The Verdict: Guilty of Protesting US Drones

On
Thursday, thirteen of us stood in a Las Vegas courtroom to hear the
verdict from Judge Jansen regarding our September trial for trespassing
on April 9, 2009 at Creech Air Force Base, headquarters of the U.S.
drone operations. Last September, the judge had dramatically announced
that he would need at least three months to "think" about the case.

After
telling us how "nice" it was to see us, the Judge presented each of us
with a twenty page legal ruling explaining why he found us guilty. You
argued a defense of necessity, he said, "when an inherent danger is
present and immediate action must be taken," such as breaking a no-trespassing law to uphold a higher law and save life. "In this case, no inherent danger was present, and so I find you guilty."

Guilty!
My friends and I have tried every legal means possible to stop our
government from its terrorist drone bombing attacks on civilians in
Afghanistan, and so we journeyed to the drone headquarters at Creech AFB near
Las Vegas on Holy Thursday to kneel in prayer and beg for an end to the
bombings. This nonviolent intervention is determined to be criminal-not
the regular drone bombing attacks on children in Afghanistan and
Pakistan.

I
expected this ruling, but it was sad nonetheless. The judge missed a
great opportunity to take a stand for justice and peace, to do the right
thing, to help end terrorism. Instead, he sided with the war machine.
Worse, he dismissed the loss of life caused by our drone attacks. It
does not matter that civilians are being killed by our drones, he said
in effect. Some lives are not worth as much as others, he ruled.

Before
he sentenced us, we each spoke briefly about our action and why we
crossed the line. This testimony was the best, most moving part of our
ordeal, so I thought I would share excerpts from my co-defendants
remarks.

Brian
Terrell of the Catholic Worker told the judge that the evil work of
Creech Air Force base does involve immediate, present danger-to the
children and people of Afghanistan. He cited a recent interview with a
young drone operator who sits in front of a computer screen at Creech. "The
war is 7,000 miles away and the war is 18 inches away," the air force
operator said. "7,000 miles, the distance from Creech to Afghanistan,"
Brian explained. "18 inches, the distance from his face to the screen.
This distance is an illusion. And it's a very dangerous illusion. The
purpose behind our action was to dispel that illusion because it is very
close and the danger we were addressing was and is imminent."

Brian
should know. He and Kathy Kelly were just back from a three week trip
to Afghanistan where they met victims of U.S. drone attacks.

"In
Afghanistan, I met a family displaced by a drone attack in the Helmand
Province," Kathy Kelly told the judge. "One man showed me the photos of
his children's bloodied corpses. The drone attack killed his spouse and
his five children. In the Charahi Qambar refugee camp, I sat next to
Juma Gul, a nine year old girl whose arm was amputated by the same drone
attack. She was punished horribly even though she committed no crime.
We want to be in solidarity with her."

"It's
criminal for the U.S. to spend 2 billion dollars per week for war in
Afghanistan that maims, kills and displaces innocent civilians who've
meant us no harm," she said.

"I
deplore the high tech technology used for mass killing which destroys
and pollutes this sacred planet," Sister Megan Rice said. "I had to
enter the base in order to obey higher orders. I have listened to the
voice of the victims of drone warfare. These weapons are aptly
named drones, predators, reapers. My entry into any place was and is an
absolute necessity."

"We
each have a responsibility to work for justice and to act in defense of
human life," Libby Pappalardo said. "The use of drones has increased
hatred and violence in our world. I have tried to work through the
system, but it isn't enough. This is an emergency situation. Our
country is worse off because of the violence of war and militarism. It's
necessary to take this next step.

I
will continue to struggle for human rights and nonviolence so that all
the world's children can feel safe and embraced by peace and hope."

"I
went to Creech to express my deep sorrow and outrage over the fact that
my country was engaged in what I believe were acts of terrorism in the
use of drones against my brothers and sisters," Eve Tetaz said. "I
cannot remain silent. I think of Moses' words: 'I set before you this
day life and death, good and evil. Therefore, choose life that you and
your family may live.' It is my prayer that you will be with us in
speaking this truth to justice, that one day our nation will lead the
world in the attempt to turn swords into plowshares and learn war no
more so that the God of peace, mercy, justice and compassion will bring
about law and justice. I invite you and all those who are present in the
court to join us."

"As
a veteran, I care about our guys over there," Dennis DuVall
said. "Every time there's a drone strike, most of the victims are
innocent women and children and old men like me. The younger men are
considered militants. Each attack results in revenge attacks."

"Last
Spring I was in New York City during the nuclear disarmament march in
Times Square when a car bomb was almost detonated. It's ironic that I
was protesting drone warfare at Creech AFB where they're directing drone
attacks and a year later I was almost an unwitting victim of a revenge
car bomb attempt in Times Square. The young man who built the bomb,
Faisal Shazad, said he was motivated by drone attacks against Pakistan.
There is a greater harm. If this isn't necessity, what the hell is? We
cannot run from the consequences of our drone air war 7000 miles away.
Eventually, it's going to come home to us. We're going to be the
victims."

"We
are attacking people in an Islamic country," Brad Lyttle said. "We are
shooting missiles and killing them in an arbitrary manner. It is
generating great hatred, and these people have the means to access
weapons to cause us tremendous harm. We need to establish peaceful,
just ways to resolve disputes. This is the message I would like to have
people examine and think about.

We have to develop non-military means for achieving justice and therefore peace."

"I've
been hearing about the Afghan youth peace volunteers who work for peace
and nonviolence in their land," said Mariah Klusmire. "As long as
they're working for peace in their country, I will too, and no
punishment can stop me from working for peace."

"Through
our presence, we were trying to make the imminent danger posed by drone
warfare less remote," Steve Kelly said. "Our presence there was making
the connection that would otherwise seem remote. We weren't there to do
civil disobedience. We were there to make an intervention. Our
intention was lawful. I'm disappointed and saddened that you came to the
wrong conclusion."

"As
a follower of Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I take seriously his second
commandment, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,'" Judy Homanich said. "As
the mother of two wonderful children - my precious daughter, Sarah, who
is just starting her adult life and my gone but not forgotten son,
David, whose faith, courage and compassion continue to inspire me-I
prayerfully acted in solidarity with all mothers, daughters, wives and
sisters here and around the world who suffer loss due to war. My son
David's death, at age 21, was due to cancer not war, but I understand
the heart-wrenching, life-changing pain of losing a child, a loved one.
The U.S. government kills countless innocents in drone attacks and
calls it collateral damage."

"President
Obama should heed his own words, spoken in October 2010 while in
India," Judy continued. "He said nothing ever justifies the slaughter of
innocent civilians. But the U.S. drone attacks continue. This criminal
long distance killing makes us all less human and less safe. I have a
duty to bear witness against this killing and I will continue to do so."

"We
are all one family," Fr. Jerry Zawada said. "The huge numbers of
innocent people being killed by drones is something I have to stand up
against. We think of people on the other side of the border or the
ocean as being different from ourselves. They're not. That's my family
and your family too. We are one family. We have to take risks for one
another."

For
my two cents, I named these drones are illegal, immoral, and
impractical, and said they are bad for us politically, economically,
socially and spiritually. I said that crossing the line onto Creech was
an act of prayer for an end to these terrorist drones, and for an end to
war itself, for new nonviolent ways to resolve conflict. We were
obeying a higher law, taking our case to a Higher Power.

In
the end, the judge sentenced us to time served. We didn't go to jail,
and meanwhile, our drones continue to drop bombs. A new report says
unauthorized U.S. drone strikes last year claimed nearly 1,200 lives.
According to Pakistani sources, our drone attacks kill almost 50
civilians for every "militant" we target.

Together,
through our action and our courtroom testimony, we argued that we can
do better than drop bombs through these drone machines. As we left, we
pledged to continue to speak out against the drones, to try to wake one
another up about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to stir
the embers of the peace movement to speak out and take action for a new
world of nonviolence. We give thanks for the opportunity to witness to
peace, and we go forward determined to promote peace with everyone.

As Father Jerry said, we are all one family.