Silo Inspection Reports, July 26, 2003, Booklet

Transcription

C ITIZEN W EAPON I NSPECTION T EAMS OF COLORADO
Citizen Weapon Inspection Teams of colorado
S I LO I N S P E C T I O N R E P O RT S
C OMPILED FROM A DOPT - A -S ILO A CTION
AT
C OLORADO ’ S M INUTEMAN III M IS SILE S ILOS
S ATURDAY , J ULY 26, 2003
C ONTENTS :
• Statement to Elected Officials
• Silo Inspection Reports from Colorado’s 49 Nuclear Missile Silos
• Statements of Support from Local, National and International Community
• Directory of Participating Organizations
PAGE
PAGE 2
S ILO I NSPECTION R EPORTS
This booklet is respectfully dedicated to Sister Ardeth Platte, Sister Carol Gilbert, and Sister Jackie
Hudson. Their lives of faith, courage, resistance, and commitment have indelibly inspired the hundreds of peace activists represented in these pages. To honor the Sisters’ sacrifice and dedication, we
traversed hundreds of miles of the Pawnee National Grasslands to make our own stand against
weapons of mass destruction. Following their lead, we performed our own rituals of symbolic disarmament. And in their honor, we came together and sang and rejoiced on the hottest of summer days
and made our own stand for a world of justice and peace. Blessed be.
ADDRESSES FOR THE NUNS:
Sister Carol Gilbert, OP
#10856-039
R1 FPC Alderson
PO Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
Sister Jacqueline Hudson, OP
#08808-039
FPC Victorville
PO Box 5100
Adelanto, CA 92301
Sister Ardeth Platte, OP
#10857-039
FCI Danbury
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811
Thanks!Thanks!Thanks!Thanks!Thanks!Thanks!Thanks!
Cynda and Karen wish to express our endless gratitude to Phil Weinstein for the initial collection of these photos and reports for the website he designed at www.ColoradoPeace.org, and
for providing us technical assistance throughout this project. We are also extremely grateful
to Chris Halsor, Esq. for his countless hours of legal research, writing and consultation on the
report’s statement. And last but certainly not least, our hearts go out to each of the peaceminded citizens who participated in the Adopt-a-Silo Action and to all of you who gave your
time and energy by providing us with the messages collected herein.
Editor’s note:
In compiling the various forms of reports included in this booklet, I chose to limit editing of
the submitted texts to a bare minimum. My goal was to present each group’s report in its
own voice, style, and focus. However, in a few of the reports, intricate details were sacrificed
in the interest of space and layout. In other reports, pieces of general information were omitted if they were stated elsewhere in the booklet, again in the interest of layout and space. In
all cases, I tried as much as possible to retain each original report’s overall theme and tone. I
hope what is presented here is a vivid and accurate portrayal of each group as well as the entire spectrum of creativity, personality and passion that everyone contributed to the 2003
Adopt-a-Silo Action.
Adopt-a-Silo Action and Silo Inspection Report booklet were coordinated by
the Ending War Foundation, Cynda Collins Arsenault, 303-499-7038, [email protected]
Silo Inspection Report booklet designed and edited by Karen R. Trietsch, [email protected]
Front cover photo by Terry Greenberg. Inside front cover photo by Phil Wegener.
PAGE 3
T ABLE
OF C ONTENTS
OFFICIALS ..........................................................................................................4
STATEMENT TO ELECTED
SILO INSPECTION REPORTS
Silo
Organization
Page
I-6, I-7, I-8, J-5, J-7,
J-8, K-7, K-8, K-11...... Citizens for Peace in Space............................................................................................6
J-3, J-4......................... Michigan Peace Team, Michigan Faith & Resistance...................................................7
J-6 ............................... First Mennonite Church of Denver, Ft. Collins Mennonite Church ..............................8
L-2 ............................... Colorado Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War..................................................9
L-3 ............................... Mountain View Friends Meeting—Peace and Justice Committee ............................. 10
L-4, L-5........................ Evergreen Peace .......................................................................................................... 11
L-6 ............................... United Churches of Christ ........................................................................................... 12
L-7 ............................... Truth Seekers............................................................................................................... 13
L-8 ............................... Foresight Collective ..................................................................................................... 14
L-9 ............................... Mothers Acting Up........................................................................................................ 15
L-10............................. Global Response.......................................................................................................... 16
L-11............................. Family of Christ Presbyterian, Greeley........................................................................ 17
M-2.............................. Peterson Patriot Activists ............................................................................................ 18
M-3.............................. Pax Christi, Denver Chapter ........................................................................................ 19
M-4.............................. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church ..................................................................................... 20
M-5.............................. Clear Creek Citizens for Peace.................................................................................... 21
M-6.............................. Food Not Bombs .......................................................................................................... 22
M-7.............................. Peace Party Supper Club............................................................................................. 23
M-8.............................. Denver Poets Guild ...................................................................................................... 24
M-9.............................. Boulder County Co-Housing......................................................................................... 25
M-10 ........................... Arvada Peace & Justice Commission.......................................................................... 26
M-11 ........................... 10:30 Community........................................................................................................ 27
N-2 .............................. Women in Black ........................................................................................................... 28
N-3 .............................. Rocky Mountain Buddhist Peace Fellowship ............................................................. 29
N-4 .............................. Raging Grannies of Denver ......................................................................................... 30
N-5 .............................. Free Range Theater ..................................................................................................... 31
N-6 .............................. DRASTIC and Halliburton 20 ....................................................................................... 32
N-7 .............................. Faithful Witnesses of Iliff School of Theology............................................................. 33
N-8 .............................. Loretto Community, Sister Jackie Hudson’s Family, and Jonah House.................... 34
N-9, N-10 .................... Code Pink of Colorado ................................................................................................. 36
N-10 ............................ Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom........................................... 37
N-11 ............................ Poudre Valley Citizen Weapon Inspectors .................................................................. 38
O-2 .............................. Christian Peacemaker Teams-Colorado ..................................................................... 39
O-3 .............................. Green Party of Colorado .............................................................................................. 40
O-4 .............................. MPACT—Martin Acres Peace Action Coordinating Team ........................................... 41
O-5 .............................. Mountain Forum for Peace.......................................................................................... 42
O-6 .............................. Nuns Not Nukes........................................................................................................... 43
O-7 .............................. Young Musician Weapon Inspectors .......................................................................... 44
O-8 .............................. Boulder Friends Meeting ............................................................................................. 45
O-9 .............................. Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center................................................................ 46
O-10 ............................ Vox Feminista............................................................................................................... 47
O-11 ............................ Unitarian Universalists................................................................................................. 48
Rendezvous of all Silo Groups, Stoneham Community Center ...................................................................... 49
STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT FROM LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Outline of U.S. and International Law, Anabel Dwyer, Defense Attorney for the nuns, July 20, 2003 ........ 50
Public Statement of Jonah House in West Baltimore, July 25, 2003 ............................................................ 52
Message of Support from Josei, Sensou, Jinken Gakkai, Japan, July 25, 2003........................................... 53
“Peace Nuns,” a poem by Michael Annis, July 26, 2003 ............................................................................... 54
Dedication of the Rocky Mountain Buddhist Peace Fellowship, July 26, 2003............................................ 55
Nuclear Policy Research Institute, Dr. Helen Caldicott, October 24, 2003................................................... 56
DIRECTORY OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS ..............................................................................57
PAGE 4
OCTOBER 28, 2003
To our elected officials,
The words “weapons of mass destruction” have come to permeate our everyday existence. Threat of these weapons, particularly nuclear weapons, has been a driving force in this nation’s foreign policy, as well as a concern in the
hearts and minds of our citizens. Although there are a variety of approaches for reducing the likelihood of an accidental or intentional nuclear detonation, the Bush Administration has chosen to pursue an unprecedented offensive policy
of preemption. Yet a growing number of concerned Americans believe that the international proliferation of atomic
weapons is in large part due to our own nuclear policies and arsenal.
Colorado’s Citizen Weapon Inspection Teams (CWITs) are a coalition that represents this growing national concern. On Saturday, July 26, 2003, CWITs consisting of women, men, and children gathered at the 49 Minute Man III
missile silos in northern Colorado to demonstrate the need for drastic change in America’s nuclear policy. Totaling
over 400, constituents spanning many different ages, faiths and ideologies protested against the WMDs that are located in Weld and Logan counties. The accounts of our citizen groups are compiled in the enclosed document. CWIT
members are all committed proponents of nuclear disarmament, but we are far from being fringe or radical. To the
contrary, we share the concern of many Americans: that in spite of having the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, indeed perhaps because of it, we are not safe. Hence the time has come to rectify U.S. nuclear policies and to significantly reduce our nuclear stockpiles in order to decrease the proliferation of, and thus the risks and threats caused by,
nuclear weapons worldwide. We appeal to you as our elected official to take action toward these goals.
It is easy to engage in the popular platitudes that those nations seeking nuclear weapons must be doing so for nefarious purposes and that any nation we perceive as adverse to U.S. interests will immediately upon acquisition use
them against us. This conventional wisdom suggests that our national defense is contingent upon an ample nuclear
arsenal. In other words, U.S. motivations are decent and moral, and others’ are strictly malevolent. However, in order
to find a meaningful and effective solution to the international proliferation of nuclear weapons, it is essential to examine the real motivations for obtaining them. According to the Congressional Research Service Issue Brief: Nuclear
Nonproliferation Issues (8/25/03, pp. 6), there are three basic motivations for acquiring nuclear weapons. The first
and most obvious reason is deterrence. The second reason is prestige. Nations, regardless of their wealth, physical
size, and strength of their conventional military, instantly gain clout by obtaining nuclear weapons. Lastly, there are
those who may covet atomic bombs to use as offensive first strike weapons. Considering all of these factors objectively, it becomes clear that the United States’ motivation for maintaining our nuclear arsenal is the same as countries
who are seeking to acquire one of their own.
We also need to distinguish between “nation states” and “independent actors” in this discussion because of differences in their motivations, means of acquisition and capacity to use atomic weapons. Unlike nation states, independent actors are individuals or groups of persons, such as Al Qaeda, who possess no defined borders, have no specific
geographical location and thus may be difficult to locate. Nation states are generally more capable of acquiring nuclear
weapons through development because they are better situated to have the capital, infrastructure and personnel to put
together what is a timely, laborious and expensive process. And while nation states are in a better position to manufacture atomic weapons, they are far less likely to use them offensively simply because the consequences of a nuclear
response are too great. As such, nation states are more likely motivated by deterrence and prestige. With regards to
nation states, then, the key to non-proliferation is to eliminate the demand. What causes demand is an issue of “the
haves” and “the have nots.” For example, all permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are nuclear
states. Since the U.S. possesses almost 6,000 strategic nuclear warheads, surpassing even the former Soviet Union
and its republics, we are the world’s largest nuclear power. And though many Americans may not want to acknowledge it, the U.S. is perceived as an aggressive empire by other countries. Thus it is sheer reality that there is a demand
for other nations to possess their own nuclear weapons specifically to deter intervention by the U.S.
Based on these considerations, today’s major nuclear threat is not from another nation state as it was during the
Cold War. Instead, it is more likely to be a single nuclear weapon detonated in a highly populated area by independent actors—something that our 5,974 nuclear warheads or a national missile defense system could do little to prevent.
(Continued on page 5)
PAGE 5
Common sense mandates that eliminating the demand by nation states to acquire the weapons, and thereby greatly reducing the likelihood of independent actors surreptitiously obtaining a nuclear warhead, is the simplest and safest
means for assuring our national security. If the U.S. takes the lead in reducing the overall world nuclear arsenal to several hundred warheads instead of thousands, then supply becomes less visible and less attractive to nation states. Further, the prestige of owning the weapons will diminish if such weapons are less prominent. Lastly, with smaller inventories, nations will be better able to account for and secure their inventory, thus reducing the likelihood that a rogue
group may obtain a nuclear warhead. These ideals can be achieved, but only through our leadership in disarmament
efforts can we persuade other nations to follow suit. It is unrealistic to expect other nation states to reduce their atomic
arsenals or to desist in their nuclear aspirations if we do not first take our own steps toward nuclear disarmament.
Mechanisms for reductions in the total world nuclear arsenal already exist but are not being implemented. The
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ratified by the U.S. in 1970 and recertified in 1996, states that adherents will pursue good faith negotiations for reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons. More substantive, the Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (START I), signed by the U.S. in 1991, mandates a reduction in strategic warheads between the
U.S. and the former Soviet Union to 6,000 a piece; both the U.S. and the former Soviet Union have complied with the
terms of START I. Next, the START II Treaty, signed in 1993, mandates a reduction of strategic warheads to between 3,000-3,500 warheads. However, implementation of START II has stalled because the Bush Administration
has withdrawn the U.S. from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in order to pursue a national missile defense
(NMD) that is in direct contravention of that agreement. Russian President Putin has stated that he would like to reduce his nation’s nuclear arsenal to less than 1,500 warheads, but the Russians are reluctant to do so because of U.S.
insistence on developing a NMD. The Administration did agree to the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty in
May of 2002, calling for a reduction to between 1,700-2,000 nuclear warheads by 2012. But this treaty contains no
inspection, monitoring or verification provisions. Both the Clinton and Bush Administrations’ insistence on pursuing a
NMD system along with our failure to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has given little incentive to other
nations to reduce their atomic weapons. The U.S.’s insistence on pursuing a NMD has been a direct impediment
to international nuclear disarmament efforts. Clearly, while the U.S. gives lip service to making the world a safer
place by hunting for WMDs, we have refused to commit to agreements that provide security to other nuclear and nonnuclear nations. It is untenable that the U.S. continues to insist that everyone else must abandon their nuclear efforts
while we stridently maintain and increase our own.
Budget is a final crucial consideration in this discussion. With Congress struggling to deal with historic deficits, a
raging national debt, and the pending crisis of retiring baby boomers, it is the height of irresponsibility and negligence
to pursue a missile defense net that may not be technologically feasible or necessary yet definitely is grossly expensive.
Consider this in its most practical application: if your aging constituents are left to choose between a prescription drug
plan or the construction of a national missile defense net, which do think they would pick? Which would you pick for
yourself, your parents, or your own children?
Therefore, we call on you as our elected representative to be a leader in taking the following actions:
1. Insist that the Administration resumes vigorous negotiations, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with
the goal of significantly reducing our country’s nuclear stockpile. Specifically, we expect the Administration to
pursue negotiations with Russia to eliminate both sides’ strategic nuclear arsenal to 500 warheads per side by 2007
and 300 warheads per side by 2009.
2. Insist that the Administration recertify the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and halt the pursuit of a national
missile defense plan. Vote against any additional appropriations for the further development of a national missile
defense system.
3. Support the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty placing a moratorium on all nuclear testing.
4. Vote against any additional appropriations for the further development, testing, and manufacture of any current or
future generation nuclear weapon and/or their delivery system.
Respectfully signed,
Citizen Weapon Inspection Teams of Colorado
PAGE 6
Citizens for
Peace in Space
C OLORADO S ILOS : I-6, I-7, I-8, J-5, J-7, J-8
N EBRASKA S ILOS : K-7, K-8, K-11
I NSPECTION R EPORT :
4 cars, 18 people
Found and exposed 6 silos in Colorado and 3 in Nebraska, listed above. At each of
these sites the vigilers applied crime scene tape, read and applied the eviction
notices, and in some cases sang various songs. No one observed any security
personnel from either the county sheriff’s offices or the military. At the rest stop on
I-80 near Kimball, Nebraska folks leafleted motorists for a short time with copies
of the double-sided, legal size handout prepared by the CodePink organizer
explaining the Adopt-a-Silo Action. A copy of that leaflet was also posted outside
the city hall in Peetz, Colorado. In addition, one crew stopped at a couple of sites
on their way to the Stoneham Gathering that had already been visited and put up
crime scene tape.
Michigan Peace
Team
PAGE 7
S ILOS J-3, J-4
Michigan Faith &
Resistance
INSPECTION REPORT:
AT J3 AND J4 MISSILE SILOS WITH OUR
THREE SISTERS—It was inspiring to drive
down the back roads of northeastern Colorado and pass cars with mock Minuteman III
missiles strapped to their roofs and signs
proclaiming, “President Bush--we found the
weapons of mass destruction!”
Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert and Jackie Hudson were very much present as we stood in
a circle at the fence that surrounds and
protects the missile, identical to the one our
sisters had disarmed months before. We
celebrated liturgy, sang, prayed for nuclear
disarmament, and reflected on these three
marvelous women. Some of us have been dear friends of Ardeth, Carol and Jackie since their early years when they lived in
Michigan.
Liz Walters, IHM, had just flown into Denver to attend their sentencing. She had been in Gaza serving on the Michigan Peace
Team as an international peacemaker. Liz had celebrated nuclear disarmament actions with our three dear friends before and
had served jail time with them. Standing in the circle, she resonated with their commitment to disarmament, to oppressed people everywhere, and to the earth. Anabel Dwyer also stood in the circle. She led the defense team for our three friends over many
months and was lamenting the outlandish charges as well as their sentences. She knew well the hideous power of the missiles
contained in silos J3 and J4 from having prepared international law arguments against them.
Mary Thomas brought the items for our liturgy. Two years ago, while on a peacemaking mission, she had purchased a glass goblet in Hebron, only to have it broken by a customs agent as she was leaving that country. Then this July, while at the End the Occupation conference in Washington DC, she related that unfortunate incident to a woman. When Mary told her she was going to
the sentencing of our three dear friends, the woman handed Mary an identical Hebron goblet and asked that it be used at this
missile silo liturgy in solidarity with them. Fr. Peter Dougherty, who had done disarmament actions with our three friends and had
also served jail time with them, looked at the Palestinian kafia head scarf that served as an altar cloth. He noticed that it had the
same diamond-shaped pattern as the fence enshrining the missile, and fences that imprison human beings around the world.
Our three friends had made the violence of these missile silos very real.
Cordelia Greer was a new friend in our circle, having only recently met the three nuns. After hearing and reading about them, she
simply had to come to their sentencing and the silo action. So
she met our three friends the night before the sentencing, and
during our action at J3 and J4 she could not talk enough about
how amazing they were. Jim Kerras quietly stood in our circle of
prayer and solidarity. He had been drawn to the action because
of the courageous witness of the three nuns.
We wore stoles made of cheesecloth that had been used in a
spring prayer service at the Pax Christi Michigan conference,
which celebrated the world we want in place of the destruction
that is. We made a cross with the cheesecloth and placed it on
the fence, praying for the liberation of the land. We were there in
synchronized solidarity with all the others at the 49 missile silos
that day, remembering with love our three sisters, and acting
with them to stop the nuclear madness.
PAGE 8
First Mennonite
Church of Denver
S ILO J-6
Ft. Collins
Mennonite Church
Ten of us gathered to inspect the J-6 missile silo. We were from First Mennonite Church in
Denver and Ft. Collins Mennonite Church. Others from the Boulder Mennonite Church
joined the silo inspected by Christian Peacemaker Teams. At J-6 we sang and read poetry
and readings brought along by participants or given to us by others that could not make the
trip. On the gate we hung a Mennonite Church banner with the words, “Pray for Peace, Act
for Peace.” We left a “Citizen Weapon Inspectors” sign attached to the gate post. We spent
about half an hour at the silo before gathering with the rest of the folks in Stoneham. We
enjoyed fine views of buttes to the north and felt the contrast of the beauty with the potential destruction. Officials of the world’s largest military did not interfere with our inspection
and we did not notice their presence.
S ILO L-2
PAGE 9
Colorado Coalition for the
Prevention of Nuclear War
Missile silo L-2 was easy to find. There were paved roads all the way and a paved drive into
the entrance of the gated and locked farmer’s property. The silo enclosure was on a rise
beyond the property gate and easily visible from the highway. There were four of us. We
held a banner that says, “Nuclear Abolition: Eliminate Nuclear Weapons;” it has the
sunflower symbol of the Nuclear Abolition Campaign. As a vehicle approached from one
direction or another, we turned the banner to face the oncoming vehicle so they could see
and read it. During our time there, one of our group read Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer,” a
powerful indictment of religious bodies that proclaim love of neighbor and, at the same
time, stand solidly behind their nations’ war making. Other Colorado Coalition members
were at other silos with other groups. A female sheriff’s deputy stopped at one point to ask,
in a very friendly manner, if we had enough water. I thought this was a very thoughtful
gesture, and one that happened at other silos also.
PAGE 10
Mountain View
Friends Meeting
S ILO L-3
Four of us represented the Mountain View
Friends Meeting Peace & Justice Committee.
There were a number of others from Mountain
View, but they connected with various other
groups at other sites.
Our maps and instructions were
excellent, so we found the site without
difficulty, approaching from Nebraska
in the north. L-3 seemed to be totally
deserted, with no security of any kind
visible. We brought flags—Earth, UN,
and U.S.—and a beautiful rainbow kite,
took photos of each other by the front
gate, had a brief silent worship and a
“walking meditation” around the
perimeter.
We left two UN flags on
either side of the front gate,
and our kite flying high and
tethered to a bush. We can
report that the railroad rails
for the missile cover looked
quite rusty.
S ILOS L-4, L-5
PAGE 11
Evergreen Peace
“My nine year old
son was outraged
that these women
who were working
for peace were
going to be sent to
prison.”
I am a mother with two children, and we represented Evergreen Peace in the adoption of missile
silos L4 and L5. Other members of Evergreen Peace participated with other groups at other
silos. Our family had met Carol Gilbert, Ardeth Platte, and Jackie Hudson at a gathering about a
month earlier, and had heard them speak about the reasons for their action. My children were
especially moved by their presentation, and my nine year old son was outraged that these
women who were working for peace were going to be sent to prison, when so many people who
do terrible things are not punished.
At the silos, we sang songs the nuns taught us (which they had sung when they protested at the
missile silo the day of their arrest), and prayed silently that these terrible weapons would never
be used. I had a terrible migraine that day, but since my daughter is now old enough to drive, we
decided to go anyway because it is so important to us to protest against these terrible weapons
of mass destruction. We used to live near Nagasaki in Japan, and the people there remember
what the bomb did. These bombs in the Colorado silos are vastly more powerful than the bomb
dropped on my friends' families in Nagasaki in 1945. These weapons must be eliminated.
PAGE 12
United Churches
of Christ
S ILO L-6
We had ten people from four churches: Longmont UCC, Boulder
Community UCC, Washington Park UCC and Arvada UCC (and one
friend). We meditated on the meaning of the silo, its impact upon our
consciousness, and what we needed to do to help end nuclear
madness. We held a banner that said, "Who lives by the sword dies by
the sword" that contained an icon of a human being crucified on a
sword in front of a mushroom-shaped cloud. This was the same banner
used to honor the previous plowshares activists, Daniel Sichen and
Sacchio Kyo.
S ILO L-7
PAGE 13
Truth Seekers
INSPECTION REPORT:
July 25th was one of the most
moving and breathtakingly
painful days of my life. Following in the
footsteps of three deeply committed
women--the sisters--I joined 48 other
groups in symbolically disarming 49
nuclear missiles in northern Colorado. The
one we, myself and two others, were
assigned had been nicknamed The
Maniacal Silo, L7.
Early in the morning of the 25th, in the
desert heat, our car crept along the dusty
dirt road. With yellow flowers all about, with
the flat, desolate landscape surrounding us, we felt trapped in a thick silence. The silence
reminded me of the words I had typed on the computer, printed, and cut out a few days prior.
The words were a request of our government that they simply "tell us the truth!” For there on
that dirt road, that silence really was the sound of a gigantic pink elephant. This desolate
landscape literally was a place where something was, and had to be, silenced and hidden—the
truth about our government's agenda. We passed another group slowly disembarking from
several vehicles where pink signs reading “Citizen Weapon Inspector” stood prominently out. My
eyes welled up with tears and the sense of expectation, fear, and pure joy moved into my throat
and sent a rush of adrenaline throughout my body. After a right turn, L7 appeared in the
distance and we stopped to get a picture of it—documenting the truth. I was prepared for
anything, especially the worst-case scenario: something like picketers I’d seen outside a
Planned Parenthood. But no picketers were there at L7. We crunched to a stop at the edge of
the silo and I moved to get out of the car. Wow, I was really shaky.
I spread out on the gravel outside the silo fence the many items I had brought to contribute to
the symbolic disarmament, including the pieces of a small Buddhist alter and two banners
numerous people had helped to make. The other two people, who were mainly there to support
me and not so much the disarmament, stood back photographing and videotaping the service. I
defiantly attached pink "Illegal" signs to the outer fence that contained the missile, momentous
in its power. The fear I felt by its presence was a muffling, tangible thing that I had to "move"
energetically with the pure force of my voice, my prayers, my prostrations, the lighting of my
incense. And so it was that I waged peace--I chanted, I prayed, I cried, I prostrated, I meditated,
and finally I played an improvised song on my recorder. After all of this, I stood to go. Never
before had I realized the power of being, of being witness. Never before had I felt so connected
to the greater good. As we drove away with the noon sun rising, the feeling I had in my chest at
the beginning of this journey, this feeling deep in my soul of heartache and love for the human
race, grew thousands of times bigger. It was then I knew in my heart of hearts that these were
the types of actions that, however small and seemingly insignificant, when linked all together, in
fact would be the saving of us. The saving of the human race one breath at a time, one missile
silo at a time, perhaps even one human being at a time.
PAGE 14
Foresight
Collective
S ILO L-8
As the time for the nuns’ sentencing drew closer, more and more people contacted the Adopt-a-Silo Action organizers to get involved. From this type of interest, several spontaneous community groups evolved for the specific purpose of
participating in the silo action. An example of one such group was organized by
a young man from Boulder who brought together a dozen old and new friends to
form the Foresight Collective.
They went to Silo L8 for a lively discussion about the choices we have for our future. The young man reported that it was amazingly easy to interest people in this
topic because the presence of these missile silos, and the nuns’ courageous acts
of resistance against them, affects all of our futures, as well as the future of our
nation. After their discussion at the silo, they joined the mass gathering in Stoneham, where they are pictured above with the Free Range Theater’s Statue of Liberty.
S ILO L-9
“How many children
went hungry so we
could build this thing,
just to terrorize the
world?”
PAGE 15
Mothers Acting Up
Two bumper-stickered minivans filled with 3 mothers, 3 fathers, 6 children (5 boys and 1 girl ages 6
to 11), one dog and two giant watermelons, headed east on a field trip in search of missile silos
and rattlesnakes. After a lengthy drive, filled with "when will we be there," our arrival felt oddly
celebratory. We grabbed our stilts, banners, and the dog and gathered in front of the outer gate to
snap some photos. As we posed, battling the wind with our banner, it started to sink in, just what
this visit meant. These were our missiles, bought and paid for with our tax dollars—the legacy we
would leave behind for our kids. From 1 father, "What struck me was how this was literally the tip of
the ice burg. I imagined what evil lie below and wondered where was this missile was aimed:
Moscow, Beijing, Tajikistan? MADNESS! How many children went hungry so we could build this
thing, just to terrorize the world." From 1 boy, "I felt sick when I got there—car sick. I also remember
thinking, ‘Why are they setting all these up in the middle of the country? I also hoped to see a
rattlesnake, but we didn't.’"
It's alarming to think about what lies underground in the Pawnee National Grasslands, the
rattlesnakes being the least of our worries. We're joining our voices together and demanding a
massive shift in our national priorities. Our children are depending on us!
Mothers Acting Up — Our Mission:
Mothers Acting Up is dedicated to mobilizing the gigantic political strength of Mothers. We realize that we live
in a world that does not prioritize or protect our children's well-being and that this will not change without each
of us finding the courage and commitment to speak out on their behalf. By mobilizing our gigantic political
strength, we can ensure the health, education, and safety of every child, not just a privileged few.
Let us whisper this to each other,
sing it out in the streets, yell it from our rooftops,
declare it in our houses of government:
we will protect our children with our personal and political strength,
wherever they live on earth!
PAGE 16
Global Response
S ILO L-10
The Global Response Adopt-a-Silo team consisted of three members. As soon as we
arrived at the silo we were overwhelmed by the silence of the place and by the apparent innocuous nature of the missile silo. A simple concrete slab surrounded by
chain link was all that we could see, but we were all too aware that it housed a massive weapon of mass destruction that could be launched in only 15 minutes to inflict
untold suffering on thousands of our fellow human beings. It showed us that the
U.S. is indeed a true international terrorist threat with weapons of mass destruction
at the ready.
We decided on a contemplative action to connect with the place and to attempt to
fully comprehend what we were witnessing. Therefore, we prayed and performed
some Tonglen, a Tibetan healing meditation practice, at the gates to the silo for
about 10 to 15 minutes. Then we created a Mandela for peace and healing in the
gravel in front of the silo and performed some walking meditation around the Mandela. We were at the silo for about an hour and a half and found the whole event to
be rather sobering and humbling. We left with an air of quiet contemplation.
During our time there a black military helicopter buzzed overhead twice surveying
our activities. The helicopter created an air of tension and excitement, but was the
only sign that anyone noticed our presence. Only a single car passed by the silo the
whole time we were at the site. We remained peaceful and respectful throughout
the demonstration, providing a poignant contract to the weapons that were under
our feet.
S ILO L-11
PAGE 17
Family of Christ
Presbyterian
My fourteen-year-old son and I adopted missile silo L-11 on July 26, 2003. We drove to the site
from Greeley as an act of religious conscience. We wanted to show our support of the three
nuns who had been arrested and incarcerated for their earlier witness at another missile site
and to declare that we had found a weapon of mass destruction buried beneath the soil of
Colorado. The enclosed pictures indicate that the alleged weapons of mass destruction seem
to be lost in Iraq and searches for them have yielded zero, whereas we found one at site L-11.
We stayed at this site from about 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and meditated as we looked out over the
beautiful countryside on that bright, sunlit, blue sky day.
Our only visitor was a woman in a pickup truck who was the mail carrier on that road. She
stopped and asked what we were doing. We told her that the authorities had been notified in
advance and that whereas no weapons on mass destruction had been found yet in Iraq, we
had found one right there! She smiled, thought for a second, and said those had been there for
a long time and that it was her job to keep track of things in that area (presumably for the U.S.
Government). And as for the U.S. not having found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq yet,
she assured us, “They will!”
It is interesting that the attitude seems to prevail among persons like this postal employee and
the U.S. Air Force personnel who guard and maintain our weapons of mass destruction that
they, not we non-governmental citizens, own these weapons and the land which they occupy.
They never seem to realize that their salaries, uniforms, meals, housing, weapons, the land
housing the weapons, and even their vacation times are purchased and paid for by tax dollars
of all U.S. citizens. Their attitude that we are the interlopers rather than they arises from a now
permanent and pervasive feeling of entitlement which is both arrogant and scary.
We were glad we took the time to witness to our faith and to the cause of justice. Along with the
prophet Micah, we work for the day when we “shall beat our missiles in to plowshares and shall
learn war no more.”
PAGE 18
Peterson Patriot
Activists
S ILO M-2
There were only two of us from our original activist group, but we
picked up two more people at the Mennonite Church in Denver. As
for our action, using the wildflowers along the side of the road, we
formed the shape of a heart and the shape of a peace sign on the
fence surrounding the silo. We considered that a low-impact action
environmentally, yet a beautiful reminder to all passers-by of what
we activists are all about.
PAGE 19
Denver Pax Christi
S ILO M-3
On July 26, 2003 at 10:30 a.m., a group of twelve members of the Denver chapter
of Pax Christi, the national Catholic Peace Organization, proclaimed the Minuteman
III at Silo M-3 in violation of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We also
declared the missile at M-3 a threat to all human life and human dignity. We
symbolically disarmed the missile through prayer, reflection, and song. We
surrounded the missile with bird seed, drumbeats, and a 25-foot aluminum cross.
Before we left, we turned our backs on the disgraceful structure as a symbol of our
rejection of it.
PAGE 20
Our Savior’s
Lutheran Church
S ILO M-4
Here is the Devil Bush along with Slayer Bush at
his left, protecting the gates to hell.
Devil Bush consoles Baby Bush.
A Citizen Weapon Inspector arrives at M-4, trying
to break through the silo gate. Baby Bush throws a
tantrum—shaking his rattle—even removing his
pacifier!
The Devil Bush confronts the Citizen Weapon Inspector. Not liking her answers, Devil Bush raises
his trident to kill the Citizen Weapon Inspector. He
says, “I am the only one who can keep the evil
Weapons of Mass Destruction!”
The innocent Citizen Weapon Inspector defends
herself against the Devil Bush.
“The sisters went to N-8 to
say they wouldn’t allow this
in their name, and that is
why we are here, to say not
in our name.”
S ILO M-5
WMD F
PAGE 21
H
-
OUND ERE L OCAL GROUP TRACES
By Daniel Neumann, Staff Writer, Clear Creek Courant
July 30, 2003
Clear Creek
Citizens for Peace
STEPS OF IMPRISONED NUNS
STERLING, COLO. - The small caravan from Idaho Springs assembled before noon on a lonely turnoff on State Road 38
amid the sprawling vistas and static oil pumps of Northeastern Colorado’s high plains. The 11-person group from Clear
Creek County was assigned Saturday to amass around the M-5, “Misanthropic” nuclear missile silo, protected from the
road by two gates, one of which had been left unlatched.
From the road the nondescript M-5 may be mistaken by the few motorists passing as nothing more than a water treatment facility or some kind of utility service hub. Up a gravel path, an eight-foot-tall barbwire fence protects the silo’s iron
slab, which appears to ride back and forth on narrow cog rails when activated. A padlocked portal covers the silo and
hatchways allowing access into unknown spaces under the gravel. Several feet below the slab sleeps a Minuteman III
Intercontinental Nuclear Missile, a rocket capable of reaching the opposite side of the planet from these plains. Minuteman III provides twenty times the blasting capacity of the atomic bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the
end of World War II.
A call goes up within the group to move through the first gate. The latch is lifted, and the gate is pushed open a few feet.
“Don’t even touch the second one,” a local pastor warned. The pastor had been told that the interior fence is electronically monitored and any disturbance could trigger the arrival of U.S. Air Force officers. No one had the intention of getting
arrested. Randy Wheelock, a construction contractor from Empire, entered first. The others followed carrying lawn chairs,
coolers, guitars, and bongos. They set up their folding chairs short of the second fence. Wheelock approached the padlocked fence gate to the M-5 silo. A sign read: “Warning: Access allowed only with permission of section commander. Use
of deadly force authorized.”
Throughout the plains, several similar groups from throughout the state fanned out Saturday to form a presence at each
one of Colorado’s 49 nuclear missile silos. The non-violent actions were in support of Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert and
Jackie Hudson—three Dominican nuns sentenced to federal prison Friday for ignoring such a warning and cutting through
the fence of the N-8 “November” missile silo in October 2002.
Wheelock posed for a picture next to the sign and inadvertently brushed up against the fence. Nothing happened. No
sirens wailed. No Humvees came roaring over the horizon and crashed through the fence as they had for Platte, Gilbert,
and Hudson 10 months earlier. Wheelock later admitted toying with the idea of cutting through the fence and crossing
the line as the nuns did, which earned them each between two and 1/2 and three and 1/2 years in federal prison.
Whether the mass presence at the silo sites helped Saturday, he has not decided. “I don’t know if these people really
thought they could do anything, or if it was just for their own personal consciences,” Wheelock said.
As missile silo vigils transpired Saturday in Northeastern Colorado, the nuns began the first day of their sentences for
damaging United States property and obstructing national defense by breeching the N-8 silo’s fence, hammering on its
tracks and using their own blood to paint crosses on the silo lid….The sisters turned themselves over to federal authorities immediately after sentencing...Once in the federal system, the nuns will be separated and likely sent to facilities out
of state. …The nuns targeted Colorado for their actions because it holds a swath of nuclear missile sites, which they have
entitled the “Kill Chain.”
Cynda Collins-Arsenault, organizer for Saturday’s actions, assigned groups to Colorado’s 49 sites to demonstrate the public’s obligation to redress U.S. nuclear weapons policies, which the sisters assert is mandated by international law. At the
M-5 silo, Idaho Springs residents Dave Devitt and John Hicks performed anti-war songs on acoustic guitar and bongo drums. Loveland poet Michael Annis read aloud anti-war poetry that he and
others wrote. Others gathered dark rocks to form peace symbols
in the white gravel near the fence for Air Force personnel to eventually remove.
A military police vehicle moved slowly down Road 38, stopped
briefly to speak to those closest to the roadside, and proceeded
down the road to investigate other vigils scattered through the
patrol area. “Don’t worry. He’s just doing his job, and we’re just
peaceful people,” said the local pastor, who insisted upon anonymity. “The sisters went to N-8 to symbolically say they wouldn’t
allow this in their name,” the pastor said later,” and that is why we
are here: To say not in our name.”
PAGE 22
Food Not Bombs
S FOR
$MILLION R NOT
N
U GE
WORLD H
FOR NEW
N
$BILLIO S !!!
NUKES
S ILO M-6
The United States throws away millions of tons of edible quality food every day. Yet we hear about
the need for genetically modified crops, better pesticides, and increased-yield farming methods to
“feed the world.” The problem lies not in an unavailable quantity of food for the needy—that much
is produced a thousand times over every day by the West—but in the lack of an efficient dispersion
system. The world’s wealth could easily be spread more evenly across the globe to establish and
strengthen a system that would equally dole out the Earth’s precious and dwindling resources. Yet
the U.S. and many other governments spend hundreds of times more money on weapons of mass
destruction, military techno-intelligence operations…you name it, than they do on feeding the
needy or establishing a system to recycle the
gargantuan waste of the nation. Food Not
Bombs believes in this system and works to implement it. Saving the nation’s incredible
mounds of daily waste from the landfill and turning it into large-scale, gourmet meals is the first
step. Food Not Bombs believes that the main
cause of much of the hunger seen in our country
and around the world is the result of unwise
spending for the never ending spiral of violent
weapons.
The principal ethics of Food Not Bombs include:
providing a conscious alternative to the world of violence and hatred around us by bringing people
together and building community—over good food, of course! So serving at the Adopt-a-Silo event
was a huge success and a very, very incredible time! We were amazed to hear that folks had journeyed from as far as Michigan to expose the true weapons of mass destruction below our very feet!
The energy of the day felt truly amazing and inspiring.
The Bush Administration is beginning a whole new game of nuclear weapons design and manufacture that is utterly sinister. The Pentagon wants to build “battlefield acceptable” nuclear weapons!
Today, these weapons are already in widespread use in the form of depleted uranium rounds.
These were widely used in Iraq and the Balkans by US troops. Despite the benign “acceptable”
rhetoric, these weapons proposed by the military are highly radioactive and will and do contaminate
the battlefield environment for millennia. The mortars proposed are just small nuclear warheads.
We must continue to expose these weapons where they lay, for what they really, truly are. We must
indeed continue to expose and condemn their proponents as the barricaders to world peace and
sustainability that they are.
Standing at the fence of the M-6 silo complex we found it hard to imagine that just below our bare
feet, beneath this nondescript lot of asphalt and various small antennae, lays a weapon powerful
enough to decimate an entire city. Steel powerful enough to support an economy bent on domination; powerful enough to deny the planet food, health…life. It’s up to us, the cranes within the alligator’s maw, to end this mindless mongering!
S ILO M-7
PAGE 23
These 49
sil
us feel le os make
ss safe no
t
more sec
ure.
Peace Party
Supper Club
For our adoption of the M-7 silo, our group was named the Peace Party Supper Club. It’s a
humorous title for a serious intent. We are a group of families who come together six times a year
to argue about, and decide upon, how six families can make a difference in this world. Once each
year each family serves a delicious meal to the group. We have fun with birthdays, holidays, and
learning about new ethnic foods.
We began to meet when our babies were born because we wanted to make this a better world for
them. Over the past 17 or so years, we have become close friends. Together we have shared food
and talked about our children’s births, their disabilities and accomplishments, their schools, our
marital problems, vacations, kids getting into
trouble, money problems, husbands getting laid
off, caring for our parents, our cancer, death of
our parents, career changes, and empty nests.
We have grown to love and depend upon each
other.
Now that most of the kids have grown and left
home, we have more time and energy. We also
feel more concerned and more powerful. We are
becoming more active, both for our children and
for the world’s children. And these 49 silos in our
back yard have caught our attention. They make
us feel less safe, not more secure. If terrorists or
other governments know about this, which of
course they do, then Colorado, just a few miles
northeast of where I live, is a target. It’s hard to
know how to make a difference for world-wide
peace, but one thing is clear. Not in my back
yard. Get these out of Colorado.
Our Peace Party decided to have a picnic lunch
at the silo. We brought sliced chicken, tomato
slices and lettuce for sandwiches, pasta salad,
nuts, watermelon and cherries, potato chips,
and lemonade. Luckily, there was a lot of food,
because cars full of hungry and thirsty people arrived. There were reporters, of course, but also
families and groups of friends who came because they were upset about “our” nuclear missiles. We
shared our admiration and concern for the nuns. We spoke quietly to each other about how to
answer Andrew, a seven year old who came with his family, and who wondered what we were doing
there. And we talked about how to effectively communicate to our neighbors that together, with
determination, we can get these things out of here.
Our humorously titled Peace Party Supper Club will continue to look for how to make a difference.
On this day, we made a statement to ourselves and to the world. And to you. These missiles are
dangerous to all our children. And it’s our job to oppose them.
PAGE 24
S ILO M-8
Denver Poets Guild
Religion: The Destruction of a Species
After arriving at our assigned silo site,
three participants engaged in various individualized, non-violent actions (e.g. reciting of poetry, creating small peace sign
symbols from marble sized rocks, discussion of the destructive potential of such
lethal, indiscriminate weapons, etc.).
Given we only spent approximately a half
hour at the site before departing to the
collective meet-up point in Stoneham, we
easily to filled the time with these activities.
With the decision to include the poetic
piece, “Religion: The Destruction of a
Species,” it’s important to consider that
literature and voices drawing attention to
the direct connection between various
religions and harmful practices is all too
often omitted, under-represented, and/or
otherwise censored from “mainstream”
publications. Recognizing that such general exclusions misrepresent important
issues, it is the author’s hope to both expand people’s awareness and to provide
an impetus for examining existing paradigms and evaluation of potentially harmful, ingrained preconceptions. Likewise,
inclusion of the poem acknowledges that
one purpose of “art” is to expand social
consciousness in healthy ways. Therefore, printing this piece is intended to
promote a catalyst for positive change,
and to be one way to draw the voices of
such marginalized perspectives as ethical, secular humanism into the broader
discussion of societal issues affecting us
all.
by R. Wheatfield
The last human
lay gasping, under layers of ashes,
as I scan the ruined landscape recalling the circumstances that preceded the rampage.
Starvation, brought on by overpopulation, exploiting
the environment, & ignoring the plight of the masses.
Fragmented disparities, flourishing while the few
fattened themselves off the miseries of the many.
Collateral corpses, now lay about,
openly decomposing A gift of oligarchy.
The powerless,
forced to remain in gutted ghettos,
keeping them far from view
of the eyes inside white-washed windows
on Pennsylvania Avenue -where white walls still retain whispers
& reverberations of the absurd absolutisms & fanatical
fallacies of fundamental monotheisms.
An arrogant ideology, promoting &
perpetuating destruction, ensuing & ensuring
annihilation.
I listen …
to the disturbing silence
echo nothingness
between gray rubble heaps &
hollow hierarchical structures Structures now reflecting
only the empty tyranny
of exclusionary theocracy.
I hang my head
in helpless sorrow witnessing the dying breath of a creature,
so badly burned & bloody
none of its demographics are discernable,
as it denounces the indoctrinated religion
that led to its destruction a moment too late.
S ILO M-9
PAGE 25
Boulder County
Co-Housing
There were four of us at the M9 silo in Colorado. We did discover what appeared to be a
minuteman missile, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction and a violation of
international law.
We arrived at approximately 11:40 a.m. at the site after negotiating some dirt/gravel roads
and a herd of horses blocking one of the back roads. We spread a tarp out in front of the
fence and began our proceedings, which lasted approximately 30 minutes. Two men in a
tow truck went by us three times. They took pictures of us at least once.
There were four of us representing co-housing. We were there under the theme of “living
together in peace and harmony.” Other Boulder County Co-Housers were represented in
different groups at other silos.
Two of us, without each other’s knowledge, brought the same book of poetry by the Persian
poet, Hafiz. One of us brought a guitar. We sang, ready poetry, chanted and prayed the
Prayer of St. Francis, which I include here.
Lord, make me an instrument of they peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Despair, hope.
Darkness, light.
And sadness, joy.
Oh Divine Master,
Grant that I may seek
Not so much to be consoled,
As to console.
To be understood,
As to understand.
To be loved,
As to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
Pardoning, that we are pardoned,
And dying to self, that we are born
To eternal life.
We left the site energized by the actions of the nuns, renewed with hope, and eager to
meet others in Stoneham.
PAGE 26
Arvada Peace &
Justice Commission
S ILO M-10
Eight members of our group drove to silo M-10 together. Once we got there, we
spent about one hour reading peace literature. We also took some time for prayer
and silent meditation. This inspired us to have a creative discussion about future
actions and where we can go from here. Before we went to meet the other groups in
Stoneham, we left a few copies of our pink “Citizen Weapon Inspector” signs on the
ground, secured by some of the many rocks around the silo fence, in order that the
“forces” would know our group had been there.
Reflecting on our participation in the Adopt-a-Silo action, my husband and I recalled
how we first became active in the peace movement. We both formerly worked for
Martin Company. When we realized that Martin manufactured Titan II missiles, we
grew increasingly uncomfortable. So we called a family meeting (we have 9 children)
to discuss the issue. Together, our family decided that my husband and I would quit
our jobs with Martin, because we did not want to be involved in producing weapons
of mass destruction, or in manufacturing anything that is used to kill. Ultimately, our
experiences at Martin are what sparked our involvement in the Arvada Peace & Justice Commission, and it made participating in the Adopt-a-Silo action all the more
personal and meaningful.
S ILO M-11
“I’m concerned about
the number of nuclear
weapons we have. The
Cold War has been
over for a decade.”
PAGE 27
10:30 Community
There were 12 people at M-11, and in addition to stringing the crime scene tape, we did the same prayer service that the nuns had done at N-8. This article is by the AP reporter who accompanied the 10:30 Community
group to the missile silo.
H UNDREDS CONTINUE WORK OF IMPRISONED NUNS
By Judith Kohler, Associated Press
July 26, 2003
MISSILE SITE M-11 - Hundreds of self-proclaimed citizen weapons inspectors fanned out across the cow pastures of the northeastern plains Saturday to carry on the work of pacifist nuns sentenced to prison for an antiwar protest. Religious and political activists chose one of 49 Colorado missile sites to pray, sing, dance, beat
drums and hang an eviction notice. Protesters also went to three sites in southwestern Nebraska.
Three Roman Catholic nuns, Carol Gilbert, Jackie Hudson and Ardeth Platte, were given prison terms ranging
from 30 months to 41 months on Friday. Prosecutors said they hoped the sentences would deter others from
similar protests. Hudson, 68, Gilbert, 55, and Platte, 66, were convicted in April of obstructing the national defense and damaging government property last fall after cutting a fence and walking onto a Minuteman III silo
site, swinging hammers and using their blood to paint a cross on the structure.
Bill Sulzman, one of the organizer's of Saturday's action, said the presence of hundreds of protesters showed
the peace movement remained alive. However, the protesters did not attempt to break through the 6-foot-tall
fence surrounding the city block-sized site. "The three sisters stirred up a lot more interest," Sulzman said.
"We've put the silos on the map as never before.”
Roseann McCullough, of Denver, said the nuns inspired her to go to a missile site for the first time. She and 11
others from a Catholic church group in Denver drove to the Minuteman III site referred to as M11 in the Pawnee National Grasslands, about 140 miles northeast of Denver. "I don't think I ever would have thought of
coming out here if it wouldn't have been for the nuns," McCullough said. Her group sang, prayed and took an
oath of nonviolence in front of the missile site. All that was visible outside the fence was a hatch on the top of
the site.
Patrick Buckley and his daughter, Jessica, both of Denver, took out a yellow caution tape and wrapped it
around most of the enclosure before they started singing. "We're putting up crime scene tape because this is
the scene of a crime. These are first-strike weapons that have 20 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb,"
Patrick Buckley said.
Uniformed personnel in large [sic] patrolled the gravel roads leading to the underground silos. Cmdr. Hank
Rusch said the protesters had informed Weld County Sheriff's deputies of their plans and there were no incidents.
The protesters arrived in cars bearing pink and blue signs saying "Citizen Weapons Inspector." Timothy Adams,
a Denver dentist, was one of them. He said it was the first time he had seen a missile silo although he grew up
during the Cuban Missile Crisis. "I'm concerned about the number of nuclear weapons we have. The Cold War
has been over for a decade," Adams said. "I kind of expected a reduction but both the Clinton and Bush administrations continue to build them."
A plane flew overhead bearing a banner that said: "We found the weapons of mass destruction here in Colorado," in a reference to the failure of U.S. troops to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
PAGE 28
S ILO N-2
Women in Black
We wear black as a symbol of
sorrow for all victims of war.
We stand in silence because
words cannot express the tragedy
that war and hatred bring.
Women in Black from Boulder, Colorado stood in silent vigil for half an hour. There were
approximately eight women and one man. Women in Black was started in Israel in 1988 by
Israeli women protesting the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. They were soon joined
by Palestinian women. Gradually, Women in Black has spread to many countries and cities
throughout the world. We stand in silent vigil to mourn the victims of violence.
We stand in silence to protest war, rape as a tool of war, ethnic cleansing, and human
rights abuses all over the world. We stand in silence because words cannot express the
tragedy that war and hatred bring. We wear black as a symbol of sorrow for all victims of
war, for the destruction of people, nature, and the fabric of life.
We stood at the silos to protest the potential use of weapons of mass destruction which will
perpetrate violence in its utmost form. We mourn and feel sorrow that our leaders would
even consider such an action. We hope by bearing witness that our silent voices will be
heard and the weapons of mass destruction will themselves be destroyed to help create a
world of peace and justice for all.
S ILO N-3
PAGE 29
Rocky Mountain Buddhist
Peace Fellowship
ROCKY MOUNTAIN BUDDHIST PEACE FELLOWSHIP
OFFERS A CEREMONY FOR PEACE AND COMPASSION
Twenty-two members of the Rocky Mountain Buddhist Peace Fellowship gathered at missile silo N3 on
State Highway 71 on July 26, 2003 to participate in the Adopt-a-Silo nuclear missile protest. Eager to
add our voices to this coordinated demonstration intended to draw attention to the dangers posed by
the 49 Minuteman nuclear missiles in this region and to support the courageous peace actions of Dominican sisters Ardeth Platte, Jackie Hudson, and Carol Gilbert, BPF members from Denver, Golden,
Boulder, and Longmont gathered early in the morning and drove in a caravan to the site. Upon arriving
we set up a simple Buddhist altar and a display of statements about peacemaking and the power of
nonviolence from some of history’s greatest advocates of peace and justice. Two large, white, peacedove kites provided a simple, beautiful accent to the “zendo” we quickly constructed on the dry prairie in
front of the chain-link fence that surrounded the silo.
Several members of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship had prepared a ceremony of peace and compassion drawing on core elements of the Buddhist tradition, and when the space was prepared, we all sat in
a semicircle around the altar and sat in silent meditation for about twenty minutes. Following some
opening remarks and reflections about the significance of this event and our commitment to the work of
peace, within and without, we chanted the Heart Sutra. Then we engaged in a powerful “talking circle,”
in which we each person had an opportunity to invoke the spirit and presence of people, animals, other
beings, or ideals that we wished to be present within our circle of awareness. This was followed by a circumambulation of the altar with offerings of incense or other symbolic items. The group then performed
the profound metta, or loving kindness, prayer. Our ceremony of peace and compassion continued with
a following dedication.
After the dedication we chanted the Buddhist “Great Vows” and performed several prostrations. We
concluded our service by walking slowly, in silent meditation, around the silo site, bearing witness to the
destructive power of these missiles and the many entrenched forces that enable them to exist, while
bringing the power of our intention and awareness to the ongoing work, our path, of peace, wisdom, and
compassion. We broke down the
altar and temporary zendo, paying
respect to this sacred Pawnee
land, and drove to Stoneham to
join the gathering of the many
other groups participating in the
day’s demonstration. It was a great
joy to join together with so many
individuals and groups committed
to the work of peace. The coordinated action on July 26 proves that
together, we can indeed make a
difference.
PAGE 30
Raging Grannies
S ILO N-4
tablishment
Feminist, anti-es
ng it like it is
grandmas who si
to rhyme tank
and aren’t afraid
with bleed, bush
with bank, greed
with tush!
The Raging Grannies of Denver are very pleased with the enthusiasm and reception of our
group. At Silo N-4 we sang some of our protest songs, badgering the establishment and the
administration for its warlike and greedy attitude and for its indifference to the poor, the
homeless and the jobless. We continue to fight for human rights, for the preservation of the
land, all lands everywhere, and for universal peace. We paid homage to Sisters Ardeth
Platte, Jackie Hudson, and Carol Gilbert for their courage and determination and their love
of mankind. Here are two of our many songs:
TO THETUNE OF
“TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME”
Let's go out to the test site
We've not been there in years
The Senate is lifting a ten-year ban
So the nuclear genie gets out of the can.
Bunker Busters are "needed"
So George can threaten and blame
And it's one - two - three strikes you're out
In the old war game.
Let's go out to the test site
Show 'em we don't approve
Bullets and rockets are tough enough
But nuke block-busters can really get rough.
So let's close 'em down in Nevada
So they can't test in our name
We'll sing one - two - three songs they're out
OF THE NUKE WAR GAME.
TO THETUNE OF “THREE BLIND MICE”
Rich white men, rich white men,
See all they run, see all they run.
They run most all of the governments,
They say one thing when another is meant,
You can tell by the way that the money is spent
By rich white men.
They tell us the way we should fit in a dress,
They've made this world one hell of a mess,
We loudly refuse to be oppressed,
By rich white men.
They love the profits of foreign oil,
Solar energy's too much toil,
Our land so grand they will surely spoil,
THOSE RICH WHITE MEN
S ILO N-5
Photos by Barry Erdman, Evan Frierich, and David Silver
PAGE 31
Free Range Theater
Seventeen members of Free
Range Theater, a Boulderbased political theater group
using giant and small puppets, songs, and skits to
dramatize the lies and deceits of the Bush Administration, brought our 49 models
of MM III missiles to spell out
WMD on the road approaching nuclear missile silo N-5,
and conducted other acts of
nonviolent defiance.
PAGE 32
DRASTIC
S ILO N-6
Halliburton 20
We had 21 people at N6;
most were from Halliburton
20 and/or DRASTIC; a few
were from other places. Our
activities included posting an
eviction notice a short distance away from the fence,
walking around the silo, singing, quiet reflection on black
silhouettes of people dead on
the ground, reading a letter
from Ardeth Platte written to
me when she was in jail pretrial, and an “open mike”
sharing of reflections on
civil disobedience, many of
which came from people
who have done CD or CR
over the last few months.
Photos by Philip Wegener
PAGE 33
S ILO N-7
Faithful Witnesses of
Iliff School of Theology
We gathered to engage in a prayerful ritual celebrating the hope we have for peace in the world
and calling for a cessation of all the violence that
plagues and surrounds us.
Each of us had an instrument that we boisterously played, making a joyful noise, as we welcomed individually the powers of each of the
four directions. Once we acknowledged and welcomed the center of our circle–a circle of new
and old friends–we shared treasures that each
of us had brought: prayers, songs, poems, etc.
We walked in a circle, naming that which we
wish to release from this world – all that contributes to death, violence, militarization, arms proliferation, and destruction. And then circling the
other direction, we named that which feeds our
world and brings joy and peace, calling for more
of that power to enter the world and permeate
the place of destruction and death contained
within the chain-link fence beside us. Clasping
hands in the circle, we joined in prayer.
Finally, we released the powers of each of the
four directions which had been invited earlier.
And we joined the large gathering in Stoneham.
Wage Peace
by Mary Oliver
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
Breath out whole buildings
and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping
children
and
freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing
raspberries, imagine grief as the outgrowth of beauty or the gesture
of
fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Don't wait another minute.
PAGE 34
Sister Jackie Hudson’s
Family & Friends
S ILO N-8
Loretto Community
Jonah House of
Baltimore
At our adopted site, N8, 23 of us gathered on the gravel expanse near the fenced-off
missile area. Our group included members of Sister Jackie Hudson’s family; a number of persons affiliated with Jonah House in Baltimore, home of Sisters Ardeth
Platte and Carol Gilbert; and Loretto Community members and friends. Since many
Loretto members
were
attending
our community’s
national assembly
in St. Louis at the
time, we did not
have as large a
contingent as we
would
normally
have had.
A priest who had
been incarcerated
for
Plowshares
peace
actions
celebrated Mass with our group. For this liturgy, we used the prayers, litanies, and
songs which the three Dominican sisters had prayed and sung at this very silo last
October when they engaged in their act of resistance. As we stood in our circle and
shared the Eucharist, we shared our hopes for peace and our determination to resist
the presence of nuclear weapons in Colorado and elsewhere.
As our liturgy began, an interesting
“side” event occurred. A middle-aged
couple, accompanied by a friendly dog,
drove up, parked near our cars, and
spoke with a woman from Nuke Watch.
This woman came up the road to our
gathering to tell us that the couple (who
apparently were the caretakers of the
property, and perhaps the original owners?) were upset by our presence and
were hoping for our arrest.
Our group continued with the liturgy.
(Continued on page 35)
Sister Jackie Hudson’s
Family & Friends
S ILO N-8
PAGE 35
Loretto Community
Jonah House of
Baltimore
But since I had brought my red packet of Adopt-a-Silo materials with me, I told the
Nuke Watch woman that perhaps Cynda’s letter to the commander at Warren Air
Force Base in Cheyenne might assuage the couple’s anxiety. I gave the letter to the
man, shook his hand, thanked him, and returned to the prayer circle. The Nuke
Watch woman remained at the
roadside to speak
with the couple.
We later learned
from the Nuke
Watch
woman
that in her conversation with the
couple, they discovered
some
mutual acquaintances,
people
whom the woman
had known during the time she was mapping out the silo locations for Nuke Watch.
She accompanied the couple in their pick-up, following a road to a rise beyond the
silo where they could look down and view our prayer circle. Eventually, thanks to the
Nuke Watch woman’s dialogue with them, their original concern and antagonism dissolved and they were at peace with our presence.
Although I have been to the missile silo
area twice before—once on a bus tour in
the 80s, then two years ago as a participant in an inter-faith service at one
silo—the experience on July 26 was certainly unique and very moving. At our
gathering in Stoneham, the spirit of so
many committed people crackled with
energy and enthusiasm. Thanks to
Cynda and all the others who organized
this fine resistance event. May the momentum continue.
PAGE 36
CodePink
WMDs FOUND AT N-9 & N-10 - Eight citizen
weapon inspectors from CodePink journeyed to the
Minuteman III missile at silos N-9 & N-10 in Northern Colorado on July 26, 2003. As we drove to the
silo, the beauty and spaciousness of the plains surrounded us, farms dotting the land. When we arrived at the silo, the contrast was felt: the peace of
the land and our hearts and the destruction and
violence of a nuclear missile.
We offer this poem by
one of our members
which brings alive our
action for peace at the
silo.
S ILOS N-9, N-10
Bowing For a Missile
by Isabelle Andre. Copyright.
Three steps and a bow
Along the fence ironically protecting
A missile silo
In the Pawnee grassland
Lead by the drum
Seven women reconnect with the earth’s heartbeat.
They ponder as they bow
Under rainbow-colored ribbons
Floating over flags relaying a message of peace
To the clouds and through the wind
To the sun stars and blades of grass bending in unison
As our gentle planet takes in and heals
Tears trauma or bloodshed
Human blunders leave no permanent scar
Until an atomic explosion
They wonder why
Humans harnessed universal intelligence
For such an insane purpose.
What were our mothers and grandmothers thinking
Standing by the men
Who built this destructive nonsense?
We have to dig very far
Back in our lineage and deep into our souls
To uncover the meaning of peace.
Those weapons of mass destruction were not born
Of the indigenous way still tangible in the prairie
They sprouted from a barren western consciousness
That severed the tentacles of wild spirit
Which once psychically entwined tribe members
And supported them during their shamanistic trances.
Disconnected from our kin and the Creation
Life seems lost even before a nuclear blast
Our senses cover up rather than enable
An intimate relationship with the universe
Eyes and fingers riveted to the Internet
Tongues chattering senselessly on cell phones
In a fraught attempt to spread our tentacles.
We spread our pink umbrellas and cool our heated brains
And come to the realization
That we were born in the nuclear age
To break the spell of desecration
That leaves us only with profanities
Crystallizing into symbols of annihilation
Such as this missile standing erect
In defiance of the beauty of existence
Deliberately
Through this sober and solemn ceremony
Planting our prayer sticks
We re-seed spirit on Earth.
PAGE 37
Women’s International
League for Peace & Freedom
Article published July 27, 2003
W OMEN PROTEST AT MISSILE SILOS
G ROUPS GATHER
By Heather Pitzel
TO RAISE AWARENESS IN STATE
S ILO N-10
Four Greeley women trekked out to missile silo N10 near New Raymer on Saturday to protest three pacifist nuns
sentenced to jail and to raise public awareness about the 49 silos in Colorado — 31 of which are in Weld County. They
were among hundreds of religious and political activists who gathered in small groups at each of the 49 Colorado missile
sites to protest and pray for peace.
The three nuns, Jackie Hudson, 68, Carol Gilbert, 55, and Ardeth Platte, 66, received sentences of 2 1⁄2 years to 3 1⁄2
years in prison and were ordered to pay $3,000 in damages Friday in Denver for breaking into missile silo N8, about eight
miles west of New Raymer, last fall. They cut through chain-link fences and painted crosses with their own blood to bring
attention to the United States’ nuclear weapons. They also said they feared the missiles would be used against Iraq. A jury
found them guilty in April of obstructing national justice and damaging government property.
Separate groups planned to protest Saturday outside each of the Colorado silo sites as well as three sites in southwestern
Nebraska. Then they met at Stoneham for lunch and to listen to speakers. N10 is on Weld County Road 115 about five
miles north of Weld 14.
When the Greeley women from Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom arrived at the silo at 11 a.m., they
were surprised to find seven women from Boulder’s Code Pink already there. Code Pink is also a women’s peace
organization, whose name is a play on the wording of President Bush’s color-coded security alerts. Although Code Pink
was assigned N9, the two groups each did their own thing at the same silo. The women from Boulder made a circle with a
string of red prayer ties on the ground, wore pink signs that read “Citizen Weapon Inspector,” and carried flags, some of
which read “Peace” and “No Nukes.” After saying some prayers, they walked to the beat of a drum around the silo’s chainlink fence, bowing every few steps.
While setting up, the Women’s League was joined at 11:15 by five more women from the Boulder chapter. The group
created a peace sign with rocks inside the circle of prayer ties, decorated it with sunflowers and held signs and segments
of a ribbon that wrapped around the Pentagon in 1982.
After singing “Where Have all the Flowers Gone?” Jean Gore, a Boulder resident and former national president of the
Women’s League, read passages from two books. Both readings focused on the power of ordinary citizens to stop violence.
“The nuns have led the way to point out the evil of these weapons,” Gore said. “Their acts encouraged us to witness to the
fact there are weapons of mass destruction our country has created and to realize so many nukes all over our beautiful
Colorado. Bearing witness eventually pays off.”
Air Force personnel patrolled the gravel roads leading to the underground silos. About a half dozen additional Weld County
Sheriff’s deputies were on duty Saturday because of the planned protests at the missile sites, said sheriff’s spokeswoman
Margie Martinez. Deputies estimated about 200-300 people protested at the various Weld sites. No incidents were
reported.
Elaine Schmidt, chairwoman of Greeley’s chapter of the Women’s League, and Judith Meyers have been members of the
group together since 1968. Meyers said she thinks people perceive the war on Iraq differently than on Afghanistan. “I
think what ticked people off about this one is they felt it was unprovoked,” Meyers said. “In Afghanistan, people felt it was
provoked.”
Schmidt, wearing a necklace that read “Waging war is not healthy for children and other living things” and dangling peace
symbol earrings, said she thought the day’s protest went well. “We hope they’ll dismantle this since we’ve been here,”
Schmidt said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
…
Nuclear Missiles
• Each 300 kiloton nuclear bomb on Minuteman III missiles is 20 times as powerful as the atomic weapon dropped on two
sites in Japan during World War II, according to Citizens for Peace in Outer Space.
• There are 10,600 nuclear weapons owned by the United States, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
• Colorado is joined by Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota in housing a total of 500 Minuteman missiles,
according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
PAGE 38
Poudre Valley Citizen
Weapon Inspectors
S ILO N-11
“It is now up to
us to carry the
Sisters’ message
of peace to our
communities.
Lest they be
forgotten.”
Photos by Philip Wegener and Dennis Parkhurst
There were thirty-seven “Poudre Valley Citizen Weapon Inspectors” at missile silo N11. At
our site, we stenciled the silhouette of three nuns with the words, “lest they be forgotten”
onto colorful kites, and we flew them. Participating in an activity as innocent as flying kites
in the proximity of a force of unimaginable destruction created a contrast that was difficult
to process. As children, grandparents, and friends flew kites, we were symbolically reclaiming the beauty of our land. Yet we knew what evil was below the ground upon which we
stood.
Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert, and Jackie are in prison. We do not doubt that they are educating, empowering and sharing their message of peace inside the prison walls. Yet it is now
up to us to carry that message to our communities. Lest they be forgotten.
S ILO O-2
PAGE 39
Christian
Peacemaker Teams
INSPECTION REPORT:
Christian Peacemaker
Teams-Colorado had eight
people participating at the O2 silo. Present were members from Boulder, Loveland,
and Allenspark.
When we arrived at the site,
we parked along the roadside at the private property
gate. We began by attaching
a banner with our name—
Christian Peacemaker Teams-Colorado—to the fenced gate at the property entrance and
singing songs we selected from the Mennonite worship hymnal. Since the gate was
unlocked and there was no one around, we then entered and walked directly up to the inner fence and gate surrounding the silo. We proceeded with a few moments of prayer and
reflection, and then sang a few additional hymns that we thought were appropriate for the
occasion.
The unofficial name for the O-2 silo, "Crying Children," was particularly relevant for us because of the many millions of children's voices that cry out as a result of acts of war and
aggression. This was symbolized by the missile located only a few yards from where we
stood. Several of us walked the perimeter of the site to "inspect" it and take photos.
Following this, I read a copy of a heartfelt letter that Sister Ardeth Platte wrote from prison
to one of our friends, Betty Goebel, who was at another silo that day. In this letter, Sr.
Ardeth expressed the reasons why she opposes nuclear weapons and policy. We then sang
another hymn, took a few moments for silent reflection while standing in a circle, and finally ended our circle with a group embrace.
As we were packing up our things to leave the
silo and drive to Stoneham for the ensuing rally,
the property owner of the O-2 site drove up to the
gate in his pick-up truck to inquire about what we
were doing on his property. Dick Williams, a
member of our group, talked with him and explained that we were from CPT-CO and that we
were participating in a day of protest and reflection about nuclear missiles. The property owner
was not angry or belligerent in his reply. He told
us that he too was Christian, but although he didn't really like living next to a missile silo, he still
felt that the missiles were necessary for national
defense.
PAGE 40
Green Party of
Colorado
“We note the grim irony that makebelieve WMDs were used by the Bush
administration as a pretext for an
unprovoked war on Iraq, while a very
real U.S. arsenal of nuclear WMDs are
maintained on U.S. soil.”
S ILO O-3
It is the position of the Green Party of Colorado that the Minuteman III nuclear missiles deployed in
the northeastern part of Colorado and maintained on "hair-trigger" alert constitute a clear and unacceptable violation of international, U.S. and humanitarian law. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution
states that "all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall
be the supreme Law of the Land." The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1970, extended in
1995 and 2000, was ratified by the U.S. and is therefore binding in U.S. law. Article VI of the NPT
states that "Each of the Parties of the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to bring to conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control." The International Court of Justice, the
World Court, the highest authority in the world on matters of international law, was asked in 1996 by
the U.N. General Assembly to issue an advisory opinion on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear
weapons in any circumstance (Article VI of the NPT). The World Court concluded that "The threat or
use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rule of international law." Although the
Court left undecided the question of the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons in an
"extreme circumstance of self-defense," the president of the Court appended an opinion that he
could imagine no situation in which a State could use nuclear weapons without violating the
"intransgressible norms of international humanitarian law."
The Green Party of Colorado notes the grim irony that make-believe weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) were used by the Bush administration as a pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression on
Iraq, while a very real U.S. arsenal of nuclear WMDs are maintained on U.S. soil. The real purposes of
the U.S. arsenal of WMDs have arguably always been to reap profits for the military-industrial complex, to legitimize fear and to stifle dissent. Here in Colorado, a "citizens' inspection team" consisting
of three nuns carried out a symbolic dismantling of an illegal WMD site. This peace-minded action so
provoked the military and judicial guardians of the status quo that bedrock provisions of U.S. and
international law were brushed aside in order to assure exemplary imprisonment. The First Amendment right of free speech was denied in defense of the nuns' symbolic action. The presumption of
innocence was suspended by the judge hearing the case. And not to be countenanced in court, of
course, was the Nuremberg principle that citizens have an obligation to prevent war crimes if they
are able. The nuns now sit in prison, the Illegal U.S. WMDs remain on high alert against no credible
threat, and the Bush administration now claims it does not matter that the case for war on Iraq was
based on forgery, misrepresentation, and lies.
The Green Party of Colorado calls on the State Legislature to reaffirm that since international treaties
ratified by the U.S., including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, have the force of U.S. law, the
Colorado Legislature shall strongly and clearly urge the federal government to remove all illegal nuclear weapons from Colorado soil and seriously address its NPT obligation to seek complete nuclear
disarmament worldwide. Further, Greens ask state legislators, individually and collectively, to do all
they can to secure the immediate release from prison of the three heroic nuns who have done so
much to awaken the American conscience to our responsibilities under international, U.S., and humanitarian law. The Green Party notes that after the missiles are removed from the plains of northeast Colorado, the area has excellent potential for wind generation of electric power -- a clean energy
source that can benefit landowners, consumers, the environment and create much-needed jobs.
S ILO O-4
The Minuteman III
missiles cost about 7
million dollars each.
PAGE 41
MPACT-Martin Acres Peace
Action Coordinating Team
This is the O4 missile silo located on the Pawnee National
Grasslands in northeastern Colorado. The Pawnee Grasslands
are named after the Pawnee Indians, a Native American Tribe
that once lived in the area. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans
there were some 10,000 Pawnee. Today, the Pawnee number
just over 1000. The name Pawnee means wolf and the tribe
was known for imitating the wolf in their hunting methods. The
wolf hasn't been seen in these parts for quite some time. What
the Pawnee hunted mainly was buffalo. The buffalo once numbered 60 million or more and ranged over most of the US and
much of Canada. You don't see any buffalo out here anymore. By the end of the
1800's there were just a few hundred
left.
O4 is one of 150 active and armed Minuteman III missiles in the Great Plains. Each carries
three nuclear warheads in a Multiple Independently-Targeted Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV). By
1975, 550 Minuteman IIIs were deployed carrying a total of 1,650 nuclear warheads. The
Minute Man III missile cost about 7 million dollars each. That doesn't include the daily cost
of keeping each of these missiles on alert. I think that doesn't even include the cost of the
warhead. With the end of the cold war there was much discussion of a peace dividend that
would result from the reduced military requirements of the new world order. But some
thought that wouldn't be good for business. Today the US military budget is greater than that
of the next 10 nations combined. The launch cycle time from time of an order from the President can be less than 4 minutes to “missile away.” Launches are executed by two missileers
in each flight cluster underground launch control center, typically controlling 10 to 11 silos.
On October 6, 2002 three Dominican nuns used bolt cutters to cut the chain link and enter
silo N-8. They poured vials of their own blood in the form of a cross over the concrete, then
symbolically disarmed the missile using household hammers. They were convicted of two
felonies: obstructing national defense and damaging government property. As the United
States seeks to find Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, it becomes clear that exposing America's own weapons of mass destruction is difficult and costly.
The Minuteman III is a weapon that is illegal under international law. Its use would kill combatants and noncombatants indiscriminately. It would poison the Earth for generations. The
nuns believe disarmament is essential, and that even the threat to use nuclear weapons is
illegal. The nuns acted to try to stop an ongoing crime.
On July 26, 2003 I and a small group of friends joined hundreds of
others from around the country in a demonstration we called Adopt-aSilo. Groups went to each of the 49 silos in Colorado as well as a few
of the silos in Nebraska. Many groups performed rituals, danced,
prayed - I flew a kite. The wind is almost constant here.
Which brings us to another appropriate use for this place. We cannot continue to rely on
petroleum much longer. Some say we are already running out. Many believe that we went to war in Iraq simply to
secure the oil supply and to create a base from which to exert pressure on other countries in the region. If it's true it
certainly won't be the last time it happens. That is unless we overcome our addiction. Then again, if we do manage
to kill ourselves off, perhaps the Buffalo will come back.
PAGE 42
Mountain Forum
for Peace
S ILO O-5
2 members from the Nederland-area Mountain Forum for Peace left Ned at 6:30 a.m. as
day dawned. We drove northeast through Boulder, Longmont, on to Greeley, and then in full
daylight across the gently rolling grassy hills. Thousands of sunflowers were in full bloom
along the roadside and hundreds of prairie birds loopdy-looped off fences as we sped by.
We talked about past actions we’ve participated in: Andrea about the 90s WTO/Jubilee
2000 demonstrations in Seattle where anarchists hi-jacked the streets, smashing downtown windows; I, about the 70s Vietnam protests where I wondered who’d clean up the
street trash from cans up-ended in front of the White House by over-wrought radicals.
We were well-prepared for the silo action with water, layers of clothes, sunscreen, food, poems, drums, and balloons because Cynda’s e-mailed instructions in the run-up to the action were so thorough. There was a wonderful, upbeat, collaborative tone to all of the preparatory materials, the packets and e-mails, which reflects Cynda’s gentle, self-less nature.
Birds and bombs, birds and bombs. We found silo O5 easily. Too
easily. If we found unguarded silo O5, couldn’t anyone? There, on a
deserted rural road, a dozen yards beyond a rancher’s unlocked
fence, stood a rectangular patch: two or three fenced acres topped
with three strands of simple barbed wire which belied the evil and
the dread within. We set up our folding chairs, tied 20 pep-less helium balloons to the car’s roof rack, donned our Tyvek suits, and
pinned on our CITIZEN WEAPON INSPECTOR signs.
We stood wordless trying to visualize the unseen monster missile
only feet away, capable of vaporizing a 3-to-5 mile diameter area, as far as 7000 miles
away, in 30 minutes! (I knew bombs were gruesomely powerful, but Bill Sulzman and Leroy
Moore provided these specifics at the Rendezvous in Stoneham a couple of hours later.) At
first, we sat in silence, then read Leroy’s paper describing how these nuclear weapons are
a shameless violation of International Law by the United States. Then we read the poetry of
the Poets for Peace, and lastly the wishes that friends and family members e-mailed me
from all over, when last week I asked, “Let me take you with me.”
We left silo O5 in a subdued mood at 11:45 in order to arrive on time for the Peace Rendezvous. The speakers and performers assembled at the Stoneham Community Center
brightened the day; they were terrific and varied. Vox Feminista and Raging Grannies were
my personal favorites. The spirit of the gathering was in stark contrast to the dark menace
of the missile sites. I hope this action, and the Sisters’ civil disobedience, is the start of
something BIG in the reinvigorated peace/disarmament movement.
S ILO O-6
PAGE 43
Nuns Not Nukes
6 people participated in our group (mothers and daughters, plus
friends). We stayed at the silo for about an hour and a half keeping
vigil. Our sign represented our thoughts: "You can't hug your children
with nuclear arms." For some of us, this was the first experience being near a missile silo; for others it was not. Being in the presence of
something so devastating was extremely sobering and it reinforced
our resolve to stay committed to this cause. We vowed to fight for the
children we know as well as those coming into the world.
PAGE 44
Young Musician
Weapon Inspectors
S ILO O-7
INSPECTION REPORT:
The occupation of our nuclear Minuteman III missile silo went quite well.
There were three young musician weapon inspectors participating at silo
O-7. Upon arrival we took out lawn chairs and musical instruments and
set up camp. The three of us took turns playing instruments and walking
around the silo to conduct a closer inspection. We were all shocked that
behind the thin wire fence was a nuclear weapon bigger than the one
used on Hiroshima during World War II. Several months ago, none of us
had realized that Colorado was home to hundreds of these Minuteman III
missiles, ready to be launched in only minutes. As young members of society we feel it is essential that the people of this country are informed of
the government’s full actions, both international and domestic, because
without an educated and aware voting population, the system of democracy cannot function.
S ILO O-8
PAGE 45
Boulder Friends
Meeting
INSPECTION REPORT:
Seven citizen weapons inspectors (CWI) from Boulder Friends Meeting (Quakers) inspected--in a totally legal fashion--what is
believed to be a Minuteman III missile-containing silo, labeled O-8, located about 5 miles northeast from Keota, Colorado. We
found evidence of a nuclear weapon of massive destructive power, an offensive weapon that would kill innocent people indiscriminately, potentially destroying all life in a target city. This is in direct violation of U.S. law, international law, and higher laws of
our creator.
We meditated in community at the gate. One inspector walked completely around the silo. We placed signs on each side of the
entrance gate that read, "War is not the answer!" (This same sign has been on the side of the Friends Committee on National
Legislation [www.fcnl.org] building in Washington DC for nearly two years, directly across the street from U.S. Senate office building.) At silo O-8, our CWI team painted a 20 foot long banner with numerous peace messages, and then taped the banner
across the outer entrance gate to symbolically close the facility. We constructed a peace symbol with rocks in front of the gate.
We closed with the reading of a poem by Rich Andrews entitled "Virtual Arrest," which speaks to resisting the virtual arrest by
fear that our government uses to silence our dissent and to prevent citizens from
resisting the crimes against humanity the government commits with our assets.
Members of the team commented on the beauty of the country surrounding this
terrible destructive weapon. We noted the wildlife, particularly the numerous Lark
Buntings, the Colorado state bird. How this life-destroying creation of man could exist
surrounded by such beauty and life is beyond comprehension.
Radiation detection equipment was used in inspections, by a physics professor from
University of Colorado, and a former manager of health physics programs for a private company. No abnormal radiation was detected on the perimeter of the site, but massive concrete shielding of the nuclear
weapon was noted, making that finding not unexpected. After the inspection, most of the O-8 CWI team traveled to Stoneham
for the rendezvous with other citizen inspection teams, where the WMDs all 49 teams had found were symbolically disarmed.
The O-8 team reports that it has found Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) systems that are actively maintained and operated by the U.S. government in Colorado, and the team makes this report to the people of Colorado, the United States and the
world.
Acting under our duty as citizens of Colorado, the United States and the world, the team states that these weapons cannot continue to exist under international law, numerous treaties and conventions (Hague, Geneva, Nuremburg Principles, etc.), the U.N.
Charter, the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, and law of the state of Colorado requiring citizens to exercise their public
duty. We demand that our government dismantle them immediately and permanently dispose of the dangerous materials they
are made from so that the accidental or intentional use of these weapons of mass destruction cannot ever occur.
Acting as believers of the creator spirit in all persons and beings, we also conclude that these weapons violate our beliefs and
our sacred covenant against bringing harm,
made with all mankind and our creator.
Military personnel did not interfere with our
inspection, although they may have been
monitoring us from a distance. However, two
team members were later followed by Air
Force trucks and a K-9 corps truck as they
inspected N-1 launch control center, including
photographing that facility (after the rendezvous in Stoneham).
PAGE 46
Rocky Mountain Peace
& Justice Center
S ILO 0-9
INSPECTION REPORT:
On July 26, 2003, fifteen
concerned citizens from
RMPJC drove from Boulder to the northeastern
corner of our state to see
for ourselves the amount
of potential destruction
buried under Colorado
soils. We had agreed to
inspect silo O-9. At the
same time, groups from all over Colorado—and other states as well—were driving toward
their specific missile sites of the 49 that exist in Colorado. Upon arriving, we walked to the
fence and stared at the concrete slab that seemed at once innocuous and yet strangely out
of place in the gentle hills of the grasslands.
Donning white jump suits, the fifteen of us laid out our signs, symbolically alerting the public
that weapons of mass destruction were found in Colorado. Our Citizen Weapons Inspection
Team included a mother and her daughters, students, grandparents, and others whose commitment to peace and justice called them to participate. In a demonstration of our commitment to the abolition of nuclear weapons, we lay on the earth below our placards and
formed a peace sign with our bodies and sang songs of love, peace, and respect.
It was inspirational to know that the other 48 silos were being inspected by other concerned
Coloradoans. In all, between four and five hundred people participated that day. These representatives of the larger public were intent on decrying the existence of so many nuclear
weapons. After each team inspected its silo, we converged in Stoneham. Food Not Bombs, a
Boulder based non-profit, provided free vegetarian food, while the day's organizers provided
water and popsicles for everyone. At the convergence center we learned from scholars of the
devastating effect of radiation as well as some of the plans our government has for continuing and escalating the testing, use, and development of nuclear weapons. We were also
treated to music, performance art and
poetry.
Photos by Terry Greenberg
The incredible day of action helped reaffirm our commitment to ending the nuclear threats that face us all. We must
de-alert and disarm our own weapons of
mass destruction. We must end development of new nuclear weapons. We
must end the race to militarize space.
We must live by the values we claim to
hold dearest. We ask our legislators to
heed our call and become leaders in
bringing about the end of the nuclear
threat.
S ILO O-10
PAGE 47
Vox Feminista
PAGE 48
Unitarian
Universalists
“This is our cry,
this is our prayer:
peace in the world.”
S ILO O-11
Fourteen Unitarian Universalists spent Saturday morning,
on the hot, wind-swept northeastern Colorado prairie, 12
miles northeast of Grover. We weren't there to view the
birds or the sunflowers, though they were spectacular,
but as a team of "citizen weapons inspectors" participating in the Adopt-a-Silo peace action. This action was organized to support the 3 Dominican nuns who were sentenced to about three years each for their October 2002
civil disobedience at one of the 49 missile silos on the
plains of Colorado, our own backyard. Our Missile Silo
was Oh-Eleven, nicknamed Malevolence. The tightly
fenced, clearly marked enclosure contained one Minuteman lll missile, with the destructive power of 20 Hiroshima bombs. We could feel the shock and awe that
this Weapon of Mass Destruction represented.
We UUs at Oh-Eleven were from four congregations -- the Boulder Fellowship, the Boulder Church, the Independent Covenant, and the Prairie UUs of Parker. We were middle-aged, young, retirees, and a child. We were also
joined by two women from Grover who took photos for the Loveland congregation. Jan of the Prairie UUs brought
her mother, from Iowa, where she was to be tried for a civil disobedience at Dodge National Guard Base, to prevent the guard from going to Iraq.
Our program was simple. We started by posing for photos and chatting. Then we formed a circle around a little
chalice made in the Fellowship RE program. It wouldn't actually light in the wind, but no one minded as we appreciated the breeze. We sang Spirit of Life. We poured water into a common vessel -- water from people’s homes,
from the UN in Rome, from Boston and the 2003 UU General Assembly, and from one church's Water Communion. We then walked across the field, right up to the fence of Oh-Eleven. Several of us splashed water, with our
wishes for peace, and then threw the rest to symbolically cleanse the missile. We called for peace, for the restoration of the land, for Malevolence to be gone from this
earth. We sang and clapped, Amen, Amen, AMEN.
Afterwards, we joined the other teams at a community
center in Stoneham, totaling maybe as many as 300
people. The gathering was hot, but energetic. Vox Feminista, the Raging Grannies, and Free Range Theatre performed. Speakers included Leroy Moore of RMPJC as
Judge Roy Bean bringing Law West of the Pecos, and Ira
Chernus, who reminded us that the WMDs are largely
now of the USA. We act as patriots, out of love, not fear,
he said. We then went out to the grass, and piled up a
mountain of paper mache missiles, each one representing one of the silos we had visited. Friends, it was a huge
pile. We covered the pile with peace cranes. This is our
cry, this is our prayer, peace in the world.
S TONEHAM , CO
C OMMUNIT Y C ENTER
PAGE 49
Stoneham
Rendezvous
PAGE 50
O UTLINE OF U.S. AND I NTERNATIONAL L AW
P REPARED BY A NABEL D WYER , D EFENSE A TTORNEY FOR THE N UNS
J ULY 20, 2003
Facts of Nuclear Holocaust with Minuteman IIIs:
The US threatens to unleash, within 15 minutes, 500 Minuteman III ICBMs located on high alert in Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana. With each of these nuclear weapons, the US knowingly prepares to inflict vast heat, blast and radiation 13-60 times that of the Hiroshima bomb in an uncontrollable strike
against nations. [cf. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Nuclear Notebook, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, May/June2003; SIOP; Nuclear Posture Review (Jan. 2002) and the National Security Strategy
(Sept.2002)]. All or any of the Minuteman IIIs, weapons of mass extermination, "cannot be contained in
space or time... would affect health, agriculture, natural resources and demography over a very wide area
...and would be a serious danger to future generations." [International Court of Justice (ICJ), Threat or use
of Nuclear Weapons, 8/6/96, para. 35]
US law and international law as US law prohibit threatening or inflicting indiscriminate harm and unnecessary
suffering, in any circumstance in war or peace:
The laws of war, a body of positive federal US law, prohibit any use of the Minuteman III. The Constitutional war powers of the Congress and the Executive are not unlimited. Particular prohibitions of law are
expressed in: the U.S criminal code that prohibits war crimes (18 USC 2441) or genocide (18 USC10911093); binding US treaties that are the "supreme law of the land" (US Constitution, Article VI, clause 2);
and universally binding rules and principles of humanitarian law.
This body of positive law is summarized most authoritatively by the International Court of Justice and is
well understood and agreed to by the US, at least since the Nuremberg Tribunals. It prohibits any threat or
use of any weapon of mass extermination including the Minuteman III.
The "cardinal" rules of humanitarian law categorically prohibit certain acts intended by threat or use of the
MMIII:
1. "States must never make civilians the object of attack and must consequently never use weapons that are
incapable of distinguishing between civilians and military targets" (ICJ para 78 summarizing rules and principles of humanitarian law as codified for example in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 for the Protection of
War Victims, 12 Aug 1949 and Protocol I Additional 1977). As the International Committee of the Red
Cross pointed out, "The Court (ICJ) thus equated the use of indiscriminate weapons with a deliberate attack
upon civilians." (PCNICC/1999/WGEC/INF2/Add.2 (4 Aug. 1999), p25).
2. "It is prohibited to cause unnecessary suffering to combatants; it is accordingly prohibited to use weapons
causing them such harm or uselessly aggravating their suffering." (ICJ, para 78 as codified in the Hague
Convention IV of 1907 (Art. 23) and the US war crimes statute 18 USC 2441).
Because any and all MMIIIs are indiscriminate and uncontrollable, any threat or use of any MMIII is blatantly
illegal and criminal:
1. The "fundamental" rules of humanitarian law outlined above are "intransgressible" because they are the
sine qua non of the rule of law itself. For this reason, the rules and principles of humanitarian law apply
universally to everyone and all countries including the U.S. and in any circumstance as the US accepts. The
Nuremberg Tribunals made it clear that these rules preempt contrary domestic law.
2. Since any use of any MM III would cause unnecessary suffering and target civilians indiscriminately in viola(Continued on page 51)
PAGE 51
(Continued from page 50)
tion of humanitarian law, "a threat to engage in such use would also be contrary to that law." (ICJ, para
78). Such a real threat of war crimes exists because the MMIIIs are on high alert.
3. The MM IIIs are not legitimate for use in retaliation to an attack. As the Trial Chamber of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia stated, "No circumstances would legitimize an attack against
civilians even if it were a response proportionate to a similar violation perpetrated by the other party."
(Pros. v. Milan Martic, Case No IT-95-11-1 (8 Mar. 1996)
4. Use of MM III also causes widespread, long-term and severe damage to our common environment, attacks
neutral states and violates non-derogable human rights such as the right to life.
5. ANY use of the MM III, no matter how justified or unjustified, whether in "offense" or "defense" is a war
crime and goes far beyond the bounds of lawful warfare. (UN Charter Arts. 2.4, 51, ICJ Opinion).
6. The practical and lawful solution, a current obligation of all countries, is "to pursue in good faith and bring
to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective
international control." (ICJ, para 105 (2) F.; Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Art. VI).
Rights duties, privileges of citizens to non-violently and symbolically resist US’s illegal and criminal threat or
use of MMIII, to create conditions for complete nuclear disarmament.:
87% of US citizens want our government to negotiate a treaty for complete nuclear disarmament (Lake
Sosin Snell & Assoc., 1997). This is consistent with binding law and our commitments under the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT Art. VI). In the 2000 NPT Review Conference the US agreed to an
"unequivocal undertaking" to eliminate its nuclear arsenal. Contrary to binding law including specific
agreements, the Bush administration has not only continued to keep the MM IIIs on high-alert and refused to begin nuclear disarmament negotiations but has expanded nuclear weapons uses and targeted
nations (See Nuclear Posture Review (Jan. 2002) and the National Security Strategy (Sept. 2002)}, withdrawn from (ABM) and acted contrary to treaties (UN Charter & NPT). How can the rule of law help extricate us from the trap of lawless force?
Since the US threat or use of MM IIIs violates the most fundamental law, citizens have felt compelled to
act. They have exercised rights, duties, privileges of citizens in a democracy to "bear witness, to speak
powerless truth to truthless power." Federal courts and prosecutors, in some instances, have accepted
legitimacy of non-violent or symbolic acts of resistance by reducing charges or sentences or declining to
prosecute at all. But in the recent prosecution and conviction of three Dominican Sisters Ardeth Platte,
Carol Gilbert and Jackie Hudson, the Court recognized no legal or constitutional limits to Executive or Congressional war powers including specific laws of war that the MM III far exceeds. Nor did the Court permit
any defense argument, holding that even the nuns’ measured, open, non-violent and symbolic acts could
never be justified or reasonable.
In light of the global catastrophe threatened by the US’s ICBMs, the principle of individual responsibility
established in the Nuremberg Tribunals and the absolute prohibition against any threat or commission of
war crimes and genocide, we continue to insist that citizens’ reasonable, non-violent or symbolic affirmative acts to point out and resist complicity with specific illegal and criminal acts of the US government are
lawful, sensible and prudent. In addition, our basic rights to life and a sustainable environment must be
protected by the rule of law. But a string of incorrect federal appeals courts decisions awaits successful
challenge. These federal courts remain blind to the grim and urgent realities of US nuclear weapons. The
facts and specific and directly relevant and intransgressible rules and principles of humanitarian law,
treaties and statutes positively prohibit any threat or use of the Minuteman III.
If the people lead in good-faith, the courts may sooner or later follow and properly interpret existing law.
Prepared by Anabel Dwyer, Defense Attorney for the nuns, 517-332-4863.
PAGE 52
P UBLIC S TATEMENT OF J ONAH H OUSE C OMMUNITY
W EST B ALTIMORE
J ULY 25, 2003
Today, Sisters Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert and Jackie Hudson were sentenced for breaking into a federal missile silo in Colorado, smearing it with their own blood and pounding on it with hammers. The Dominican nuns
said the act symbolized that they would rather pour out their own blood than have U.S. weapons take the
blood of another.
The day began in Colorado with a press conference in front of the Federal building at which the nuns read
their pre-sentencing statements; they would not read them in court. Instead, in solidarity with women around
the world, they decided to dress as Women in Black and remain mute in the courtroom. It proceeded with the
Judge deciding to consolidate the sentencings - despite his prior refusal of that motion.
Once in court, arguments were made by both sides on the length of sentence. The prosecutor and the probation office requested sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison. The nuns' attorneys argued that when
the guidelines for sabotage were set to mandate lengthy sentences, the actions defined under "sabotage" in
no way included what the nuns did. The legal precedent is that of Daniel Sicken and Sachio Ko Yin who, some
years back, were sentenced in the same court for a similar action. Their judge - Judge Miller - granted downward departure at sentencing saying: "There is sabotage and then there is sabotage!" The prosecution appealed the judge's decision and lost; the 10th circuit court of appeals upheld the judge's decision. The damage in the prior case was far more substantial than that of which the nuns are convicted.
Sr. Jackie Hudson was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Sr. Carol Gilbert was sentenced to 33 months in
prison. Sr. Ardeth Platte was sentenced to 41 months in prison.
In addition, a period of 3 years supervised release follows their prison sentences; no fines were imposed but
restitution of $3,081.04 was. They were ordered to self-surrender but refused and were taken immediately
into custody. Supporters in the packed courtroom chanted: "Close the silos; free the nuns!" and the courtroom
was cleared.
The day began in Baltimore with reading and reflecting on the scripture passages for today. The passage from
2 Corinthians 4:8 was a gift for today; it reminded us that the nuns (and through and in solidarity with them,
we ourselves) are afflicted, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not
abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
We are grieved that the nuns will have to serve that kind of time for an action that was totally symbolic; but we
are relieved that it is not the 8 - 10 years that the prosecution was demanding. The nuns were and are prepared to accept prison, however much they - and we - believe that they committed no crime, certainly no major
crime. "We had no criminal intent at any level," said Sr. Ardeth Platte, a member, with Sr. Carol Gilbert, of Jonah House. "We accept the consequences of our actions joyfully...I know it will be a long journey, but we're not
afraid." Platte said.
The sisters believe nuclear weapons are the "taproot" of social and economic injustice because the billions of
dollars spent on them could go to programs for the poor and needy. Standing against militarism, they say, is a
way to challenge skewed priorities that cause orphanages and soup kitchens to exist in the first place.
The Nuns' "crimes" revealed that we in the U.S. accept rule by our own "evil tyrants who threaten and use
weapons of mass destruction and ignore international law." Even more shocking to the current "might makes
right" school of "law," the Nuns showed that together we could nonviolently accomplish complete nuclear disarmament one weapon at a time starting with open declaration and inspection.
We have no news yet of where the nuns will be taken. We expect they will spend some time in a local or transitory facility before being taken to the federal prisons where they will serve their time. We will be in touch when
we have an address for them.
PAGE 53
M ESSAGE OF S UPPORT AND G RATITUDE
TO SISTER JACKIE HUDSON, SISTER ARDETH PLATTE AND SISTER
F ROM J OSEI , S ENSOU , J INKEN G AKKAI , J APAN
J ULY 25, 2003
CAROL GILBERT
Josei, Sensou, Jinken Gakkai, Japan
(Association for Research on the Impacts of War and Military Bases on Women's Human Rights)
We are a feminist organization in Japan working to expose the
Japanese state's war crimes during World War II, to oppose
the present Japanese state's march toward remilitarization
and its abuse of human rights, and to realize a just and
peaceful world. We have been deeply moved and inspired by
the courageous act of resistance taken by Sister Jackie Hudson, Sister Ardeth Platte, and Sister Carol Gilbert against the
U.S. possession of weapons of mass destruction. Such acts of
resistance by American citizens send an encouraging and
hopeful message to the rest of the world.
As fellow workers for peace, we would like to express our appreciation of the Sisters' long-standing peace activism. We offer our support for the Sisters and all Americans who are
working to expose their government's crimes and to bring
about change in state policies. Thank you, Sister Jackie, Sister Ardeth, and Sister Carol. We stand in solidarity with you
and your advocates, and we send our heart-felt gratitude and
support from Japan.
In solidarity, for peace,
Association for Research on the Impacts of War and Military
Bases on Women's Human Rights
PAGE 54
P EACE N UNS
—for Ardeth Platte, Jackie Hudson,
Carol Gilbert, and the Berrigans
Age-old nun, bearing flowers her dark habit,
upon her cane, lugging grail and knife, her small
dry host, through soft prayers and tears humbly
picks the lock, swings open the gate, enters illegally
one fortress among thousands inherently illegal
in the rights of man, the rights of earth’s children
radioactive, shocked, awed for generations to come.
She takes the law of humanity into old, painful hands;
blood protector of the future cutting barbed wire, chain
link fence, crawls through, a divine mole on all fours.
Photo by Jonah House
She hobbles across rock, reinforced concrete and steel
Of the missile site by night, feels for her vein, wields knife,
and there lets her own blood of the sacrament, her life
taking a hammer, railing against power, her gentle heart
beating swords into plowshares, smoking guns into
pacemakers—not a soul watching, no ego drives or runs
her—she chants, she sings, partakes of the Lord’s supper,
again bearing her hammer defiantly, striking down forked
tongues, against lying crossties of the railroad track; there
With thin, arthritic fingers paints her life's work, blood
drawn upon the steel lid of the Minuteman silo, her psalm
rising to heaven, "Dear God, let Thy will and my will be one;
these weapons of mass destruction shall never be loosed as alms
in my name, by those claiming peace, while letting Your blood!”
One voice threatening the security of holy Amerika, a voice
knowing (whether accompliced or not) each person must act
alone, bringing peace signs in blood, to beget a red rosary...
For she is the enemy, threatening a cold country,
The feared jihad terrorist targeting homeland security,
and soldiers are ordered before they surround her,
“You shall be prompt. You shall be professionally brutal.
You shall be overwhelming. Your will shall be done.
You shall devastate the situation; there shall be no bargains,
no hostage negotiations. You shall shoot to kill, to maim,
to incapacitate, to decapitate if necessary. You shall not be
merciful. No compassion extended, no reprieve shall be
given, no excuses accepted, no discussions conducted, and
most importantly, No children spared . . .”
Photo by Bill Sulzman
They shall protect a flabby, fearful, condescending, moneyworshipping, ignorant, spoon-fed nation from her Spirit
blossoming in imminent threats of peace, love, and humility.
No prisoners shall be taken; and there shall be no survivors.
—Michael Annis, senior editor, www.howlingdogpress.com
on the first day of imprisonment of the Peace Nuns, 2003
Photo by Jen McClory
PAGE 55
DEDICATION OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN BUDDHIST PEACE FELLOWSHIP
P RESENTED
AT THEIR ACTION AT SILO
J ULY 26, 2003
N-3
Upon this arid plain beneath the great sky,
Before the machinery of destruction that is the fruit of our beginningless greed, hatred, and ignorance,
We have unfurled the Tathagata’s teaching of wisdom and compassion,
Turning the wheel of truth that reveals the boundless light of eternal
peace,
Pervading the ten directions at every time and place.
May our efforts open the hearts of those who in fear threaten the
whole world with annihilation, that they may instead take up the way
of harmony and love.
Together with all beings, we remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki and
all who perished and suffered there.
We remember the lands poisoned, peoples displaced, and the destruction of myriad beings through nuclear testing.
We remember the courage and sacrifices of those who have sought
to end this madness, undeterred by threat of imprisonment and violence.
It is to you that we offer the merit of our ceremony.
With our whole hearts we pray that the nuclear weapons of our nation and all other nations be abandoned and dismantled, never to
be used again.
May these prayers fill the universe and awaken the hearts of all beings.
May all beings attain Buddhahood.
PAGE 56
N UCLEAR P OLICY R ESEARCH I NSTITUTE
H ELEN C ALDICOTT , M.D., P RESIDENT
O CTOBER 24, 2003
To The Citizens of Colorado:
As a physician who has spent over 30 years educating the public on nuclear and environmental issues, I
would say that we are now living in the most dangerous time in human history. Not only do the United States
and Russia still face off with over 2,500 nuclear warheads on hair-trigger computer alert, enough bombing
power to destroy all life on earth, but even more alarmingly, the present Bush administration is leading the
nation and the world into a terrifying nuclear future. The White House is now destroying the entire foundation
of arms control by abandoning peace treaties, threatening to use nuclear weapons preemptively on a host of
non-nuclear nations, and building a huge new generation of nuclear weapons, while resuming nuclear testing.
Billion-dollar Pentagon programs are now rapidly moving forward to make numerous “more usable” nuclear
bombs such as “mini nukes,” to construct and deploy a multi-tiered “missile defense” system, and to create
special nuclear and conventional weapons to fight wars in and from space, guided by the new U.S. Space
Command. President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are following a
blueprint, laid out by Rumsfeld, Cheney and others in 1997, for the U.S. to fight “multiple theater wars”
around the globe to achieve U.S. military, political and economic domination, conflicts which could involve nuclear weapons “for certain battlefield situations.” Any of these planned “preemptive” wars could escalate into
full-scale atomic destruction. The U.S. is setting a highly immoral example not only in its war-fighting posture
but also by retaining and continuing to build the greatest number of weapons of mass destruction, and being
the number one weapons dealer to the Third World. It is no wonder that nuclear proliferation occurs as other
nations try to emulate the U.S. and build their own nuclear stockpiles.
So the Earth is in the intensive care unit as the Nuclear Age continues, and ignoring the fact that we live on
the edge of the nuclear precipice every day is contraindicated. It is suicidal, and we hospitalize suicidal patients. Because of this urgent situation, I support the courageous actions taken by three nuns, Sisters Ardeth
Platte, Carol Gilbert and Jackie Hudson, to draw attention and educate the public and media to the threat of
nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia, which could occur any day by accident or irrational human behavior.
A flock of geese could trigger a false alarm, a Chechen rebel could take over missile silos in Russia or a terrorist hacking into naval warning systems could set off an accidental warning or launch. American citizens must
become aware of these imminent dangers, and demand the abolition of nuclear weapons through mass political involvement. The Sisters’ symbolic actions represent the truth that our highest spiritual calling now is to
intervene and prevent a global nuclear holocaust. The danger of total annihilation has not receded with the
ending of the Cold War, but has grown under the present administration and with nuclear missiles still on hairtrigger alert. Past analyses have indicated a greater than 50% chance of accidental nuclear war by computer
error.
For hundreds of peaceful Citizen Weapon Inspectors to gather and bear witness to the 49 missile silos in Colorado amplifies the Sisters’ message that we are all nuclear hostages until these lethal weapons are taken off
hair-trigger alert, and then disarmed and abolished. It is right in these critical times to educate the pubic and
media by holding vigils and protests throughout the heartland to expose the sites containing weapons that can
destroy entire continents, and with the certainty of nuclear retaliation by Russia, the world. There is no longer
any reason to maintain these weapons against our ally, Russia. The legislatures of the United States must respond to the will of the people, or else humanity will be annihilated within 5, 10, or 20 years in a thermonuclear war, I predict. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Helen Caldicott, M.D.
President, Nuclear Policy Research Institute
584 Castro Street, #531
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-865-5497
PAGE 57
D I R E C T O RY O F P A R T I C I PAT I N G O R G A N I Z AT I O N S
10:30 Community
Mary Casper
1100 Filmore
Denver, CO 80206
Home: 303-838-6955
Cell: 303-807-2109
[email protected]
Arvada Peace & Justice Commission
Pat Gacnik
6047 Quail Ct.
Arvada, CO 80004
Home: 303-421-0467
[email protected]
www.arvadapjc.org
Boulder Friends Meeting
Richard Andrews
1825 Upland Ave.
Boulder, CO 80304
Home: 303-499-3031
Office: 303-673-0098
Fax: 303-673-9583
[email protected]
Christian Peacemaker Teams of Colorado
Chris Friedman
Home: 303-444-8189
Office: 303-881-4589
[email protected]
—or—
Gretchen Williams
Home: 303-245-0015
[email protected]
www.cpt.org
Citizens for Peace in Space
Bill Sulzman
P.O. Box 915
Colorado Springs, CO 80801
Office: 719-389-0644
[email protected]
www.space4peace.org
Clear Creek Citizens for Peace
Rev. Lynne Butler
110 N. Saddle Dr.
Idaho Springs, CO 80452
Home: 303-567-0357
[email protected]
CO Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Tom Rauch
675 S. Newport St.
Denver, CO 80224
Home: 303-388-4954
[email protected]
CodePink of Colorado
Ellen Stark
2010 Upland
Boulder, CO 80304
Home: 303-447-2313
[email protected]
—or—
Karen Trietsch
521 Somerset Dr.
Golden, CO 80401
Home: 303-279-7324
[email protected]
www.codepinkcolorado.org
www.codepinkalert.org
Evergreen Peace
Lisa Motz-Storey
3743 S. Summit Lane
Evergreen, CO 80439
Home: 303-670-7302
Cell: 303-807-8764
[email protected]
Faithful Witnesses of Iliff School of Theology
Megan Ramer
Home: 303-698-6682
Cell: 303-246-6157
[email protected]
Family of Christ Presbyterian, Greeley
Rev. Steve Brown
2410 35th Ave.
Greeley, CO 80634-4121
Home: 970-330-0301
Food Not Bombs
Adam or Jigga
Home: 303-554-0923
[email protected]
Free Range Theater
Janet Roberts
Home: 303-444-8173
[email protected]
PAGE 58
Global Response
Andrew Taylor
P.O. Box 7490
Boulder, CO 80306
Office: 303-444-0306
Fax: 303-449-9794
[email protected]
www.globalresponse.org
Green Party of Colorado
Brad Klafehn
2725 S. Utica St.
Denver, CO 80236
Home: 303-935-3137
[email protected]
www.greens.org/colorado
Halliburton 20
Ken Seaman
7505 W. Yale #2003
Denver, CO 80227
Home: 303-986-1773
[email protected]
Jonah House of Baltimore
1301 Moreland Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21216
Office: 410-233-6238
[email protected]
Loretto Community
Mary Ann Cunningham, SL
3126 S. Osceola St.
Denver, CO 80236
Home: 303-936-5904
[email protected]
Mennonite Church, Denver and Ft. Collins
Interim Community Minister Larry Leaman-Miller
430 W. 9th Ave.
Denver, CO 80204
Home: 303-733-6521
[email protected]
fmcdenver.org
Michigan Peace Team
Fr. Peter Dougherty
1516 Jerome St.
Lansing, MI 48912
Office: 517-484-3178
Fax: 517-484-4219
[email protected]
www.michiganpeaceteam.org
Mothers Acting Up
Joellen Raderstorf
P.O. Box 1244
Boulder, CO 80306-1244
Office: 303-474-1286
[email protected]
www.mothersactingup.org
Mountain Forum for Peace
Ellen Moore
P.O. Box 1270
Nederland, CO 80466-1270
Home: 303-258-1170
Office: 303-258-7886
[email protected]
www.mountainforumforpeace.org
Mountain View Friends Meeting
Eric Wright
2455 Race St.
Denver, CO 80205
Home: 303-377-8367
Office: 303-292-3203
[email protected]
MPACT: Martin Acres Peace Action Coordinating Team
Jim Edwards
3540 Dartmouth Ave.
Boulder, CO 80305
Home: 303-494-4384
[email protected]
www.alici.net/mpact
Nuns Not Nukes
Roxy Goss
114 Gap Rd.
Golden, CO 80403
Home: 303-642-3677
Office: 303-420-7227
[email protected]
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
Kathy Melies
915 E. 9th Ave.
Denver, CO 80218
Office: 303-831-7023
[email protected]
www.oslcdenver.org
Pax Christi, Denver Chapter
Pat Colfer
[email protected]
PAGE 59
Peace Party Supper Club
Cynda Collins Arsenault
211 S. Third Ave.
Superior, CO 80027
Home: 303-499-7038
Fax: 303-494-8971
[email protected]
Truth Seekers
Karima Lundquist
844 Ogden #15
Denver, CO 80218
Home: 303-837-9421
[email protected]
Peterson Patriot Activists
Nancy Campbell
Home: 303-477-5100
[email protected]
Unitarian Universalists
Kathy Partridge
3743 Nelson Rd.
Longmont, CO 80503
Home: 303-443-7867
[email protected]
Poudre Valley Citizen Weapon Inspectors
Cheryl Distaso
135 S. Sunset St.
Ft. Collins, CO 80521
Home: 970-484-8039
Office: 970-419-8944
[email protected]
Raging Grannies of Denver
Mag Seaman
7505 W. Yale #2003
Denver, CO 80227
Home: 303-986-1773
[email protected]
www.raginggranniesdenver.org
Rocky Mountain Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Nancy Peters
2825 Wolff St.
Denver, CO 80212
Home: 720-855-7544
[email protected]
Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center
Judith Mohling
1520 Euclid Ave.
Boulder, CO 80302
Home: 303-447-9635
Office: 303-444-6981
Fax: 303-444-6523
[email protected]
www.rmpjc.org
Sister Jackie Hudson's Family
Kathi Hudson Tobey
2496 Colony Way
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
[email protected]
United Church of Christ, Peace & Justice Task Force,
Boulder and Denver,
Bob Kinsey
Home: 303-949-4073
[email protected]
Vox Feminista
[email protected]
www.voxfeminista.org
Women in Black
Ann Goldstein
1695 Orchard Ave.
Boulder, CO 80304
Home: 303-449-6191
[email protected]
www.womeninblack.org
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom,
Boulder
Anne Marie Pois
1521 9th St.
Boulder, CO 80302
Home: 303-449-1041
Office: 303-492-0845
[email protected]
www.wilpf.org
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom,
Greeley
Elaine Schmidt
P.O. Box 5115
Greeley, CO 80634
[email protected]
www.wilpf.org
Young Musician Weapon Inspectors
John Arsenault
[email protected]
PAGE 60
PAGE 61
PAGE 62
C ITIZEN W EAPON I NSPECTION T EAMS
Coordinated by
E NDING W AR F OUNDATION
211 S. 3rd Ave.
Superior, CO 80027
Phone: 303-499-7038
Fax: 303-494-7891
[email protected]
OF
C OLORADO

Silo Inspection Reports, July 26, 2003, Booklet

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