exchange on the Indian subcontinent last week, when an early morning call in reponse to the Mumbia atrocity was intirially interpreted as an Indian threat to invade and the nuke option seemed to be the first consideration by a militray (&economic and numerical) weaker Pakistan to that scenario.

Frontpage news tpday (in the Guardian anyway) comes through that NATO supply routes through Pakistan are under sustained attack http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/09/afghanistan...outes

Dec 17th. in Dublin Joshua Casteel former interrogator at Abu Ghraib will be reading his play drawn form those experiences at the Abbey 2pm (4 euros...bargain!) http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90122

In the coming the coming weeks folks from Catholic Worker/Ploughshares tradition will be taking nonviolent direct action in D.C., Omaha, England and elsewhere on the Feast of the Holy Innocents http://www.jonahhouse.org/FRDec08index.htm

On January 1st. Kathy Kelly and the Voices for Creative Nonviolence crew will be pitching Camp Hope opposite Obama's Chicago Residence http://camphope2009.org/

Folks will be fasting from the January 11th. anniversary of t he opening of Gitmo to the Presidential Inaugration.

From the inaugaration "100 Days to Shutdown Guantanamo" will commence at the White House with NVDA etc http://www.100dayscampaign.org/

So although we are seriously geographically spread out we are seriously linked to serious nonviolent folks stepping out in risk and nonviolent resistance at this time. Along with the soldiers who have refused to study war no more www.couragetoresist.org

by 4 to be sentenced Tue Dec 09, 2008 23:50

Four peace witnesses were convicted of trespassing at Vandenberg Air
Force Base (California, USA) in a Dec. 4 trial in U.S. District Court in Santa Barbara,
Calif. Their crime: stepping two feet across a green line on a roadway
limiting where protesters can gather.

Jesuit Father Steve Kelly, Franciscan Father Louis Vitale, Dennis Apel
of the Guadalupe Catholic Worker in Guadalupe, Calif., and Jeff
Dietrich of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker were found guilty in
verdicts handed down by Magistrate Rita Coyne Federman.

The case against a fifth defendant, L.A. Catholic Worker Mike
Wiskiewski, who was photographing the encounter, was dismissed. Coyne
Federman ruled prosecutors failed to prove he was given a warning to
move back across the line before his arrest. The others were given the
warning, hence the guilty verdicts.

The arrests came during an Armed Forces Day vigil May 19, 2007,
according to Dietrich. He said Apel originally wanted to talk with the
base soldiers about their role in carrying out military orders that
have led to the maiming and killing of innocent civilians, especially
in Iraq. When he refused to step back across the line, the others
joined him in support and also were arrested.

Father Kelly told Catholic News Service the defendants had built their
defense around their religious convictions and on international law
that prohibits the development of weapons of mass destruction.
However, Coyne Federman prohibited such testimony after the federal
prosecutor objected.

The group faces sentencing March 12. Because all are long-time
protesters and have been tried and found guilty of similar charges in
the past, they face up to six months in jail.

Vandenberg has been the site of monthly prayer vigils organized by
Apel and others concerned about the development work being done at the
base on a space-based missile defense system.

by Photo Wed Dec 10, 2008 06:55

Photo of Fr. Steve Kelly SJ and Fr. Louie Vitalie prior to their arreste at Vanderburg A.F.B.

http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/jail-sentences-...sses/

by NCR Fri Dec 12, 2008 13:31 Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The National Catholic Reporter
December 11, 2008
'Terrorist' nuns spotlight homeland security

Frightening questions: Who's watching you and what lists are you on?

The two Dominican nuns had mixed it up with the feds before. For more
than 30 years they've worked against U.S. militarism. They've each
spent several years in jail for acts of non-violent civil
disobedience. They know what it is to be under surveillance.

But for Sr. Ardeth Platte, 72, and Sr. Carol Gilbert, 61, being listed
as terrorism suspects in a federal data base was escalation of another
order. This latest twist to their long story of resistance has played
out internationally as a kind of absurdist tale -- the terrorist nuns
-- of the Homeland Security era.

Continued.......

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2833