The Summer of Nuclear Resistance: 24 arrested at Kansas City nuclear weapons parts plant

For immediate release July 13, 2013 Contacts: Henry Stoever, 913-375-0045, and Ann Suellentrop, 913-271-7925  PeaceWorks, Kansas City 4509 Walnut, Kansas City, MO 64111

Protesters at new Kansas City facility seek to open a door to a nuclear-weapons-free world. 

On July 13, about 80 persons sang and prayed at the entry road to a new facility in the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. By 10:15 a.m., two dozen protesters had crossed the property line and were soon arrested. The five-building facility, the Kansas City Plant, at 14510 Botts Road in KC, Mo., will by next year house the operations of the current KC Plant (at Bannister and Troost in KC), where 85 percent of the non-nuclear parts for U.S. nuclear weapons are made or procured. During a brief ceremony, the 80 persons pledged “to strive for peace within myself and seek to be a peacemaker in my daily life … to persevere in nonviolence of tongue and heart … to work to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth.”

photo by Bee Lloyd

With the assembly singing “Open the Door,” written for the occasion, 24 persons stepped through a door marked “Open the door to a nuclear-weapons-free world,” the rallying call of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. These are the 24 who then crossed the line separating the public road from the facility’s property:

Those arrested were:

 --Fr Carl Kabat of St. Louis CW, Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), who had entered the property and been charged with destruction of property in July 2011 and July 2012;

 --Fr William Antone, OMI, of Washington, D.C., the OMI order’s U.S. provincial superior;

 -- From the Kansas City area, including Sister of Charity of Leavenworth Cele Breen, Jim Everett - Independence MO, Lauren Logan, Notre Dame Sister of Omaha Theresa Maly, Community of Christ minister Lu Mountenay, Holy Family CWers Christian Brother Louis Rodemann and Nehemiah Rosell, Kelsey Schmidt, Jane Stoever, Ann Suellentrop, and Georgia Walker;

 -- Frank Cordaro, Ed Bloomer, and Jessica Reznicek - Des Moines IA Catholic Workers

 --Fr William “Bix” Bichsel SJ - Taoma WA CW

 --Mary CW House, Oxford WI, Cassandra Dixon of Madison, WI,

 --Paul Freid of Lake City MN CW Farm --Betsy Keenan - Strangers and Guest CW Farm, Maloy IA

 --Chrissy Kirchhoefer St Louis CW and Anneliese Stoever of St. Louis,

 --Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a Catholic womanpriest of Lexington, KY,

 --Jerry Zawada, a Franciscan priest of Milwaukee, WI.

The 24 line-crossers were arrested, fingerprinted, photographed, and then detained in the Jackson County Police Department. Some were released July 13, some July 14, and some will be released July 15. The resisters received different trial dates, but lawyer Henry Stoever said he would try to secure a single trial date for them.

photo by Bee Lloyd

Zawada, when asked why he crossed the line, said, “It’s the children! And the future of the world. People are blind, people are deaf, to the fact that we’re producing these horrible bombs and creating an atmosphere of fear. It threatens the whole world.” He quoted a statement from deceased Jesuit Richard McSorley: “It’s a sin to build a nuclear weapon.” Zawada also said he wanted to accompany Kabat in this action; Kabat has spent 17 years in prison for acts of civil resistance to nuclear weapons. Referring to Kabat and the whole worldwide community of people seeking a nuke-free world, Zawada said, “It takes passion. And perseverance.”

Maly reflected, “I hope people that have positions of power, the ability to make decisions about nuclear weapons, hear our message.”

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End Notes: This blog post is the complete news release from PeaceWorks.  Read a National Catholic Reporter article on the Kansas City action by Kate Simmons here.  Click here to see the Facebook page for the action.  

A Wish for Humanity in the Season of Light

(Written by The Nuclear Abolitionist in December 2012.  With a nod to Clement Moore, the author of the poem "Twas the night before Christmas")

Twas the day before Christmas
and all through the morning
all the missiles were ready
to be launched on warning.

In subs and silos and bombers aplenty
warriors sat with their nukes at the ready.

In the capitols of all the nuclear powers
world leaders consulted in their ivory towers,
about how to maintain nuclear superiority
while keeping other nations well below parity.

Relations between nations were obviously strained
as the US and Russia kept playing their games.
Talk of disarmament continued to fissile
while weapons makers continued to build missiles.

The risk of nuclear war continues to increase
while pentagon planners refuse to cease
making lunatic plans with increasing urgence
using outdated models like nuclear deterrence.

The Prince of Peace would be coming soon
with humanity at the edge of impending doom.
After decades of living under the Sword of Damocles
humanity had not brought the nuclear menace to its knees.

Courageous people kept sounding the alarm
While humanity ignored their warnings of harm.
How long can this madness continue to go on
as nations continue to rely on the bomb?

Now the mist is lifting, it is Christmas Morn.
The world is spared from the nuclear storm.
The Baby is born away in a manger
and Peace is the watchword in our time of danger.

The angels sing out with prophetic voice,
Disarm, Disarm, is the only sane choice.
We must disarm hearts before all the weapons
Or build them again we will as it happens.

Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to All Peoples
May the clarion call ring out from the steeples.

May the people demand the nonviolent choice
and around the world speak out in one voice
for an end to the violence within our souls
that will bring to us all such unspeakable tolls.

A wish for humanity in this Season of Light,
Nonviolence to all, and to all a good night.

Resistance is Not Futile!

Friends,

In my December 7th post I not only asked you to push your Senators to ratify New START, but told you about the Disarm Now Plowshares trial that was starting that day.

Well, the trial is now history, and the government got what it wanted; it reduced the conversation to one primarily about trespassing, destruction of government property and conspiracy, rather than one about the real issues of illegal weapons of mass destruction with which our nation continues to threaten the world and around which it builds its foreign policy.

Disarm Now Plowshares represents part of a greater movement that seeks to resist the immoral and often illegal actions of our government. Those who engage in acts of nonviolent civil resistance, whether at a nuclear weapons storage depot, at School of the Americas or at The White House (as on December 16, 2010) are engaged in a great conspiracy of hope.

Chris Hedges, who participated in and spoke at last Thursday's White House action, stated it directly and eloquently, as did Daniel Ellsberg. Essentially, we choose to become enemies of the state or we are enemies of hope. As we move into a new year may we engage ever greater numbers of citizens in acts of nonviolent resistance until our elected officials can no longer ignore us. That is our hope.

Resistance is not futile. It is, in fact, necessary in order to save the soul of this spiritually impoverished and warring nation. Let us resolve in the coming year to resist with all our hearts and souls, lighting the way and creating a path for others to follow.

Peace,

Leonard

Building Bridges (To Peace)

Friends,

I had the good fortune and honor of spending the weekend commemorating the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with fellow nuclear abolitionists, people of a deep, abiding faith in the ability of humanity to one day rid our world of the scourge of nuclear weapons, and build one that is just, peaceful and sustainable.

Rodney Herold videotaped much of that weekend at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, and put together a remarkable video that documents the nonviolent direct action that took place on Monday, August 9th, the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, at the Trident nuclear submarine base at Bangor, Washington. Rodney did much more than simply document the event; he created a powerful statement of hope and the need to build bridges of understanding.



A few years ago the Rev. Joe Hale posed the question, “Is it ever possible to make peace by destroying bridges?” He was speaking in reference to Israel’s indiscriminate destruction of Lebanon, but he could have been speaking of any number of foreign policy decisions made by the U.S. government since September 11, 2001.

The events of that fateful day in 2001 sewed the seeds of fear, anger and hatred, and fueled decisions in the highest levels of government that have made our nation and the world a much more dangerous place. However, things could have taken a much different course, and we still have the opportunity to change course before it is too late.

To change course we must start building bridges rather than destroying them. To do so will require that our nation stop threatening other nations with regime change, fulfill our obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and stop holding the threat of nuclear weapons over other countries, and start using civilian diplomacy rather than military action as a tool of foreign policy. It will also require major shifts in our patterns of energy consumption that have created such a huge reliance on oil. Our priorities must change dramatically.

But none of this can happen without changing ourselves and how we define and address the evils in our world. Not long after 9/11 and before completing the mission in Afghanistan, President Bush laid out the next stage in his war on terror and announced his plans to confront the infamous “axis of evil”, rogue states that threaten the world with weapons of mass destruction. Many years before, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of a completely different axis of evil, one of racism, poverty/materialism, and war that mire people in misery, divide people against one another, and threaten the world with extinction.

President Obama has taken President Bush's lead in trying to rid the world of evil primarily through military action, and foreign aid/poverty assistance linked to what we determine to be "good" government and "good" economic practices. Dr. King, however, believed in addressing racial and cultural tensions, committing unconditionally to free the world of the scourge of poverty, and utilizing nonviolent intervention in international conflicts.

What ultimately sets the two strategies apart are their motivations. The current one is based on fear and hatred and the need for power and desire for resources; the other on faith and compassion and the quest for justice, which are values shared by the world’s great religions. And beyond the motivations, we have seen the consequences of coercion and violence. We, as people of a common humanity, are called to seek a different approach in which we build bridges instead of destroying them.

As Dr. King once so eloquently stated, “Love is the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or to bow before the altar of retaliation. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals who pursued this self-defeating path of hate.” (from Where Do We Go From Here. Chaos or Community? C1968).

Dr. King’s prophetic voice calls us to follow the well-worn path of love and nonviolence, building bridges along the way, connecting with ALL of humanity. I invite you to watch Rodney's video. I hope it will provide you with a glimpse into the hearts and minds of dedicated nuclear resisters, and the network of people who support them. They are people of hope, people who work to build bridges rather than destroy them.

One final note about the video is the poignant music, "Able, Baker, Charlie and Dog", by musician and songwriter Joe Crookston. The song is a very personal story about Joe's grandfather who was part of a U.S. Navy construction battalion in World War II that built the runways on Tinian Island from which the bombers carrying the atomic bombs took off for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Joe's song is far more than background music; it is an integral element, providing yet another person's contribution to our deeper, human understanding of the atomic bombings and the nature of war itself. The song is the perfect accompaniment for Rodney's video.

Peace,

Leonard

This post is a revised version of an article originally written for Every Church a Peace Church.

Note: In 2006, the Natural Resources Defense Council declared that the 2,364 nuclear warheads at Bangor are approximately 24 percent of the entire U.S. arsenal. The Bangor base houses more nuclear warheads than China, France, Israel, India, North Korea and Pakistan combined. For thirty-three years Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action has engaged in education, training in nonviolence, community building, resistance against Trident and action toward a world without nuclear weapons.

Who or What is the Danger?

Friends,

I have, through my peacemaking journey, learned patience (and hopefully some other things as well).  I have learned that, as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."  Even with a deep understanding of the temporal uncertainty of the struggle for true and lasting peace and justice, I know that I cannot utter the words, "perhaps not in my lifetime," because that is an excuse, and excuses are not acceptable if we truly committed (as Dr. King was) to working for a world at peace.  Of course, we do our work knowing (on a certain level) that we may not see the fruits of our labors in this life; we do it knowing that we may not change the world, but if we choose to not do this important work, that the world will change us, and that is an unacceptable proposition.

Enter Lynne Greenwald; mother, grandmother, social worker, peacemaker, nuclear weapons resister.  Lynne, who moved close to the Trident nuclear submarine base in Kitsap County many years ago based on a deeply held belief that nuclear weapons were an abomination, and that Trident (designed as a first strike weapon) was an abomination of monumental proportions.  She has engaged in the long struggle to abolish Trident and all nuclear weapons as a member of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action.  Lynne is one who understands the long arc, and chooses to put her deeply held faith into action, manifested as resistance to omnicidal weapons that the U.S. government (and other nations) continue to embrace.

On Dec. 9, 2009 Lynne appeared in United States District Court in Tacoma, WA for a detention hearing related to an August 10 trespass charge when she crossed the blue line onto Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor NBKB), Washington. This arrest occurred during Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action's recognition of the 64th anniversary of the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Lynne (and companions) carried a banner stating, "Abolish Nuclear weapons: Resist Trident." (Refer to the October 2009 issue of the Ground Zero newsletter for full article and photo. The charge is a misdemeanor trespass violation 18 USC 1382.

(Watch the slideshow of the vigil and ecumenical service before Lynne's Dec. 9 hearing.)

View all

Get your own

You may ask why the government would want to jail Lynne until her trial for a misdemeanor.  Well, since the August 10 event, Lynne (and others) engaged in an epic plowshares action in which they went a bit beyond the usual blue line crossing.  They were able to get all the way in to the secure nuclear weapons storage area of the base before getting arrested.  Click here for the full details of that action.

After the prosecutor presented the state's case, the judge stated that, in the U.S. peaceful protest "is allowed and encouraged", but violating the law is not. He concluded that, based upon the actions brought forth by the prosecutor, Lynne constitutes a risk to the community. He cited the fact that entering the lethal force area (inside the nuclear warhead storage bunker area at Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFCAC)) creates a situation where Marines may have to use deadly force. Interestingly enough, not once during the proceedings did the government use any terminology relating to nuclear weapons, even when referring to the high security area in which nuclear weapons are stored; it was only referred to as the "secret area" (definitely a Monty Python moment).  The judge ordered that Lynne be released, but ordered that she not enter the base, and if she does so a warrant for her arrest would be issued.

Susan Crane and Sue Ablao outside the courthouse on Dec. 9

For me, it all boils down to the question in the photo: Who or what presents the real danger???  A nonviolent mom or nuclear weapons???  I will leave that for you to decide.  In the bigger picture, this story speaks to me of the potential that exists within each of us to seek truth and act on conscience.  It may not be crossing the blue line or cutting fences, but there are many layers of engagement with matters of peace and justice, and nuclear weapons are no exception.  Each of us must determine how much we are willing to do and how far we are willing to go to build a peaceful and just world.

Advent, a time of year when we hear so much about the birth of the Prince of Peace, is a wonderful time to reflect on our actions in the world, and to what we are willing to commit.  Lynne's journey is an example to us all.  May we all encourage the peacemaker within.

Peace,

Leonard  

Resisting Trident - Risking Arrest

Friends,

Resisting nuclear weapons is a tricky business. Actions have consequences, and in the case of nonviolent resistance to Trident, which has been the focus of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action for over 30 years, the action of crossing the blue line painted across the roadway entering Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor can range from a relatively benign ban and bar letter to a Federal trial before a magistrate judge that might result in prison time and a monetary fine.

Many people have risked arrest for more than thirty years, blocking the railroad tracks and highways entering the Trident base, physically (and morally) resisting the genocidal (or perhaps I should call them omnicidal) weapons with which the U.S. government threatens the world (Bangor is home to roughly one fourth of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile). Each person goes through a discernment process before choosing to risk arrest, considering the possible consequences; participants do not take that commitment lightly.

There have been numerous trials over the years, and this October there will be another. One of GZ's younger members, Nicole Scott, twice crossed the blue line during vigils and nonviolent actions at the Trident submarine base in 2008. She will face trial in U.S. District Court on October 7th. You can read the details as well as Nicole's personal statement in the news release below.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood on October 7th, drop by to show your support for Nicole. Members of Ground Zero will also be leafleting in front of the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tacoma, Washington during the lunch hour to focus attention on Keep Space for Peace Week and Trident. Click here for directions, and parking and transit information for the Tacoma Union Station Courthouse.

Peace,

Leonard

Photo Note: Nicole Scott being escorted off the submarine base after her arrest on May 10, 2008. Photos by Leonard Eiger, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action.

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Federal Trial for Civil Resistance at Trident Submarine Base

A Federal hearing will be held for nuclear weapons resister Nicole Scott on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 1:30 PM in courtroom G, Hon. James P. Donohue (Magistrate Judge) in United States District Court, Western District of Washington at Tacoma.

Ms. Scott is charged with Title 18 USC Section 1382, “which prohibits any person from entering any military installation for any purpose prohibited by law. In addition, this section precludes individuals who have been removed from bases and instructed not to reenter from reentering without permission.”

The defendant was most recently arrested May 10th, 2008 at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor during a Mother’s Day peace vigil when, along with 5 others, she entered the roadway on Federal property and knelt down, blocking the highway entrance.

Ms. Scott was previously arrested during a January 19, 2008 peace vigil in which she and 5 other resisters entered the roadway on Federal property singing “We Shall Overcome” while 5 others blocked the highway entrance to the Trident submarine base while holding a banner with a statement by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which stated, "When scientific power outruns moral power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men."

When asked why she participated in nonviolent resistance against Trident, Ms. Scott said that, "The advance of nuclear technology and militarism has not come without the reach of communities standing up for their own well-being, in ways that can be sustained for generations to come. I support the cause of nuclear abolition in solidarity with people across the globe who are taking power back into their communities resisting all stages of nuclear production, working towards harmonious relationships with the earth."

Ms. Scott is a member of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Poulsbo, Washington. For over thirty years Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action has engaged in education, training in nonviolence, community-building, resistance against Trident and action toward a world without nuclear weapons.

Note: Please check Judge Donohue’s calendar at http://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/calendars/MagistrateJudgeJamesP.DonohueCalendar.htm since the docket may be subject to change.

The Path of Most Resistance

Friends,

Water is truly the essence of life. It is likely from some primordial soup whose primary component was water, that life began on Earth. Our bodies are largely composed of water, and it sustains us in so many ways. And, of course, water flows, finding its way without resisting. And to what effect; consider the Grand Canyon.

Members of the Pacific Life Community, which held its annual retreat over the two days before its recent vigil and action at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, brought water from various places from which they came. On the day of the action they poured all their water offerings into a single glass vase, after which they took conifer boughs whetted with that water and sprinkled each other, and also sprinkled water in the direction of the base and soldiers standing guard while singing "Peace is Flowing Like a River."

After this blessing of the waters, a group of resisters from the Pacific Life Community walked onto the roadway and crossed the blue line onto the base. They kneeled down, and Chris Rooney poured the remaining water onto the roadway, and as he described it, "watched it run towards the earth by the highway."

Here is the poem Chris wrote for this ritual, followed by the personal mantra of one of the other resisters, John Owen.

These waters have come from many places to mingle here but the truth is they have mixed and separated countless times before now. They have traveled many miles through time, and air, and sand, and rock, and wood, to be with us. We ask God the creator of water, to bless our resistance to the evil of men and to cleanse the land of their crimes.

To that God who’s name is Peace, Love and Justice we pray for healing to fall like rain and wash away the sins of greed and violence, and nourish the flowering of love within all people.

Amen.

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Be like water, seek the lowest places. Water, by resisting nothing, overcomes everything. - John Owen

I am often asked if our resistance to Trident makes a difference. I generally explain that although we hope to someday see the end of Trident and all nuclear weapons, whether or not we "make a difference" is not so important as our choosing to resist. Our knowledge makes us accountable, and we make a moral choice to resist, because to do otherwise would be to become part of that which we resist - weapons so inhumane and genocidal .

In reflecting on the ritual performed by members of the Pacific Life Community at the Trident base, I begin to see our resistance to Trident as much like the action of water. Water occasionally demonstrates its power in dramatic fashion, causing unimaginable changes due to the magnitude of its force. But most often it works slowly, steadily, imperceptibly (as in the example of the Grand Canyon), creating extraordinary effects that we marvel at today.

Whether or not we see the effects of our resistance in our lifetime is (to me) not important, and out of my control. What is important is that we choose to act, and much like the water, never give up. Individually, we are small streams, but we flow together to become a mighty river, picking up others along the way, slowly doing our work, often barely noticed, until one day, perhaps, we will have created a world free of nuclear weapons. And what a day that will be.

May we all (in our nonviolent resistance) be as gentle, and yet as strong as water.

Peace,

Leonard

Thanks to Chris Rooney for sharing his poem, and to John Owen for sharing his personal mantra. Chris Rooney (and Karl Germyn) publish The Christian Radical blog, a Catholic Worker information and resource service run by the Catholic Worker community of Vancouver Canada.

As for the title of this post, it comes from the 2009 War Resisters League calendar, The Path of Most Resistance: A U.S. Radical History Tour. This calendar will not only help you keep track of your scheduled appointments, protests, actions and vigils, but will also keep you appraised of key historical dates and provide a weekly lesson on the history of American peace and justice. If you still need a 2009 planner (and even if you don't) this one is on sale now at the War Resisters League for only $5.00!!!! You can also get previous years' calendars.

P.S. - Just two more days to sign the Appeal to President Obama for U.S. Leadership for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World, and then it will be delivered to Washington, D.C.

Restoring the Beloved Community

Dear Friends,

For those readers in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, I have an announcement of an event occurring on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 19). I will be writing more on Dr. King before then, but for now I will say that honoring his life (and legacy) means much more than praising his civil rights work. Dr. King worked for human rights, and he spoke against everything (including war) that denied people those rights.

On January 19th members and friends of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action will honor Dr. King by witnessing to (and resisting) the horrors of nuclear weapons and war. You can learn more in the announcement below (and at the GZ Website). A two-sided flyer is available for downloading at Ground Zero's Website.

You can watch a You Tube video of last year's MLK Day event here.



I hope you will join us in January for this gathering of peacemakers. All are welcome in the spirit of nonviolence.

Peace,

Leonard

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Restoring the Beloved Community

Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 19, by standing against nuclear weapons and war! Join the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (GZ) in a vigil at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds MLK Day event in the morning, and a vigil and direct action at the gates of the Bangor Trident nuclear submarine base in the afternoon.

The day begins at 8:30 a.m. at GZ, 16159 Clear Creek Rd. NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370. At 9:15 we will carpool to the Fairgrounds, 1200 NW Fairgrounds Rd., Bremerton, WA 98311, and meet at 9:30 at the NE corner of the Fairgrounds parking lot, in front of the main entrance to the auditorium, where we will vigil for one hour, and then return to GZ. From 11:00 to 3:15 at GZ there will be nonviolence training and action planning. At 3:15 we will head for the Bangor gate(s) for vigiling and nonviolent direct action, returning to GZ at 4:30 to await the return of arrestees.

Bring sack lunch, snacks, drinking water, umbrella, warm, waterproof clothes, flashlight, sign-making materials, money to donate, peaceful spirit. For directions or more information, go to www.gzcenter.org, or contact Jackie or Sue at 360-377-2586.