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My peace just out in The Nation on the trial of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 who did direct action to disarm Trident submarine nuclear missiles that threaten humanity. They could get decades in prison. https://twitter.com/thenation/status/1186353073960247296
Journalists are not allowed electronic devices in the court room, so constraints on getting information out quickly. Yesterday was jury selection at Plowshares trial and beginning oral arguments.
In the morning, there was a hubbub after the judge noted that defendant Patrick O'Neill had gone to the bathroom. O'Neill was apparently excoriated for this -- front of the jury -- by the judge and/or marshall even though he had asked for permission form another marshall.
Many of the over 70 possible jurors had connections to the military. I think only one or two with such connections ended up on the jury. It's mostly women with two teachers and one nurse.
Much of what the judge said is setting up the defendants in subtle ways. At the very beginning of trial, she said the defendants have a presumption of innocence and the "defendants are not required to produce evidence."
This would seem to be a pro-defendant statement, but it's not. She's effectively obscuring from the start the extent to which she is withholding evidence and expert testimony from the jury.
She would later warn the jury about information in any fliers they might receive -- anyone can write anything on a flier, she said -- and against doing any independent research. She's pretending that her criteria for evidence being admitted is based on search for truth.
Many of the supporters of the defendants were happy yesterday because prosecution in their opening argument didn't ask for a guilty verdict, they just asked for "the truth". But an empirical finding that the Plowshare activists did actually enter the base is all the gov wants.
Legal attorney Bill Quigley, who is representing McAlister (most defendants are representing themselves) introduced the defendants to the jury, talked about their voluntary poverty, their Christian faith, their service to their communities and their work for peace.
Defendant Clare Grady spoke of her life in Itheca NY and her "deep love of God and all creation", and the value of jurors "being human". She was cut off a couple of times by the prosecution, including when she was starting to choke and saying she didn't want to go to prison...
The prosecution (and judge) are effectively hiding from the jury the possible consequences of a guilty verdict.
Clare Grady was able to get into some level of justification however, saying they acted "because of the unspeakable destruction of the most deadly weapons on the planet."
So far, the court proceedings have effectively hidden the fact that the Kings Bay Facility houses nuclear missiles that could scorch the entire earth. When the defense has raised it in cross examining the prosecution's witnesses so far, they have said they will...
..."Neither confirm nor deny the existence of nuclear weapons" -- which is exactly Israel's stance on its nuclear weapons. #PlowsharesTrial @kingsbayplow7 #Plowshares
[continuing thread] Today, the prosecution entered a series of exhibits into evidence. I’ve obtained some of the images. These are mostly photos of what the Plowshares activists did after they entered the military base with a huge nuclear arsenal....
At the base, there is a monument to nuclear weapons including those it houses. Some of the seven activists “symbolically disarmed” the missiles depicted in this display. They hammered on them, hung banners and wrote text including “Abolish Nukes Now” and “Choose Life”.
On the missiles, the devout Christian activists wrote “Swords into Plowshares,” “Blasphemy” and “Idol”. #Plowshares #PlowsharesTrial @kingsbayplow7
On an apparent replica of a tomahawk missile, which can carry nuclear warheads, the @kingsbayplow7 activists wrote “turn away from sin” and managed to sawed off the tail fins of the missile.
On another missile, they wrote “Disarm & Live”. #PlowsharesTrial
The base houses the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic. The activists poured human blood, the general Plowshares practice is that it’s their own, on the emblem — which depicts a submarine and a Trident missile with a pitchfork forming a cross.
They ripped down the lettering of the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic. This picture shows the lettering for “Weapons” fallen down. The pattern still on the wall is the remaining outline of the backlights. #PlowsharesTrial
Three of the @kingsbayplow7 activists are to be sentenced today & Fri. It has been completely scandalous how little coverage their trial has gotten. They broke into a huge nuclear weapons base & tried to smash a monument to nukes.
My piece of last year: https://husseini.posthaven.com/can-the-religious-left-take-down-nuclear-weapons
My piece of last year: https://husseini.posthaven.com/can-the-religious-left-take-down-nuclear-weapons
Here's @accuracy news release just out: http://accuracy.org/release/pacifists-face-prison-for-taking-on-u-s-s-nuclear-weapons/
People can listen in on the sentencing hearings of the @kingsbayplow7 activists. First one is in 15 min: https://twitter.com/kingsbayplow7/status/1326699244158246913
As I indicate in my long piece, the Kings Bay Plowshares didn’t show anger at the court. I understand this is in contrast to some of the earlier Plowshares actions, where activists would literally turn their backs on the judge.
