In Baltimore on August 6, about 30 of us gathered outside Johns Hopkins University to protest its weapons contracts, including research on killer drones. Then close to 40 people shared a communal meal at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, before hearing very emotional testimony from Yoshio Sato and Kuniko Kimura, survivors of the atomic bomb. Despite suffering devastating consequences to families and friends, they shared messages of love and a call to abolish nuclear weapons. Then Hiromi Abe detailed the effects of the ongoing disaster at the Fukushima nuclear facility. She showed us the Geiger counter which she uses when she travels to Japan.
We will continue the 28th annual commemoration on Friday, August 10 by joining the silent vigil outside Homewood Friends, 3107 N. Charles Street, from 5 to 6 PM. After sharing a potluck dinner, at 7 PM we will use poetry, music and song to commemorate the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. If you would like to perform, let me know. Kagiso, Max
Mon, Aug 6, 2012
Six Peacemakers Arrested at the Pentagon to Commemorate the 67th anniversary of the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Dear Friends,
Today, the 67th anniversary of the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima, and feast of the Transfiguration, members of the ALC held nonviolent
actions at the Pentagon and the Enola Gay war plane which is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum.
Wearing sack cloth and ashes, holding a huge banner calling for repentance of the bombing as well as photos of the bombing victims,
about 15 peacemakers held a mostly silent witness at the Pentagon. In between periods of silence, participants read from the Transfiguration Gospel account, recited a short poem by Dan Berrigan, S.J. (see below), and offered a song about a Hiroshima child, “I Come and Stand." Following the song, the group processed out of the fenced-off designated protest area and six activists went onto the sidewalk near the Pentagon Metro entrance and remained their to pray in silence. After several warnings the six were placed under arrest and taken to a new processing site on the Pentagon grounds, formerly used as day care center. They were charged with violating a lawful order and released with a court date on Oct. 19.
At the Udvar-Hazy Museum about nine people held a solemn witness at the enshrined refurbished Enola Gay warplane to remember the victims
of Hiroshima, and all victims of the nuclear age, and to call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons and war. As a banner was unfurled
security personnel immediately confiscated the banner. However we were allowed to hold several photos of Hiroshima victims. We ended the
witness by offering Dan's poem "Shadow on the Rock" and singing "I Come and Stand." We were then escorted out of the building by security
as we sang Child, Child.
----
Those arrested at the Pentagon:
Andréa Eiland, currently at Jonah House
Luke Hansen, Jesuit novice from Wisconsin
Beth Brockman, popular educator and peace activist from Raleigh, NC
Bill Frankel-Streit, Little Flower Catholic Worker in Virginia
Rosemary Thompson, executive director, Murphy Initiative for Peace and
Justice, Baltimore, MD
Art Laffin, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, DC
----
Shadow on the Rock
by Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
At Hiroshima there’s a museum
and outside that museum there’s a rock,
and on that rock there’s a shadow.
That shadow is all that remains
of the human being who stood there on August 6, 1945
when the nuclear age began.
In the most real sense of the word,
that is the choice before us.
We shall either end war and the nuclear arms race now in this generation,
or we will become Shadows On the Rock.
Art Laffin
Dorothy Day CW House
503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW
Washington, D.C. 20010
Phone: 202.882.9649 or 202.829.7625
Blog: DCcatholicworker.wordpress.com
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