Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Michael Walli, presente/David Hartsough remembered/Students challenge arms dealers

 April 16, 2025 this was emailed: Dear Friends,

 It is with heavy hearts that we share that Michael Walli, 76, a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (DDCW), went home to God this early morning. He died peacefully in his sleep in his room at DDCW. As we grieve his death, we give thanks to God for the great gift of Michael's life of faithfulness to Jesus and his untiring commitment to live and proclaim God's reign of love justice and peace in resistance to a war-making empire. Information about funeral arrangements will be forthcoming.

 Kathy Boylan, Art Laffin, Colleen McCarthy, Sr. Carol Gilbert, Paul Magno, All the Families at DDCW

 Pax Christi USA shared this on Facebook: Pax Christi USA is saddened to learn of the death of longtime peacemaker and nuclear disarmament activist Michael Walli, who died this morning at his home at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker community in Washington DC.  Michael was a deeply faith-filled resister, a unique soul who never wavered from his convictions. He is well remembered for his participation in the 2012 Transform Now plowshares action, when he, Sr. Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed entered the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN to “indict the US government” for its nuclear weapons program. Michael served an extensive sentence in federal prison for that action.

 In 2013, Michael was named Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore’s peacemaker of the year — he was unable to attend the award ceremony as he was in jail awaiting sentencing for the plowshares action. His prepared statement for the event well expresses Michael’s guiding philosophy: “The success of the work of world peace and an end to war-making has been assured to all of us by God. This work is realistic, practical, doable, and worthy of the enthusiastic support of all people of good will.”  We will miss you, Michael!

Toby Blomé <toby4peace@sonic.net> shared this news on April 15: Report Back: People's Arms Embargo Action, April 9, 2025 -- 12 Arrested in Human Blockade to Oppose Travis AFB, Fairfield, CA Role in Transporting Weapons to Israel. Activists don signs of names & ages of some of the 15,000+ Palestinian children killed in the ongoing genocide.

 At 7:30 a.m. on April 9, the heavy traffic flow into California’s Travis Air Force Base, the largest transport base in the country, came to a sudden stop.  As they have done numerous times, the “People’s Arms Embargo” blocked the main road into the base. The action this time commemorated the recently deceased long-time peace advocate and civil rights activist David Hartsough, one of the co-founders of the Peoples Arms Embargo.  David devoted much of his life inspiring others to use nonviolent mass civil disobedience/direct action as an effective tool to obtain meaningful social and political change. He was the catalyst that triggered the founding of the People's Arms Embargo last November. Prior to David’s last arrest at Travis in November of 2024, of over 150 in his lifetime, David declared, “We are putting our bodies between these bombs and the children of Gaza by blocking workers loading these bombs onto planes headed to Israel.”     

On April 15,  Jack Gilroy <jgilroy1955@gmail.com> sent out this report:

The first short report (link below) discusses the remarkable actions of Binghamton University students. They organized a 17-car caravan starting at Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY, by delivering a letter of incrimination to the CEO of Lockheed Martin and the plant manager. Then, the students drove 12 miles to BAE Systems in Endicott. They set up banners along the sidewalk of BAE, and students were interviewed by local TV and were told by a battery of plainclothes security not to step across onto BAE property. They ignored the warnings, and about twenty students walked past security and gained entrance to the building. The inside reception was shut. Students left their letters on the receptionist's counter.  (all four letters --Lockheed, BAE, Watson School of Engineering and the office of the Binghamton University President were sent the same letters as certified mail.) In addition to multiple radio and TV interviews, Freshman student Owen Barrett gave a remarkable speech that exposed the criminality of the arms makers. 

 The caravan then drove across the Susquehanna River to Binghamton University, where they hand-delivered letters to the president's secretary and gained entry to the dean's office of the Thomas Watson School of Engineering to present a letter of demands from students to end the school's role as an incubator for Lockheed Martin, BAE, and other industries that design and make instruments of death. Students demanded that Binghamton University end their relationship with death makers and focus on real needs of people.

 Their letters were designed by Ohio attorney Terry Lodge and edited by students. Veterans for Peace of Binghamton is proud of the willingness of students to speak truth to power and thank them for their courage at a time when universities around the US are cooperating with a crazed man 'leader' who calls for punishment of anyone, especially students, who engage in Pro-Palestine events. Jack Gilroy, Stu Naismith VFP Ch 90 Binghamton NY 

https://www.wbng.com/2025/04/15/protests-held-against-lockheed-martin-bae-systems-binghamton-university/

 Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

 

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