Articles
“NotGuilty” was the verdict for Henry Stoever, a lawyer and local chair of the board of PeaceWorks-KC, who came to trial on Jan. 16 in Municipal Court for crossing a line at KC’s new nuclear weapons parts plant this fall. This came as a complete surprise to followers in the courtroom, especially to those 120 protesters who have learned to expect community service or jail time.
“This is not a garden-variety trespass case, but a Claim of Right case, as well as a First Amendment … case.” asserted Stoever.
Concerning his line-crossing, Stoever says, “I have a Claim of Right to preserve our Government, our rights and privileges, and all rights and liberties accorded all persons.” (section b, Claim of Right)
The new plant violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ratified by the Senate in 1970, Stoever contends. (section e, Claim of Right) Further, he says he does not enter into the “Suicide Pact” the government is engaged in with advancing nuclear weapons, and he calls the threatened use of nuclear weapons terrorism. (section f, Claim of Right)
“These weapons of mass destruction violate my principles of the sanctity of all life, violate my right relations with the environment, this planet and the entire solar system, and violate my conscience to the deepest depth of my core belief,” Stoever asserts. (section h, Claim of Right)
“This unprecedented verdict was a turn-about for the moral resisters of a policy of greed, destruction and maladjustment in the nuclear culture of America – seeking sanity in the nuclear nightmare., said Ron Faust of DPFKC.
Recruitment Concerns and Non-Violence Approach
Countering military recruitment
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." - Col. 2:8
"No one simply joins the Marines, because the title must be earned. Marine Corps Recruit training is where the separation begins: the weak from the strong, the child from the adult, the civilian from the Marine. These 13 weeks will break away all the things that bind you to the excesses of the past. And in the end, you will become a confident member of the finest warrior-force in the world. You'll be a United States Marine." - U.S. Marines recruiting brochure
"Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes
may affect my pay, allowances, benefits and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces regardless of the provisions of this enlistment/reenlistment document." - Enlistment/Reenlistment Document Armed Forces of the United States; Sec. 9(b.) DD Form 4/1 (Back) Aug. 1998
The United States military is captivating our youth through its hollow and deceptive philosophy. In response, we commit ourselves to a ministry of truth and justice for those who are being aggressively recruited for military service. As Christ's church on earth we embrace His compassionate and redemptive message. We are called to love our enemies rather than kill them.
The apostle Peter exhorts us to obey God rather than men. We offer a prophetic response to the immoral wars being fought in our name and to the widespread militarization of American society. It is not only the firing of shots and the piercing of flesh that we scorn. We stand opposed to the specter of an insidious $4 Billion pentagon recruiting program that targets youth of color and those with fewer options. Countering military recruitment confronts an ugly mix of a distinctively American brand of institutionalized violence, racism, militarism, nationalism, and sexism.
We are guided by the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his sermon, "Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence" that was delivered on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. Dr. King said, "Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism." Dr. King's words are truly prophetic.
As CPWI Partners we are already committed to supporting our troops through a ministry of healing and justice for those who have served in our armed forces. Countering the work of military recruiters calls us to stand in the way of the recruiting process to inject the truth of our Savior and offer youth alternatives to military service in the form of faith, hope and employment opportunities.
We don't condemn the soldier. We know Jesus was astounded by the faith of the Roman Centurion. Instead, we sound a warning over the evils inherent in military recruiting, training and service. When the solemn military chaplain hands a crisply folded flag to a grieving widow of a slain soldier at the grave's edge he cites from the Gospel according to John, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater lover has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." We embrace the sermon while questioning the morality of the mission.
We peacefully challenge the military recruiter to protect the most vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds in our communities. We will work to change high school policies that encourage military recruiters and we commit ourselves to providing youth with access to training, employment and educational alternatives to military service.
Wars start in our communities through military recruiting. It is our duty to stop them.
Why Nonviolent Civil Disobedience?
The Christian Peace Witness for Iraq has featured nonviolent civil disobedience at the White House, calling for a comprehensive plan to end the U.S. war and occupation in Iraq. The following article helps people understand and prepare to take part in nonviolent civil disobedience.
"There is nothing wrong with a traffic law which says you have to stop for a red light. But when a fire is raging, the fire truck goes right through that red light... Or when a [person] is bleeding to death, the ambulance goes through those red lights at top speed...
Disinherited people all over the world are bleeding to death from deep social and economic wounds. They need brigades of ambulance drivers who will have to ignore the red lights of the present system until the emergency is solved. Massive civil disobedience is a strategy for social change which is at least as forceful as an ambulance with its siren on full."
- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience
As the violence in Iraq escalated, the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq organized nonviolent civil disobedience to publicly say that Jesus calls us to love our enemies and to repent of our complicity with a nation which relies on violence rather than right relationships. Like the Old Testament prophets who spoke truth to power, both then and now, we prophetically urge the nation and its leaders to end the U.S. occupation in Iraq and to support a just and peaceful resolution.
Throughout history, people have responded to numerous social and political emergencies and transformed systems of institutionalized violence by engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience. Social transformations -- such as women's suffrage, establishing workers' rights, ending legal racial segregation, protecting the environment, establishing a moratorium on nuclear testing and ending the Vietnam War -- were the direct result of broad-based networks of ordinary citizens who took action. These and many other movements featured nonviolent civil disobedience as a way of clearly and publicly withdrawing consent from unjust policies and to sharpen for society the crucial choice for justice and peace.
People of faith have played a perennial role in taking action on behalf of justice and peace. For 2,000 years, Christians have taken public, prophetic and risky steps to put into practice the unquenchable, unifying divine love proclaimed and lived out by Jesus.
In the face of the growing emergency in Iraq, it is crucial that we as people of faith take loving and determined action to make unmistakably clear the need for a new course in Iraq and in the world. There are many different, powerful ways to do this. Nonviolent civil disobedience is one of these powerful ways.
Read the Nonviolence Pledge below
Nonviolence Pledge
All those participating in the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq are asked to affirm:
We are followers of Jesus Christ, who consistently chose to meet injustice with life-affirming action, and who remained committed to nonviolence even in the face of the most violent kind of punishment and death known in his time. Therefore, we pledge:
We will be open and respectful toward each person we encounter.
We will be positive examples of Christ’s love for all people.
Whenever possible, our witness will be for the power of that love rather than against the evil that we deplore.
Our actions will be grounded in our shared worship, prayer, study of the Bible, and reliance on our historic confessions. These are the fundamental building blocks of our faith.
We will use no violence, verbal or physical, toward any person, especially those with whom we disagree or officers of the law who feel compelled to arrest us as we carry out nonviolent, peaceful protest.
We will not destroy or damage any property.
When engaging in nonviolent acts of "divine obedience" that may be seen as breaking the law, we will accept the consequences of our actions.
We will not carry anything that could be construed as a weapon.
We will not bring or use alcohol or drugs (except for medical purposes).
Preparing for Civil Disobedience
Preparing ourselves to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience is crucial. Prayer, study, reflection and training inform our decision and prepare us in spirit, mind and heart to take this action.
Prayer
We encourage you to prayerfully reflect on the war and the ways you are being moved to end it, including the call to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. Where is God in this call? What are you being called to undertake? What are your hopes and fears? We invite you to join with others in your religious community and your family to explore this.
Nonviolent Action Training CPW strongly encourages anyone engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience to take Nonviolent Action Training. Nonviolence training introduces participants to the why, what, when, where and how of this nonviolent civil disobedience witness. It is designed to help make the action effective, powerful, prayerful and peaceful.
How do we get out of this mess?
One of the two most courageous, risky acts is to speak truth to power, both to a nation and on our job. We face the fear of being unpatriotic or fired. Even ministers risks their pulpits when they proclaim a gospel of peace.
Who will be heard above the drum beats of war?
How convenient for the terrorists that we took our soldiers to them so that they can find local targets. America is like a magnet that has increased terrorism seven fold. Obviously a military solution is entangling us in a quagmire of pain, and a repeat in other parts of the world becomes even more painful. We have trouble seeing what the world sees; our presence has become the actual problem.
It looks bad. It appears that our national interest is to control oil, establish military bases and make regime changes when we fail to detect cooperation with our notion of democracy. Again it looks bad. And maybe it stays this way because we would have to reorder our priorities, for life instead of destruction or greed.
Inertia? Maybe our government can’t, or won’t change. But we in the church still need to work toward a Biblical vision of peace. Let’s use our democracy to get out of such destructive messes. Find a peace group to support the cause of peace. by Ron Faust, 2007
Quote of MLK Jr.
"It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to return to her true home of brotherhood and peaceful pursuits. We cannot remain silent as our nation engages in one of history's most cruel and senseless wars.
During these days of human travail, we must encourage creative dissenters. We need them because the thunder of their fearless voices will be the only sound stronger than the blasts of bombs and the clamor of war hysteria.
Those of us who love peace must organize as effectively as war hawks. As they spread the propaganda of war, we must spread the propaganda of peace. " ---------------
"Now let me say that the next thing we must be concerned about if we are to have peace on earth and good will toward men is the nonviolent affirmation of the sacredness of all human life."
---- both quotes by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968)
“War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of nuclear annihilation... I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow... I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed.
Put the Drones on Trial!
Join Ramsey Clark, Kathy Kelly, Ann Wright and Bill Quigley
Come to Missouri to Join Experts in Constitutional and International
Law Supporting Activists in First Anti-Drone Trial Heard in Federal
Court, September 10
Former Attorney General of the United States Ramsey Clark will be
called as an expert witness in defense of two anti-drone activists on
trial in United States District Court in Jefferson City, Missouri, on
September 10. Clark, 84, has long and varied legal career that
includes the drafting of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and opposition
to the Vietnam War. He served as attorney general under President
Lyndon Johnson from 1966 to 1969. Also called as expert witnesses for the defense will be retired Col. Ann Wright, who served 29 years in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves and 16 years as a U.S. diplomat and resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq War, and Bill Quigley,
Associate Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a law
professor at Loyola University New Orleans. Kathy Kelly,
co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, will be called to
witness to the effects of drone warfare on its civilian victims she
has met while visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The defendants, Ron Faust of Kansas City and Brian Terrell of Maloy, Iowa, participated in the April 15 “Trifecta Resista” protest at
Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base, from where killer drones engage in combat in Afghanistan by remote control. They were arrested for trespass as they attempted to deliver an “indictment” to Brigadier General Scott A. Vander Hamm, the base’s commander. The indictment charges the chain of command, from President Obama to General Vander Hamm to the drone crews at Whiteman “with the following crimes; extrajudicial killings, violation of due process, wars of aggression, violation of national sovereignty, and the killing of innocent civilians” and demands that these crimes immediately cease. Arrested with Faust and Terrell was Mark Kenney of Omaha, who is now serving a four month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges at a June 6 arraignment.
The defendants intend to prove in court that their protest was
protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and also was a response to more egregious crimes committed on the base.
“Drones inherently violate the laws of the United States and
international law,” says Clark. “They are associated with the concept
of assassination and murder.” In terms of the crimes the accused are charged with, Clark says the defendants are being denied their
constitutional rights of free speech and the freedom to assemble. And their “crimes,” he says, pale in comparison to what the defendants are trying to stop.
The protest at Whiteman is one of many in response to the US
government’s increasing use of drones in recent years, but the trial
in Jefferson City is the first time that charges have been filed not
in local courts but in US District Court. The prosecution will be
handled directly by a commissioned officer in the Air Force Judge
Advocate General Corps, acting as a Special Assistant United States
Attorney. Terrell, a defendant in previous “drone trials,” that of the
“Creech 14” in Nevada in 2010 and the “Hancock 18” in New York in
2011, is a Catholic Worker and a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and will be representing himself with the assistance of Kansas City attorney Henry Stoever. Faust, a retired Disciples of Christ minister, will be represented by Columbia, MO, attorney Ruth O’Neill.
On the evening before the trial, Sunday, September 9, at 6:30, the
defendants, attorneys and witnesses will hold a public meeting at
Community Christian Church, 4601 Main Street, in Kansas City, MO. On Monday at noon there will be a press conference and rally at the US District Court House, 80 Lafayette Street in Jefferson City, followed by the trial at 1:30 (photo ID required, no cell phones allowed in US Courthouse). Please contribute to the costs of this defense by donating on line at https://www.wepay.com/donations/TrifectaResista or writing a check to Voices for Creative Nonviolence, 1249 West Argyle Street #2, Chicago, IL 60640 with “drones on trial” in the memo line.
Contact Brian Terrell, brian@vcnv.org 773-853-1886 for more
information. Tamara Severns, redwoodseverns@yahoo.com, 816-753-7642 and Jane Stoever, janepstoever@yahoo.com, 913-206-4088 are coordinating hospitality and logistics in Kansas City and Jefferson City.
POETIC JUSTICE
Nine defendants came before Judge Ardie Bland during a trial on December 13, 2013 for crossing the line at the National Security Agency where they build triggers for nuclear weapons in Kansas City. Judge Bland announced an unusual sentence, shocking the courtroom, "I want each one of you to write a one-page, single-spaced essay on each of the following six topics," Bland said. "Your responses will be attached to the court record, which is a public record. They will exist as long as Kansas City exists. My way will give you a chance to say what you want to say." Ron Faust was an observer of the court proceedings and chose to respond to the questions in poetic form by imagining a House of Mirrors in the following six stanzas.
STANZA I
It’s like we were going from room to room
In a House of Mirrors,
Looking at the distortions
But sometimes at our “selves,”
turning dark and ugly
we avert our eyes
An inquisitor enters the room
Asking hypotheticals
IF
An enemy drops a bomb
Would we feel different
About nuclear weapons?
Wait. Didn’t the US already drop two?
It’s apocalyptic.
Absolutely destroying everything.
Now they are 100 times Hiroshima
We can’t use them,
No need to build them
After all, this is different than
Popping BB guns
Nuclear weapons are disproportionately
Devastating
No matter who has them
And
Building more is part of the insanity
Because it makes us
even more insecure
giving US a false sense
of invulnerability
No, nuclear weapons are horrible nightmares
Created in our fears
About what others might do to us
And we are deceived by shadows
Of old ways of thinking.
(During the trial on December 13, 2013 Judge Ardie Bland used the sentencing phase to pose the first question, “If North Korea, China or one of the Middle Eastern countries dropped a nuclear bomb on a U.S. city tomorrow, would that change your opinion about nuclear weapons?”)
STANZA II
The inquisitor enters the next room
With his question, “What then
if Germany or Japan had used
the nuclear option first?”
and the answer is still NO nukes,
as we sense the destruction upon Japan,
and wonder if that was the only way to end it.
Let’s retell the story,
It’s conceivable that the war could have ended
With a negotiated settlement
But Truman’s decision to bomb
Proceeded upon the basis
For control and preeminence
In the post war era,
And it worked. But
The genie was out of the bottle
And we now have the scary dilemma
Of nuclear weapons proliferating.
Remember this, the US is the one
Who has used the bomb
Who is willing to enact first strikes
Who is perceived by the rest of the world
As many countries’ greatest threat,
A rogue nation!
Which goes against our self perception
As the “good guys,”
That we can be a force for good
But we also have to look in the mirror
And ask how our nuclear weapons
Are taking us
On a downward spiral
Toward a destructive bent.
(During the trial on December 13, 2013 Judge Ardie Bland used the sentencing phase to pose the second question, “If Germany or Japan had used nuclear weapons first in World War II, do you think that would have changed your opinion?”)
STANZA III
As we go to another room
And ask a question about the big stick
We touch on the notion of bullying.
You’ll recall that September 11, 2001
Has had profound impact
On the American psyche.
The consequences of 911
Has justified major decisions
In our pursuit of terrorism
We’ve changed the way we do
Unjustified wars
airport security
vigilante distrust
incursions on our privacy
secrecy
classified documents
harshness on whistleblowers
more fear everywhere
The day of 911 has been its own weapon
to keep people from crossing the line
and maintain the need for the nuclear
to wipe out our enemies.
Our moral propriety is damaged.
When you think about it,
Just three airplanes
Two twin towers
And three thousand people --
a small tradeoff against the elimination
Of entire cities and the human race
Because of a nuclear winter
Wasting vegetation
And increased radiation
Makes you wonder how obsessed we get
That revenge needs to exact punishment
Many times over
Drone attack after drone
Killing innocent children
And intensifying fear
By sneaking up on unsuspecting families
Who then are raising future terrorists.
Who look in the mirror
And see the big stick
And a big bully who is not a pretty sight
When all you can see in the background --
A nuclear weapon.
(During the trial on December 13, 2013 Judge Ardie Bland used the sentencing phase to pose the third question, “What would you say to those who say, "If we [the U.S.] do not have the big stick, that is, if we get rid of our nuclear weapons, and other countries develop nuclear weapons, then we do not have the opportunity to fight back"?
STANZA IV
We are moving through the House of Mirrors
But the reflection is brighter
Although God talk by the inquisitor
Shows that one question to a Buddhist
Is nonsensical
Since a Buddhist doesn’t believe in God
but in a concept
and an understanding of God
requires a more mature notion
than what is reflected in these questions.
So let’s back up a bit
Since the question seems to imply
Some kind of fierce warrior God
When God is used to justify the Crusades
Or for that matter war.
There is a developmental understanding of God
from the tribal beginnings
To the Monarchial, king ruler traditions
To the best of the prophets
Where we see a more gentle, forgiving and loving God
If the inquisitor believes in a judgmental God
Then we could understand
Why the rule of law enters one’s reality
But of course God is bigger than this picture
Even in the knowledge that
“the written code kills and the spirit gives life”
we can form an understanding that God believes in love or is love,
not just some kind of legal entity.
(During the trial on December 13, 2013 Judge Arte Bland used the sentencing phase to pose the fourth question, “You defendants say you are Christians and one is a Buddhist, how do you respond to someone who believes there is no God? Who is to say what God believes, for example, when Christians used God to justify slavery and the Crusades?)
STANZA V
We move into these various rooms
as progressions of our understanding and
to experience the search for significance.
But a study of religion would recognize
That fundamentalism of all faiths is anathema
To the faith journey
Because there is a tendency to make
Absolute answers as normative
To one sided approaches
That refuse to raise questions
And look at alternatives.
There are two sides to every issue
And in a democratic society
We protect the rights of the minority
And in this case
we are raising serious questions
about the need for nuclear weapons
and it a good thing too
before we blow ourselves up
because any other option might be
too late.
A careful study of religion would show
A common principle
“Do no harm”
so that putting God on the side of
crushing others
is a distortion of a mature understanding
of religions and
for that matter patriotism
when wars and nuclear weapons are over-the-top
excuses for fighting
in the name of religion and country
So that the point of protest is to “do no harm”
By preventing the use of the nuclear option
And reducing fear and revenge
By developing attitudes of peaceful non-violence.
(During the trial on December 13, 2013 Judge Ardie Bland used the sentencing phase to pose the fifth question, “How do you respond to those who have a God different from you when they argue that their religion is to crush others into dust?”)
STANZA VI
Exactly.
We stumbled into this room,
And the question was immediately asked,
Who determines God’s law?
Exactly the point!
And does this question betray a lack of understanding
about lower laws and a higher law?
Because
Nations have used lower laws of trespassing
To defend potentially destructive weapons
And turn back protestors who follow
A higher law of love.
Besides that,
One can believe in values of love without professing a belief in God.
One can find universal Biblical truths
In the values of Peace, Justice and Creation
One can find supporting evidence for enacting peace, justice and creation
by adopting a pursuit of openness, authenticity and love.
One can study these values and come to the conclusion
that building nuclear weapons
Being the big bully
Possessing firearms
Wasting money on death machines
Supporting militarism
Spewing pollution for global warming
Defending greed
Distorting what is harmful
Lead us to a moral crisis
And spiritual bankruptcy.
Therefore we are the ones who determine
“God’s higher law”
By what we stand for and against
Discerning life or death
As we reflect in the House of Mirrors
Will we leave this place better than
How we found it?
(During the trial on December 13, 2013 Judge Ardie Bland used the sentencing phase to pose the sixth question, “Who determines what "God's law" is, given the history of the USA and the world?”)
Ron Faust 1/3/14