Ch. 80 has been doing actions to support the Transform Now Plowshares protesters arrested in TN for protesting the production of nuclear weapons. They have now been convicted of sabotage and felony destruction of property and are in prison waiting sentencing.
We would request support in this by having you place the attached) into an action alert to all chapters. We would also ask that this be made a campaign of VFP nationally.
We are asking for help with two actions. 1) signing and circulating two online petitions, 2) letters to the judge asking for justice and leniency in sentencing. The letters to the judge are especially important!! Talking points on creating letters to the judge are attached. The other attachment explains the the situation, provides talking points for writing letters and the links to the petitions.
Ch 80 will be submitting a resolution to the convention requesting this issue become a priority and national VFP campaign.
Thank you.
Philip Anderson
Chair, VFP Chapter 80
Duluth-Superior
Next steps in supporting the Transform Now Plowshares protesters.
1) Letters to the judge urging justice in sentencing
Letters to the judge should be sent to:
US District Judge Amul R Thapar
c/o Professor Bill Quigley
Loyola Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice
7214 St. Charles Avenue
Campus Box 902
New Orleans, LA 70118
2) Sign the online petition at http://signon.org/sign/us-1-stop-nuclear-weapons and circulate the petition web address to your friends and neighbors.
More information on Transform Now Plowshares and other support you can provide is at http://transformnowplowshares.wordpress.com/
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Suggested “Talking Points” for Letters to the Judge
1. The charges were unnecessarily severe and did not fit the crimes committed.
2. The potential punishment (10 plus years) does not fit the crimes committed.
3. The prosecution unjustly and unnecessarily inflated a simple case of trespass and vandalism into felonies.
4. Justice demands an adequate defense. But the Defendants were denied the right to adequately defend themselves by discussing their motivations, the nuclear weapons treaties broken by the U.S. and our nation’s violations of international law.
5. Justice requires distinguishing between peaceful acts of protest and terrorism. Peaceful protest is not sabotage. Civil disobedience is not terrorism.
6. Terrorism is use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce. Terrorism endangers human life.
7. The defendants actions were purely symbolic. They engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience. They did no significant damage to property or any “war” effort. No one was hurt, killed, or endangered.
8. Their intent was to awaken the national conscience and to inform the public by publicizing the waste, and illegality of nuclear weapons. They did not intend to harm the national defense.
9. There is no public safety need to incarcerate these aging peaceful protesters. They are not a threat to society.
10. Our civil liberties are in peril when non-violent, peaceful protesters, exercising their right to petition the government, are convicted of sabotage or when citizens are branded terrorists for opposing the government.
11. We should be thanking these protesters for highlighting the lax security at this very dangerous facility, rather than incarcerating them!
Ask the judge for justice in the case by…
1. Using his discretion to issue lenient sentences that better fit the offences actually committed.
2. Using his authority to reduce the charges to fit the crimes committed.
3 Sentencing the defendants to community service since they are not violent, dangerous, or a threat to public safety.
- VFP natl action alert. (33 KB pdf)
- Talking Pts Ltrs to Judge (16 KB pdf)
- Support Plowshares Resolution (18 KB pdf)