4509 Walnut, Kansas City, MO 64111 ٠ 816-561-1181 PeaceWorksKC.org [email protected] April 2016
Joy First arrested and tried for opposing ‘shadow drones’
Note: Joy First will speak April 28 in
KCMO and at the PeaceWorks rally vs. drone
warfare on April 30 at Whiteman AFB
(see p. 3 for event details)
Excerpts from First’s trial
On Feb. 9, Judge Paul Curran found me
guilty of trespass for walking onto the Air National Guard Base at Volk Field, Wisconsin on
Aug. 26, 2015. I joined eight others trying to
deliver a message to Base Commander Col.
David Romuald, demanding he immediately
end the program of training pilots to operate
the “shadow drones” at Volk.
Shadow drones are used overseas for surveillance and target acquisition, contributing
to the deaths of thousands of innocent people
through U.S. drone warfare.
My testimony
… I have a First Amendment right to petition my government for a redress of grievances. I have an obligation following the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46, to speak out when I
see my government doing something illegal.
My closing statement
…I cannot and will not remain silent as our
government continues to engage in drone
warfare which is illegal and immoral. I did not
go to Volk Field to break the law; rather to uphold the law… to try to meet with the base
commander, who has never answered a letter
from us.
According to the Nuremberg Principles, if
we remain silent while our government is engaged in illegal and immoral activities, we are
complicit. ...it is our responsibility as citizens,
as taxpayers, as voters, as prosecutors, as
judges to speak out. Robert Jackson, the U.S.
judge at the Nuremberg Trials, said, “The
Joy at action on January 12, 2016. Organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, thirteen were
arrested on the steps of the Capital trying to petition for a
redress of grievances, and attempting to deliver an outline
of the real state of the union to the Vice President.
essence of the Nuremberg Charter is that individuals have international duties which transcend national obligations of obedience imposed by the individual state.”
Verdict: guilty
Judge Curran … pronounced me guilty. He
said what I asked him to do was dangerous…
He can’t let his personal beliefs affect his rulings as he picks and chooses which laws to
obey and which not to obey. …
The trial lasted 18 minutes. Curran … IS
picking and choosing which laws to obey when
he finds us guilty. He ignored … our First
Amendment rights. He ignored international
law, including Nuremberg, the UN Charter, the
Geneva Conventions—all of which make U.S.
drone warfare illegal.
—Joy First, of Mount Horeb, WI, cocordinator of the Wisconsin Coalition to Ground
the Drones and End the Wars
See TWO events on page 3.
PAGE 2
Join Memorial Day Walk/Ride/
Die-in
P E A C E WO R K S A P R I L 2 0 1 6
NW St. Louis suffers from secret
nuclear waste
Report by Ann Suellentrop at the PeaceWorks
annual meeting March 6, 2016:
Last year’s die-in at the entry road to KC’s
new nuclear weapons parts plant marks the
deaths of hundreds of workers from the old
plant’s contaminants. —Photo by Jim Hannah
PeaceWorks expects more than 50
people to converge at the new nuclear
weapons parts plant this Memorial Day,
May 30, to stand up to nukes. Come join
us!
We walk, for the fifth year, from the old
KC Plant, at Bannister Federal Complex, at
8 a.m., and go on foot and/or riding along
Holmes to Mo. Hwy. 150.
We sing, we chat, we pray for peace.
At about 11:15 am, we reach Prospect at
Mo. Hwy. 150, where late-comers can park
and walk the last of the 10 miles with us.
About noon, we reach the public entry
road, at 14520 Botts Rd., just north of Mo.
Hwy. 150, for our die-in.
Why on Memorial Day? Because of the
many who died at Bannister Federal Complex (BFC) from the chemicals released in
making nuclear weapon parts there from
1949 to 2015. NBC Action News Channel
41 in 2011 listed 154 people whose families said they died from illnesses related to
BFC contaminants. Our die-in on the entry
road—public property—memorializes their
deaths. A trumpeter will mark their passing
with “Taps.”
On Facebook, at PeaceWorksKC
(https://www.facebook.com/
peaceworks.kc/), say you’ll join us!
Die in continued on p. 6
“The Atoms Next Door: A Symposium on
Nuclear Waste and Occupational Illness” was
held in St. Louis Feb. 22, 2016 at the St. Louis
Community College of Wildwood. The event featured local photography and artwork about the
decades-long secret radioactive contamination of
neighborhoods in the northeast area of St. Louis.
Nuclear waste caused by the Manhattan Project for the first U.S. nuclear reactors and bombs
was carelessly dumped and forgotten and has
now caused many serious health problems in St.
Louis, including cancer clusters and early
deaths, including children. One woman spoke
movingly about her Stage 4 lung cancer; she
lives beside Goldwater Creek where the radioactive waste was dumped illegally.
Another radioactive dump is next to a
“regular” dump which has had an underground
fire since 2010, and residents only recently were
informed! They are seeking take-over of the
cleanup by the Army Corp of Engineers from the
EPA’s lax oversight.
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Australian Pediatrician,
author and internationally-known anti-nuclear advocate gave the keynote. She explained the
deadly effects of Uranium and its long chain of
decay elements, including thorium, radium and
radon, some of which have deadly radioactive
effects that last thousands and millions of years.
(In 2010 Dr. Caldicott helped PeaceWorks
launch its protest campaign against KC’s new
nuclear weapons plant.)
Dr. Caldicott urged us all to alert the public
and elected officials about the danger to public
health and to the environment that nuclear stockpiling and nuclear war pose.
One panelist at the event was Bob Alvarez,
Senior Scholar at the Inst. for Policy Studies and
Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Security
and the Environment. He said, in short, the Feds
created the nuclear mess in St. Louis and they
need to clean it up!
Ann Suellentrop serves on the PeaceWorks board
PAGE 3
P E A C E WO R K S A P R I L 2 0 1 6
Hear call for civil resistance: TWO
events rally against drone warfare
Joy First, a grandmother from
Wisconsin, is a leader in opposing U.S. militarism, especially drone warfare. She cocoordinates the Wisconsin
Coalition to Ground the
Drones and convenes the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance.
Why Civil Resistance?
Why Now? are questions
First will explore in a talk April 28, with Q&A to
follow. “Our government is so out of control and
committing so many illegal acts that protesting is
not enough,” says First. “Now is the time to take
that next step and get involved in civil resistance—acting in resistance to the illegal actions of our government.” Hear one grandmother’s story of why such resistance now is so
important.
Meet Joy First during supper on Thursday,
April 28, at 6 pm at Simpson House, 4509 Walnut, KCMO (bring salad or dessert if you wish).
At 7 pm, First will issue a clarion call for civil resistance and then lead discussion. Contact: 913206-4088.
Fly Kites, Not Drones is the rally at
Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster,
MO, from 2 to 4 pm Sunday, April 30. Whiteman
AFB trains people in remote control of drones
that are launched in the MidEast and attack
“targets” and civilians. First will give the keynote
talk. Carpools leave from KCMO at 12:15pm
from two sites: All Souls Unitarian Universalist
Church, 4501 Walnut, and Holy Family Catholic
Worker House, 912 E. 31st St.
Bring kites!
FLY
KITES,
NOT
DRONES
‘Peace muscles,
not peace missiles!’
Here are excerpts from Ann Suellentrop’s
March 6 talk at the PeaceWorks Annual
Meeting.
Nuclear weapons are a symptom of fear
and lack of mercy towards others. In
minutes, the entire world as we know it could
be destroyed by nuclear weapons.
Supercomputers have proven these are
suicidal weapons, as they will loft enormous
plumes of radioactive soot and debris into
the stratosphere, blocking the sun and causing a new ice age, destroying crops for years
to come.
A group called the Open-Ended Working
Group, OEWG (U.N. countries without
nukes), will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, in
May to draft a treaty outlawing nukes, whether the few nuclear weapons states agree or
not. This will start the process that eventually
gets rid of them. The non-nuclear weapons
states are saying they have a right to survive
that “trumps” our right to so-called security.
The 2017 U.S. budget proposes we
spend $1 trillion over the next 30 years to
upgrade all nuclear weapons and all nuclear
bomb factories and facilities. The new Kansas City Plant (to make non-nuclear parts for
nuclear weapons) was the first major nuclear
bomb facility built in over 30 years.
Bannister Federal Complex got more attention in the 2017 budget, it being one of
the National Nuclear Security Administration’s 10 high-risk facilities, and the property
transfer is to occur in 2017. See more details
in the excellent investigation by the
McClatchy group published in The Kansas
City Star Dec. 12 (http://
www.kansascity.com/news/politicsgovernment/article49473260.html) Almost
2,500 hazardous toxins were used at the
plant, including radioactive substances.
When we first started protesting at the old
plant in 2010, they would only admit to a few
hundred toxins!
Peace muscles continues on p. 6
PAGE 4
P E A C E WO R K S A P R I L 2 0 1 6
2016 Annual Meeting
agenda
for
peace
Jim Hannah (right)
led table talk about
racism using book,
“America’s Original
Sin”
Meeting photos by Jim Hannah and Robyn Haas.
Henry Stoever, PeaceWorks board chair,
expanded on three main points:
WE SEEEK A HEALTHY WORLD
WE SEEK A WORLD OF JUSTICE
AND FAIRNESS
PeaceWorks members shared their own experiences of racism and white privilege. Christopher Stohrer said he got insight into his own white privilege
when first one and then another of his black employees were out in a car, were pulled over by the
police, and were locked up, by mistake.
WE SEE A WORLD WITHOUT WAR
AND ITS WEAPONS
HENRY’S HOPES
We realize that the current system is not
working for the benefit of all of the people
of this country and the people of the
world. Change is essential. I feel we need
a revolution of values, of concerns, of
protecting our planet, of re-ordering how
our resources are used, a revolution of
the heart and mind, a coming together to
make a new beginning. Thank you for
your support and activities for peace.
Dave Pack,
board treasurer directed the
agenda. (right)
(See board
election results
on p. 6)
Debora Demeter said
she and her family
went to an all-black
church, and in the late
1960s, her church and
an all-white church developed an integration
program. “We had dinner in each other’s
houses,” said Demeter.
“It helped me. It taught
me how to not be afraid
of whites.”
(More table talk, p. 7)
PAGE 5
P E A C E WO R K S A P I R L 2 0 1 6
2016 Cheatum Award
This year’s winner of the Community Peace
Award is the Kansas City Chapter of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. State
Coordinator Staci Pratt accepted the award.
(see “Death” p. 7)
(left to right) Former winner Ben Kjelshus,
Georgia Walker 2016 winner, and
Lu Mountenay-presenter.
2016 Bebb Peace Award winner Georgia
Walker has been arrested for civil resistance
against nuclear weapons and against drone
warfare. Georgia directs Journey to New Life,
helping former prisoners find housing, jobs,
and other assistance. Lu: “Heading up Journey
to New Life: That’s the perfect job for a jailbird!” Georgia: “I’m finally off probation now,
and ready for more resistance!” Lu: “It’s not
enough to set captives free. Georgia makes
sure they have the resources to live free.”
Brother Louis Rodemann (left) wrote the best letter to the
STAR editor; award presented by Alshiya Kapoor (right)
(above) Robert Days,
graduate of the URC
shared his experience
with the Urban Ranger
Corps. (See p. 6)
Ron Faust closed the meeting with
peace poetry.
P E A C E WO R K S A P R I L 2 0 1 6
PAGE 6
Peace muscles continued from p. 3
Die in continued from p. 2
In two months, PeaceWorks board member Jordan “Sunny” Hamrick and myself will
be lobbying in Washington, DC, at the annual
Alliance for Nuclear Accountability’s DC
Days. Join us for first-class training in lobbying and meet anti-nuclear activists who have
been at this for decades!
What can WE do here at home to help
bring about world peace and real security? As
we come together today celebrating our various local efforts for peace, we exercise our
peace “muscles,” the opposite of fear and hatred. As we show love and tender concern for
others, we are strengthening efforts for
peace. So I say, let’s build up peace muscles,
not “PeaceKeeper” missiles! Peace muscles,
not peace missiles! Peace muscles, not
peace missiles!
“This is a solemn walk, a walk of repentance, a walk of hope,” says Henry Stoever,
chair of the PeaceWorks board. “Yes, we
have weary feet. But we have joy in our action. We do this for the children, for the
grandchildren, for the planet, for all of life.”
Stoever asks, “Why are we still making omnicidal nuclear weapons?”
Ann Suellentrop, RNMS, serves on the
PeaceWorks board & helps lead the KC
chptr. of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Annual Meeting Board Election results:
chair Henry Stoever, vice chair Lu Mountenay
treasurer Dave Pack, secretary Jim Hannah
Board members Mary Hladky (elected) & Tamara
Severns (re-elected)
Cele Breen—nominating committee (re-elected)
Notes: Continuing members of the Board, completing
their two-year terms - Ron Faust, Sunny Hamrick, &
Ann Suellentrop. Debbie Wallin, executive assistant,
serves on the board ex officio. Congratulations, all!
Grad of Urban Ranger Corps shares
his experience
Robert Days, a graduate of the Urban
Ranger Corps (URC), addressed the Annual
Meeting. He described the summer experience for 14- to 18-year-old young men in
KCMO, a time of values development and
community assistance. Corps staff and volunteers also advise the youngsters during the
school year.
Introducing Days, Treasurer Dave
Pack said PeaceWorks funds two conflict resolution sessions for URC each summer. Pack
explained, “As Martin Luther King said,
‘Returning violence for violence multiplies violence. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love
can do that.” Our involvement with the URC
is in hopes of reducing violence and helping
the young men find a future.
Days, a graduate of the University of
Missouri, said, “I’m still involved with the
URC. I started in 2007 as a Ranger, working
on housing (rehab to help people stay in their
homes). I made lifetime friends there. In the
URC, I could see myself giving back” to the
community at a young age. Days said the
Corps needs volunteers.
Mike Murphy asked, “What are your
fondest memories” of your time as a Ranger?
Days said, “We went to South Dakota to a
Native American reservation. We met real
Indians—I’m still in contact with one of the
people there.” He added, “I’d never seen the
stars like that before!”
Days’ talk/Q&A let PeaceWorks members hear how their dues build peace in KC.
For more on the Corps, see www.urckc.org.
—By Jane Stoever
P E A C E WO R K S A P R I L 2 0 1 6
PAGE 7
More Annual Meeting Table Talk from p. 5
Participant Lewis Diuguid has also written on the meeting’s topic of racism and white privilege in
America. (Discovering the Real America: Toward a More Perfect Union). PeaceWorks-KC is making
plans for Lewis and his wife, Bette Tate-Beaver of the National Association of Multicultural Education to help us explore the topic further. Watch for details of this event. Bette shared a great site to
help us recognize white privilege. Google— White Privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack of
white privilege, by Peggy
McIntosh.
Jim Hannah closed the
discussion with a reflection that the oppressive
racism in our country requires action as well as
talk. “But talking is an action,” he said. Several meeting participants, among about 60 attendees, said they wished there had
been more time to talk.
Death to the death penalty!
By Theresa Maly
“Death to the Death Penalty” was the name of the Feb. 27 workshop in KC sponsored by Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (MADP) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
One of the presenters was Staci Pratt, state coordinator of MADP, who accepted the Cheatum
Community Peace Award at the PeaceWorks KC annual meeting on behalf of MADP (see p. 5 ).
Coming up, watch for SB 652, calling for analysis of the cost of criminal cases that result in the
application of the death penalty, and SB 758, the Racial Justice Act. Stay tuned. For info, check
www.madpmo.org or twitter.com/MADPMO.
The workshop addressed systemic injustices: inadequate representation, economic disparity,
and the gross racial imbalance in prosecutors (99.9 percent are white), jurors, and judges, as well
as wrongful convictions (9 percent of those convicted and sentenced to death are innocent).
About 3,000 inmates in U.S. prisons live under the sentence of death; less than 1 percent of
them are executed each year. Did you ever wonder how, why, and by whom decisions are made as
to who will be executed? Are they really “the worst of the worst,” as they say?
I did not have that experience with Michael Roberts, whom I journeyed with to that horrendous
day of his execution in 2001. He never denied his crime. He would have done anything to undo the
violent murder he committed, but he could not. One of the first statements I made when I left the execution chamber was, “I have just witnessed a deliberate, sanitized, calculated murder by the State
of Missouri.” Being a resident of this state, I was/we are participants in that crime as well as all the
others that continue to take place.
We always remember with deepest sympathy the families of those who continue to grieve the
loss of a loved one by senseless violence. Let us also remember the loved ones of those who have
been executed. May God comfort their ever-grieving hearts.
Let’s execute justice—not people!
—Theresa Maly, a Sister of Notre Dame, works at Upward Bound and is part of the community supporting Holy Family Catholic Worker House in KCMO.
Editing and Layout: Lu Mountenay and Jane Stoever
Printing: S & S Printing
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
P EA CE WO R K S A PR IL 201 6
Mark your calendar...
Thu., April 14 Stand Up to End McPoverty, 5pm mobilize,
5:30pm march. 63rd and Paseo, KCMO. Living wage and union
rights for all workers—Stand Up KC.
Fri., April 15, Inmate Poetry Reading at Interurban Art House,
8001 Conser St. #290, OPKS, 66204, 6:30-7:30. Come and hear
more from Arlin Buyert’s poets.
FLY
NO
T
KIT
ES
DR
ON
ES
Thu., April 28, 6pm supper, 7pm Civil Resistance
exploration with Joy First at Simpson House. See story p. 3.
Sat., April 30, rally against drone warfare at
Whiteman AFB, 2 pm. Meet at Whiteman, near Knob Noster,
MO. Carpool at 12:15 pm from All Souls, 4501 Walnut, KCMO,
or Holy Family House, 912 E. 31st St., KCMO. See p. 3.
Wed. May 11, Missourians for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty rally on day of next execution, at 5pm at 39th & Troost.
Thu., May 19, "Confronting Extremist Violence,
Refugee Crisis and Fear: Faith Responses," 6:30
to 8:00pm at the Plaza Branch, KCMO Library.
Sponsored by AFSC.
Mon., May 30, Memorial Day Walk/Ride/Die-In
from Bannister Federal Complex to new nuke plant. See p. 2 for
details.
Sat., June 4, Presentation of International Peace Award to
Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee at Community of Christ
Auditorium, 7pm. Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Children’s
Peace Pavilion.1001 W. Walnut, Independence, MO 64050.
Sat., Aug. 6, annual Hiroshima/
Nagasaki Remembrance, hope for a
nuke-free world; Loose Park, 53rd St. &
Wornall Rd., KCMO; 6:30 pm potluck,
7:30 pm program.
Sat. & Sun., Sept. 24/25, UNplaza Art
Fair. ARTISTS: GO ONLINE TO APPLY
at www.peaceworkskc.org.