Mother's Day was celebrated in the spirit of its founder, Julia Ward Howe, with an active renunciation of war, when civil disobedients were arrested in three states, over three days in May.

Three waves of blockaders came forward from a Mother's Day rally of over 100 at the gates of the Trident nuclear submarine base at Bangor, on the Puget Sound. The first five held a fabric banner reading "The earth is our mother. Treat her with respect." The second, a group of eight, stretched a clothesline strung with baby sleepers across the entry road. A third wave of three people held a banner reading "Bangor Closed. Trident violates International Law." Each group was arrested in turn, and a 17th arrest brought into police custody a man who sang a Native American prayer for peace as he blocked the road.

All of those arrested were cited and released by the county sheriff or Bangor security, but prosecution is unlikely. Since February, 2000, Kitsap County prosecutors have chosen not to prosecute people for nonviolent direct actions at Bangor, saying that such action "does not constitute a crime" in the eyes of the community.

In Nevada, where more than 150 joined weekend demonstrations at the Mercury gate to the nuclear weapons test site, northwest of Las Vegas, 21 people were arrested on Sunday, and seven more during a morning blockade of arriving workers' buses. Most were cited for trespass and released. Greg Getty wrapped himself around the axle of one bus, and after being extricated with the help of pepper spray and elbow grease, he was jailed on a public nuisance charge. Two young women did not accept their arrest lightly, and with the help of a porta-potty pushed up to the fence, they climbed out of the large holding pen located near the gate. Katrina Worthing and Rosanna Hatch were captured by security forces as they ran out into the desert, and then jailed. All three were released when bail was raised a few days later. The women will be arraigned in Nye County court on a gross misdemeanor charge of "escaped prisoner" on July 24. Getty was convicted May 29 in Nye County court, and sentenced to time served and a $170 fine.

Stop Project ELF's annual Mothers' Day event was held on Saturday, May 12 this year. Nearly 200 activists came to the north woods of Wisconsin, the largest attendance in eight years. Eleven people were arrested for trespass after their sit-in blocked the driveway into the Navy's controversial radio transmitter, located near Clam Lake. Among the arrested was John LaForge, who along with John Heid had been released from the Ashland County Jail only hours earlier. Both men served a 60-day sentence instead of paying fines for previous arrests at Project ELF. Ten of those arrested were cited and released on site. Dan Miner-Nordstrom, who refused to willingly leave the blockade, was moved by the use of "pain compliance" (the deputy twisted his arm, back and up), and taken to Ashland He was cited for trespass and resisting arrest before being released like the others, pending arraignment and trial.

For more information, contact: Ground Zero, 16159 Clear Creek Road NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370; (360)377-2586; info@gzcenter.org
Shundahai Network, POB 6360, Pahrump, NV 89041 (775)537-6088; shundahai@shundahai.org
Nukewatch, POB 649, Luck, WI 54853, (715)472-4185; nukewatch@lakeland.ws.