Our Apologies good friends... Remembering an act of faith and resistance.

[Tom Joad]

Our apologies good friends
for the fracture of good order
the burning of paper
instead of children the angering of the orderlies
in the front parlor of the charnel house
We could not so help us God do otherwise
For we are sick at heart our hearts
give us no rest for thinking of the Land of Burning Children
Fr. Dan Berrigan Statement to the Court, Trial of the Catonsville Nine.

On May 17th, 1968, exactly 38 years ago today, Nine people, including Father Daniel Berrigan and his brother Father Phillip Berrigan, entered a draft board and removed draft files of those who were about to be sent to Viet Nam. They took these files outside and burned them with home-made napalm, a weapon commonly used on Vietnamese civilians by the U.S. forces. They then awaited their arrest by authorities.

Let us celebrate this act of resistance, of obedience to higher laws, this respect for the humanity of Vietnamese civilians that were being killed by the thousands in an illegal, immoral, unjust war.

Let's recommit ourselves to acting in resistance to the Bush regimes war in Iraq, and all plans to attack Iran, and everywhere U.S. supports war, occupation, oppression. Support the brave soldiers who have resisted, and went into exile to Canada, or sit in military prisons like our brother Kevin Benderman. These acts of courage will not be forgotten, they are not in vain.
A new world is possible. And we shall create it.
We shall see better days, filled with hope.

All of us who act against the law
turn to the poor of the world to the Vietnamese
to the victims to the soldiers who kill and die
for the wrong reasons for no reason at all
because they were so ordered by the authorities
of that public order which is in effect
a massive institutionalized disorder
We say: Killing is disorder
life and gentleness and community and unselfishness
is the only order we recognize...

See the whole unforgettable statement of faith and resistance here:
http://tomjoad.org/catonsville9.htm

And for a more in-depth look at the Catonsville Nine action, go to:
http://c9.mdch.org/index.cfm

[Ringo84]

1. Re:

:applause: :yourock:
Good for these men. The draft was clearly wrong. I'm glad they had the cojones to stand up to it.
Ringo

[burrowowl]

2. KICK!

Long live their memory!

[Tom Joad]

3. I think with the exception of Phil, who died in Dec 2002

most of these folks are still quite active.
And Phil's daughter Frida is with the Arms Trade and Resource Center.
See for example:
http://worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/israel050602.html

[burrowowl]

5. Long live

and prosper what the living are doing!

[EFerrari]

4. Thank you, Tom. I've managed to miss this story for 38 years.

:kick:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

6. K & R.

[autorank]

7. You found a great muse. Dan Berrigan is the one who should be a saint

But that would disqualify him immediately because we'd presume ill intent.

No, he stands as a true warrior for peace.

Thanki you K&R

[Violet_Crumble]

8. Thanks for posting that, Tom...

n/t

[Time for change]

9. Very much worth remembering

Unfortunately, too few people learned the lesson of the Viet Nam War, so we're going to have to learn it again.