November, 2013
Dear friends,
All of us whose names appear below have something in common. At some time between 1980 and today, each of our names appeared on the list of imprisoned anti-nuclear and anti-war activists published by the Nuclear Resister.
This letter is our unhesitating recommendation and appeal to you to support the Nuclear Resister, a “chronicle of hope”.
The Nuclear Resister has been and continues to be a crucial source of information for the community of nonviolent resisters, prisoners of conscience and their supporters. It helps to unify peace communities and build solidarity. It reminds us of the global movement we are a part of and provides a space for us to learn from and be inspired by each other.
It’s a real gift to get the Nuclear Resister newsletter while in prison. When locked up, knowing that the Nuclear Resister is out there – letting people know why we are behind bars, publishing our writings and encouraging people to support us – makes the sometimes lonely work of doing time a communal worldwide experience.
On behalf of the activists who are in jail now, and those who will be in jail in the months and years to come – please donate as generously as you can. Thank you!
Jerry Ebner, current prisoner for peace
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Steve Clemens, Pantex 6 (1981); White Train 7 (1986)
Fr. Carl Kabat, OMI
Tom Hastings
Sr. Mary Dennis Lentsch, PBVM
Sr. Lil Mattingly, MM
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Dear friends, companions on the way,
It was 33 years ago that Jack and Felice took a breath-taking leap of faith, publishing the first issue, mimeographed, at personal expense, reporting on the Plowshares Eight entry of General Electric Plant #9 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, an assembly line of 600 workers making the First Strike nuclear Mark 12A warheads for Trident, MX, and ICBMs.
It gave us courage. It was a life-line, a light in dark days, an inspiration and invitation.
Please take some time to reflect: How do we develop patience and perseverance? How do we know the strength of our resistance? How are we educated and kept informed? How do we build community? How are each of us personally nurtured and sustained?
Please then fill the enclosed envelope as heart-full as you are able. Love and gratitude to each of you,
John Schuchardt, House of Peace
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I am so proud to have my name & seal, together with these who have paid up!
A true roll of honor!
Fr. Daniel Berrigan, SJ
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Felice and Jack, blessings and so much gratitude for all you do in so many ways to be heart and soul of the peace community! I hope that people will give an extra bit to keep the great work of the Nuclear Resister going.
From my jail cell in Ocilla, Georgia I send love, peace, joy and gratitude to all,
Sr. Megan Rice, SHCJ, current prisoner for peace
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Dear Jack and Felice, There is no doubt that it would be hard to live without nourishing food for the body. So, too, we could not imagine being without the Nuclear Resister that feeds our spirit and soul. Yes, on every page you share the stories of faithful and hopeful persons who yearn for and work for a world without war and nuclear weapons. Your articles unite us for action as we learn the hot spots of destruction and the corporate and political powers that hold them in place. Thank you for courageously and consistently printing the material these past thirty-three years. We plead the cause for funds for you every time an issue is sent to us and we do so now and will do so in the future.
Gratefully,
Sr. Carol Gilbert, OP,
Elizabeth McAlister
Sr. Ardeth Platte, OP, Jonah House
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The Nuclear Resister is a unique chronicle of ordinary people who, according to an ancient legend, carry the world on their backs. We are being given a collective story of profound hope. Let us do all we can to sustain these doers and chroniclers of the hope of nonviolence.
Jim Douglass, Mary’s House Catholic Worker
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All the 26 past and current prisoners opposing war base construction in Jeju, South Korea fully appreciate the Nuclear Resister. Those who have regularly received its caring letters and newsletters can seldom forget how one newsletter dedicated to anti-war prisoners throughout the world can empower a single one in a lonely prison cell. Thanks to the Nuclear Resister, the struggle of Jeju Island is understood in the same line of people’s courageous march for peace around the world. Every name of a prisoner listed in the Nuclear Resister is like a shining star connecting us together far across the sea.
Sung-Hee Choi, Gangjeong Village International Team
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The Nuclear Resister has been a great encouragement over the past three decades, putting our many modest efforts into context together in a global and historic perspective. There is no journalistic objectivity in the Nuclear Resister (objectivity over the looming destruction of all life on the planet ought to be unthinkable) but Felice and Jack are sister and brother to resisters in the most authentic sense. Not only is this paper vital to keeping activists in touch with each other, the stories told and opinions raised in the Nuclear Resister are among the most crucial being published anywhere in these critical times.
Brian Terrell, Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
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I am so glad that the Nuclear Resister exists. It reminds us of the global movement we are a part of and provides a space for us to learn from and be inspired by each other. We need to be in touch with what we are all doing and to gain strength from the knowledge that we are not alone. I hope many of you will be able to contribute to keeping this useful publication going.
Love and peace, Angie Zelter
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The Nuclear Resister is a great gift and support and encouragement to those struggling for change in our imperial structures which oppress the weak and lowly. Like Oscar Romero, it provides a voice for the voiceless and sides with the poor and downtrodden. Like MK Gandhi, it is a force for holding firmly to truths which our government seeks to suppress. It lifts up the example that change of hearts will come about from people voluntarily accepting suffering. It concurs with ML King that unearned suffering is redemptive, and that self-sacrifice is the force that will win over our adversaries.
With much gratitude for your lives and your work,
Greg Boertje-Obed, current prisoner for peace
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The Nuclear Resister reports on nonviolent actions for peace and the persons and communities who carry out these acts of resistance in the U.S. and in the world. The publication helps to unify peace communities and build global solidarity. It is remarkable that the editors have come to know most of the persons and communities involved in work for peace and resistance to war, weapons and institutionalized torture. Thus, the newsletter is not a detached report, but a flesh and blood account of the work for peace.
Fr. William “Bix” Bichsel, SJ, Tacoma Catholic Worker
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As occasional prisoners of conscience ourselves, we know that the Nuclear Resister is unique. No other publication documents global resistance to nuclear weapons, power and radioactive waste. No other publication connects the public with those imprisoned for acts of conscience. No other publication does more to expose courtroom injustice and judicial protection of a deadly industry. No other publication does more to support nuclear resisters. The Nuclear Resister deserves your financial contribution.
Bonnie Urfer and John LaForge, Nukewatch
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The Nuclear Resister was there for me and the nearly 100 other U.S. military war resisters imprisoned for refusing to fight the Gulf War back in 1991. Today, the Nuclear Resister continues to be an important ally in supporting our troops who refuse to fight wars of occupation and empire.
Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist Project Director
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AMEN! Carry on!
Mary and Peter Sprunger-Froese
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I’ve been reading the Nuclear Resister forever. I’ve watched Jack and Felice raise their kids while doing this important work of reporting on our movement’s resistance to endless war. With the consolidation of the corporate media this newspaper is more necessary than ever. Join me please in sending a check and keep sending one – at least once a year.
Bruce K. Gagnon, Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
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During our struggle to stop U.S. Navy bombing practices on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, over 1,500 people were arrested, many of us ending up in the U.S. Federal Prison. During my six month sentence, the support from the Nuclear Resister helped spread the word of the Vieques cause and bolster the spirit of our jailed civil disobedients. We are thankful the Nuclear Resister exists and hopeful people will contribute to help them keep up their important work.
Robert Rabin, Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
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I have been in abduction for over ten years. Very hard for a busy physician to endure if we keep in mind the state of our prisons being a breeding place for laziness and corruption. Then suddenly I find the Nuclear Resister in my mail, coming regularly on time. It explained my situation and that of many others unjustly abducted. It tells the truth as it is and not as the corrupt prosecutors want it to be. I have many friends through the NR with whom I correspond regularly, and we exchange ideas and thoughts. Could not have done it without you, NR. Keep up the good work.
Rafil Dhafir, current prisoner for peace
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Going to jail is like a trip to the desert – it is very biblical. A good place to pray and deeply lonely. A good place to find Christ. The Nuclear Resister is like a drink of water in the dry days of doing time.
Love, Larry Purcell, Redwood City Catholic Worker
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The first issue of the Nuclear Resister came out shortly after the first Plowshares action, which I took part in along with seven others on September 9, 1980. In the 33 years since, the Nuclear Resister has provided consistent and full coverage of thousands of nonviolent actions – an essential resource for the peace movement. Thanks, Jack and Felice, for your incredible stamina and fidelity.
Peace, Molly Rush, Thomas Merton Center
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I would echo the words above, that the Nuclear Resister IS a chronicle of HOPE. I am grateful for the decades of commitment and steadfastness, to keep that chronicle going… and to keep the worldwide movement of resistance connected, in jail and out. Blessings on you and the work, Love,
Clare Grady, Ithaca Catholic Worker
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The Nuclear Resister spreads the good news of an alternative history taking place all around us that is a sign of hope for the world, but is given little coverage in the mainstream media.
Peace, Steve Baggarly, Norfolk Catholic Worker
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I get filled with a shot of hope when I sit down and read the Nuclear Resister. I am so proud of the committed activists who fill the pages.
And we are succeeding in closing Vermont Yankee!
Leo Schiff
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The Nuclear Resister tells the story of the courageous women and men who have struggled to abolish war, and in so doing inspires others to join the work.
Kathy Boylan, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (D.C.)
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For over 30 years the Nuclear Resister has been the one resource we can count on to tell us who’s acting up and who’s in jail. There are never enough peacemakers in the world. It’s often a lonely path. Whenever I’ve been locked up, knowing that the Nuclear Resister is out there letting people know where I am makes the lonely work of doing time a communal worldwide experience. I don’t mind doing the time, especially with the Nuclear Resister out there, connecting our small peace tribe to each person locked up at any given time… Priceless! Thank you.
Frank Cordaro, Des Moines Catholic Worker
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Jack and Felice are our international “town criers” for nuclear resistance. During our 15-year Faith and Resistance presence at Rocky Flats in Denver, Colorado, the Nuclear Resister kept us abreast of similar witness across the country. Let’s continue to keep the Nuclear Resister a vibrant sustainable resource by donating as much as possible. Peace now.
Sr. Pat McCormick, SL
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The three times I served time in prison I have had the same ritual every time. After lunch I would go and pick up my mail. Sitting on my bed with a cup of coffee I would open every letter with the excitement a child opens gifts at Christmas. To find out through the letters that my nonviolent actions against Swedish weapons exports could have meaning for other people, sometimes from people across the globe – that was amazing. Many of them who wrote to me had found my address through the Nuclear Resister. To receive the Nuclear Resister while in prison was a special treat. It humbled me to know that other people had taken far greater risks and it inspired me to do more, and to know that we are many who struggle against the global war machine. Please support the Nuclear Resister with whatever you can! It is a unique contribution to peace.
Martin Smedjeback, Swedish peace activist with Ofog
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Prison is the lonely though necessary rainy day for we hope-filled dreamers who will not allow the precious ones of our world to be genocided while we stand idly by. The Nuclear Resister is an oasis and a lifeline; Jack and Felice, its angels, who reconnect us with compassionate community. Prior to coming to prison, I did not know such love existed, though I had long hoped for it. Please support these selfless, tireless ones!
Norman Lowry, current prisoner for peace
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Try as you might you will not get such comprehensive tracking and info in such factual and needed categories of resistance in one periodical… Not only have so many of us benefited from the coverage and data of events and prisoners, but we are simply and boldly inspired (maybe conspired, as well, now that it occurs to me) … Helping the Nuke Resister goes multi-fold into pro-active, nonviolent witness.
Fr. Steve Kelly, SJ, Pacific Life Community
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“There is a crack in everything,
that’s how the light gets in.”
Anthem by Leonard Cohen
The Nuclear Resister has been that crack in the prison walls. For decades. Letting light in and out. Good news from within the belly of the beast. Issue by issue the Resister has offered word that portends the end of the world as we know it from broken atoms to prison walls… and the emergence of another within the shell of the old. Nuke free. Humanity unchained. From within and without I’m joyfully grateful.
John Heid, Casa Mariposa
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The Nuclear Resister is far more than words on a page – it is an active peacemaking community.
Rev. Ken Kennon
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Back in the late 1980’s when I was a member of the Red River Peace Network and a resident at the Peace Farm across the highway from the Pantex nuclear weapons assembly plant outside Amarillo, Texas, I had the good fortune to get to know Felice and Jack and the Nuclear Resister. I have always appreciated their dependable work gathering news about nuclear resistance and resisters, and all the other work they do organizing and attending actions and events themselves, and supporting so many like Mordechai Vanunu and Helen Woodson. Thank you, Felice and Jack!
Ellen Barfield
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The Nuclear Resister has and continues to be a crucial source of information for the community of nonviolent resisters, prisoners of conscience and their supporters. We have directly benefited from their work in the past, and ask you to be as generous as possible to support their work in the future.
Peace, Jean and Joe Gump
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The Nuclear Resister keeps those of us locked in prisons and jails in the know and up to date as well as drawing support for those of us who have gone down for our resistance. Please donate what you can, so that you out there and us in here and our struggles everywhere can continue to have the Nuclear Resister with us. Thank you. Yours in resistance,
Mark Neiweem (Comrade Migs), NATO 5 prisoner
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The Nuclear Resister is and always has been inspiring and interesting for me, incarcerated or not. It is a voice for nuclear resisters that has been all but muted in the mainstream press.
Daniel Sicken
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The Nuclear Resister hasn’t simply reported on acts of resistance to nuclear weapons and the wars that surround their existence and threatened use. There’s much more to the story than that. I still remember, thank God, the first issue of the Nuclear Resister published soon after the Plowshares 8 action on September 9, 1980 at General Electric (now: Lockheed Martin) in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The publication was announced, if memory recalls, as a Chronicler of Hope and Resistance. I thought at the time – and still do – that this is more than “good” or “helpful”, but absolutely necessary for tomorrow, NECESSARY, because this chronicle of Hope and Resistance, far (far!) from the main stream, didn’t simply report some things, but rather told our story. Now, after more than three decades, because of the Nuclear Resister, our story, the story of resister peacemakers, is still being told. As my eyes well up, I give thanks to Felice and Jack, our story-tellers, their love and story, the Nuclear Resister.
Paz, Bob Smith, Brandywine Peace Community
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The Nuclear Resister is the one periodical that I read page to page, every word. Not only is it exciting and most informative (very up to date and accurate), but it is also the voice of the movement… I feel that we all have a special heartspace for our prisoners of conscience and we want to be bonded with them. The Nuclear Resister is the only media source to keep us connected. It’s indispensable. We need you – keep the paper coming!
Fr. Louie Vitale, OFM
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I want to ask for your support for the Nuclear Resister. For the past 33 years, the Resister has been an important part of my life. As a former prisoner of conscience/plowshares activist, I can’t say enough about how much the paper meant to me during my jail time. It brought letters of support and kept me feeling connected to a larger movement. It kept the actions that I was a part of in the public eye. As a young mom at a Catholic Worker House, it helped me to stay in touch with prisoners doing time for building a nonviolent world. As a teacher today it helps me to pass on information to the next generation of world builders. It is a resource for keeping HOPE alive. It is documentation that there are so many working and sacrificing for a just and peaceful world despite what one reads in the corporate media. It is a lifeline to this day for people like Leonard Peltier and Chelsea Manning. I am proud to support Felice and Jack and the vital work they do, and I hope you will be too!
Love, Jackie Allen-Doucot, Hartford Catholic Worker
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You all have done the thankless work of keeping tabs on anti-nuclear resistance now for over thirty years, transcribing action and court statements of people who put their freedom on the line repeatedly, as the world sunk deeper into nuclear madness. We are all in your debt, and you have my unhesitating recommendation for all the support necessary to keep the Nuclear Resister going, on paper and online.
Felton Davis, Catholic Worker
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For me the Nuclear Resister is the best way by far to keep up with what’s happening and what’s coming up in the Catholic-Worker-friendly, as well as the much broader, world of nonviolent nuclear resistance and resistance against war. It keeps me informed about who’s who, what they’ve done, and where they are located, for those needing jail or prison support. It’s the best way I know to keep track of so many of my friends! You do a wonderful job of gathering and presenting this information. Thank you!
Betsy Lamb, Pacific Life Community
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The Nuclear Resister has been important to me since it began. As someone who began an attempt at living and working in nonviolent resistance in the 1970’s while I was in my mid-twenties, this publication has always been a beacon of light and hope, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. Thanks for your enduring and faithful work.
Lynne Greenwald
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Thanks very much for your steadfast commitment to anti-nuclear and anti-war activism – your good work has meant so much and has touched so many! Blessings,
Dean Hammer
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Greetings from Michael Walli, a Prisoner for Christ’s Sake in jail in Ocilla, Georgia. I am very appreciative of your many years of labor on behalf of efforts for the global eradication of nuclear weapons of mass destruction, and I hope that you are properly provided with the means to continue this valuable and necessary work for howsoever long it takes to rid the globe of these antichrist criminal weapons. Keep up the God Work!
Michael Walli, current prisoner for peace
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Jack and Felice, thanks for all the many years of faithful writing, digging for the facts, urging us to call in with action details, helping with all manner of support, visiting us in prison, bringing enthusiasm to us all!
There aren’t many places that tell the stories of resisters and that keep track of us in prison so we get mail. On top of that, it’s a real gift to get the Nuclear Resister while in prison. It makes clear to your friends inside, the guards and other staff about why you’re there. It’s not just your story, it’s the story of other nonviolent acts of conscience, and yours is right there, too – the context adding credibility.
The corporate media usually ignores us, and when not ignored, sees things through a lens of hierarchy and violence. So our nonviolent actions, our mutual communities, are all interpreted in ways that don’t fit. But the Nuclear Resister never ignores us. Jack and Felice understand nonviolence, understand mutual community and they get the story right.
Susan Crane, Redwood City Catholic Worker
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I had read the Nuclear Resister early on when it was just a small newsletter and then the first time I was prison for the Plowshares #4 action, I remember receiving the paper in the format it is in now. I was so excited because I realized you had to move to a bigger size because the movement was growing!! Sitting in jail and getting that news was so heartening. Now, over these 30 years I am so grateful for the Nuclear Resister’s continual presence in my mail box as you have kept the resistance communities connected and informed. Thank you!!!
Ellen Grady, Ithaca Catholic Worker
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In the ongoing struggle for peace there are those who give us hope and inspiration. For the past 33 years the Nuclear Resister has done just that, and I am deeply grateful for their wonderful work for peace and justice.
In solidarity, Roy Bourgeois, and all at SOA Watch
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Going to jail for peace and justice places one into the cloud of nonviolent witnesses, from Gandhi and King to Daniel and Philip Berrigan to Sisters Anne Montgomery and Megan Rice. For more than three decades, the Nuclear Resister has been the glue that holds the entire beautiful and anarchistic arc together, and I for one give thanks for and celebrate their God-inspired work.
Bruce Friedrich
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For 33 years the Nuclear Resister has been, and continues to be, the preeminent source for documenting anti-nuclear and anti-war resistance in the U.S. and worldwide, for which I am deeply grateful. Where else can one find such an accounting of people committed to resisting death-dealing powers, even to the point of risking long-term imprisonment? What an invaluable service that Felice and Jack have provided to the wider peace movement and to all who care about a world free of nuclear technology, weapons and war. When future generations look back and ask who resisted the madness of the Nuclear Age and the colossal evil of war, they will be able to learn about the inspiring resistance that was recorded in the Nuclear Resister. Thank you, Felice and Jack, for your selfless and tireless work in publishing, in season and out, this amazing chronicle of hope!
Art Laffin, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (D.C.)
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HOW TO DONATE TO THE NUCLEAR RESISTER:
Checks and money orders should be made payable to the Nuclear Resister. Contributions of $50 or more may be tax-deductible if made payable to the Progressive Foundation, with “Nuclear Resister” in the memo line. Mail to Nuclear Resister, POB 43383, Tucson, AZ 85733. Donate safely here.
You are also invited to become a Friend of the Nuclear Resister, joining a group of donors who make a monthly or quarterly pledge, which provides an important base of support through the year. Please inquire by emailing nukeresister@igc.org.
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Have you also been jailed for an anti-nuclear or anti-war action that was reported in the Nuclear Resister newsletter? We will be honored to add your name to this appeal. Let us know by emailing nukeresister@igc.org.