Sunday, March 28, 2010

to the Plowshares 8, with love by Daniel Berrigan - 30th anniversary

SOME
(to the Plowshares 8, with love)
by Daniel Berrigan

Some stood up once, and sat down.
Some walked a mile, and walked away.
Some stood up twice, then sat down.
"It's too much," they cried.
Some walked two miles, then walked away.
"I've had it," they cried.
Some stood and stood and stood.
They were taken for fools,
they were taken for being taken in.
Some walked and walked and walked –
they walked the earth,
they walked the waters,
they walked the air.
"Why do you stand?" they were asked, and
"Why do you walk?"
"Because of the children," they said, and
"Because of the heart," and
"Because of the bread."
"Because the cause is
the heart's beat, and
the children born, and
the risen bread."


Honoring the Plowshares 8
30th anniversary of the Plowshares Eight action
On September 9, 1980, eight people entered a General Electric weapons factory in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where critical components for nuclear warheads were manufactured. With hope and a prayer, the activists entered the secure facility with relative ease. On the shop floor, they took household hammers and began beating on the missile warhead cones, giving substance to the biblical call of the prophet Isaiah to "beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks."

The symbolism – indeed, the manifest reality – of people with hand tools simply beginning the work of nuclear disarmament inspired a movement now thirty years old, and international in scope. Scores of action groups, involving hundreds of people as activists and supporters, have kept this vision of disarmament alive despite jail and prison sentences of up to 18 years.



Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Waihopai Ploughshares acquitted on all counts by jury

March 17, 2010

Adrian Leason, Father Peter Murnane and Sam Land – the three men who
were charged with intentional damage and unlawful entry at Waihopai spy base – have today expressed their thanks to the jury, the judge, and the prosecution and defense lawyers.

At the conclusion of the trial, Father Peter, Sam and Adrian said they
feel privileged to have helped uncover the true nature of the spy base. "Our actions in disabling the spy base and stopping the flow of information helped save lives in Iraq", added Adrian.

"What has been humbling for us to realize is how our witness has
impacted on so many people around the world and at home", said Sam.

"We did not try to avoid the consequences of our actions, because we
respect the rule of law although we do believe we are ultimately
accountable to a higher authority. We damaged property at the spy base in order to save victims of war and torture. It's all about Jesus' command for us to treat all people as our brothers and sisters", said Father Peter.

The jury heard that the Waihopai Echelon spy base is New Zealand's
largest contribution to the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. The ongoing war has resulted in horrific war crimes, including more than one million dead Iraqi civilians, torture, and permanent poisoning of parts of Iraq by the use of depleted uranium munitions.

The jury also heard evidence from a former British Echelon
intelligence analyst, Katherine Gunn. She blew the whistle on secret Echelon spying operations when she was instructed by the US National Security Agency to spy on United Nations Security Council members leading up to the US invasion in 2003.

"Evidence presented in the court confirmed that the ongoing war in
Iraq is illegal, and causing massive human suffering", said Adrian. "As an outcome of this trial, we hope that New Zealanders will insist on an enquiry into the activities of the spy base and its links to US-led illegal wars".

Father Peter, Sam and Adrian expressed gratitude for all the support
they have received from family, friends and the New Zealand public.

Commenting at the conclusion of the trial, Graham Bidois Cameron,
Waihopai Ploughshares media spokesperson, said this Ploughshares action is part of an ongoing tradition: "The practice of non-violent resistance and direct action in the cause of peace has a long history in this country – the peaceful resistance to the invasion of Parihaka, and non-violent direct action against nuclear armed warships entering our harbours being just two examples", he said.

"The actions of Waihopai Ploughshares also need to be understood in
relation to an international movement for disarmament and peace", said lawyer Moana Cole, herself a Ploughshares activist. "Adrian, Sam and Father Peter are part of rich history of activism in support of those without a voice and the movement is certainly growing".

Contact: Graham Bidois Cameron, tel 021 642 414, email

bidoiscameron(at)paradise.net.nz


Stay tuned more details to come on this historic decision... and what
it might mean for the future of prophetic witness in Aotearoa.

For more information about the trial:

http://www.ploughshares.org.nz


Links can also be found on the Jonah House website:
www.jonahhouse.org

Friday, March 12, 2010

Manuals for resistance with the help of Internet

Here are some manual-collections for disobedience with the help of Internet. How do you use darknet, cryptography, creative collaborative tools, etc? Some might be more in the spirit of civil disobedience and others more about integrity or avoiding surveillance. Some are for everyone and others more advanced. Quite a few of my postprotest hacker friends are involved in making the manuals.

Manual collections for Internet-resistance