Report of Dec. 27, 2024 Feast of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents Witness at the Pentagon

Dear Friends,

From 7-8 AM this morning, amidst a beautiful sunrise, twelve peacemakers held a nonviolent witness at the Pentagon to commemorate the Feast of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. The witness was organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, and those participating included members of the Little Flower Catholic Worker, the Southern Life Community, Franciscan Action Network, and Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore. Because the actual Feast of the Holy Innocents falls on Saturday, Dec. 28, the witness was held today so we could be present to as many Pentagon workers as possible who do not work on weekends.

When we arrived, the Pentagon police were expecting us and had already closed the main southeast entrance to the Pentagon. They were rerouting workers to enter the building by the Pedestrian bridge entrance. Thus, many workers, who we don’t ordinarily see at the weekly Monday morning DDCW peace vigil, walked by us in the designated fenced off protest area. Based on this police action, we can reasonably conclude that this main Pentagon entrance was closed due to our presence. 

Holding and displaying signs and banners (see attached photo), the witness began with an Introduction that I gave (see below) followed by a prayer service. Rev. Peter Pearson read the Gospel account of the massacre of the innocents (Mt. 2: 13-18) which was followed by the Coventry Carol song. Bill Frankel-Streit and Beth Brockman then read an excerpt of a deeply moving sermon by Rev. Munther Isaac: “Christ is Still in the Rubble” that was given on Dec. 20 during a Liturgy of Sumud at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem where Munther is pastor (see below). The song “Cry of Ramah” was then sung.  A poem by Sr. Anne Montgomery, Feast of the Innocents:1991-In Memoriam: Mass Graves, was offered. A Litany for the Feast of the Holy Innocents was then read (see below), followed by a Redeem the Times Declaration. 

We then gathered in a circle as Bill shared his initial intention to risk arrest at the main entrance but, due to that entrance already being closed, wanted to engage in group discernment about whether a possible alternative action should be undertaken. We collectively decided to leave the designated protest area, form a line across the sidewalk and recite the Lord’s Prayer. (In the past, going outside the designated protest area and holding signs would usually result in a police warning to return to the designated area or face arrest). However, once we did this, the police closed off the entire sidewalk and rerouted workers along a different walkway to enter the building (see photo attachment). The witness concluded with the song, Vine and Fig Tree. 

I want to express appreciation to all those who did readings in the prayer service–Peter, Bill, Beth, Michele Dunne, Kathy Boylan, Frank Panopoulos, John Holden, Mary Beaudoin, as well as all who participated in this witness. We are also grateful to everyone who expressed their prayerful support and solidarity with this witness, (including those of you who receive this) but who could not be physically present. 

Another prayer of intercession was offered this morning at the Pentagon! God have mercy on U.S.! In these perilous times we need now, more than ever, to live and proclaim the Gospel of Nonviolence and resist the ongoing massacre of the Holy Innocents today.

In the hope of Christ’s peace,

Art

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Introduction to Holy Innocents Witness 2024

Good Morning. We greet everyone going into the Pentagon and the Pentagon police in a spirit of peace and nonviolence. Tomorrow,  Christian churches commemorate the feast of the massacre of the Holy Innocents, recalling how Herod, fearful of being removed from power, sought to destroy the child Jesus by ordering the slaughter of boys under two years old in and around Bethlehem. We, members of the DDCW, Pax Christi, the Atlantic and Southern Life Community, FAN, and other peace groups, come to the Pentagon, the center of warmaking on our planet, to remember the innocents who have been killed–past and present—due to greed, oppression, racism and war. In this time of perpetual war, nuclear peril and climate chaos, the lives of countless innocents are endangered by today’s Herod’s.  

As followers of Jesus, who commands us to love and never to kill, we unequivocally oppose and condemn all killing, no matter who the perpetrator is. We remember and pray for all victims of violence, war and occupation–from Ukraine to Sudan, to the Holy Land and elsewhere. We remember all Palestinian and Lebanese victims of Israel’s genocidal war as we cry out again and again for permanent ceasefire and an end to genocide and just peace. We remember all Israeli victims from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Over the last 14 months, the U.S. has supplied over $17 billion in weapons to Israel to conduct genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.

We remember all Indigenous and African victims of conquest, genocide and slavery.  We remember all children living under systems of violence, oppression and white supremacy. We are mindful that Sunday marks the commemoration of the Wounded Knee massacre in 1890.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre

Our faith in the nonviolent Jesus compels us to nonviolently resist today’s Herod’s and the massacre of Holy Innocents that continue to be carried out. We are ever so mindful that children are always the first victims of war. This is especially true in Gaza where over 17,000 children have been murdered and many more missing in the rubble during the last 447 days, as a result of Israeli bombardment and siege. We call into our presence this morning all the Holy Cloud of Witnesses, including all those who have witnessed here at the Pentagon proclaiming Jesus’ Gospel of Nonviolence in resistance to a warmaking empire. We stand with all people worldwide who are nonviolently resisting state-sanctioned violence, oppression, war, genocide and Christian nationalism, and who are working to create the Beloved Community!

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Excerpt of a Sermon by Rev. Munther Isaac: “Christ is Still in the Rubble”

(Given on Dec. 20 during a Liturgy of Sumud at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem).

It has been 440 days. 440 days of constant bombing. Nonstop. 440 days of starvation. On top of 17 years of siege and imprisonment. Tens of thousands killed. Injured. Forever disabled. Imprisoned. Starved. More than 17,000 children killed. It feels like we have watched them being killed one by one. 440 days of the people of Gaza sharing live images of their executions; burned alive. And we cannot stop it.

It is hard to believe that another Christmas has come upon us and the genocide has not stopped. It has expanded. We are out of words. We feel powerless to stop it. Decision makers are content to let this continue. To them, Palestinians are dispensable. And they know it. They are watching. It is not as if the horrors of this genocide will be discovered after all is said and done. No, it is well documented. We are all watching it. Even Those committing it, the ruthless soldiers and their masters are sharing images of their blatant crimes against humanity and boasting about it… 

But it has also been 440 days of resilience and even beauty. I think of our heroes of Gaza: the doctors, the medics, the rescuers, the volunteers—those who sacrifice and give everything for their fellow human beings. I think of those who created schools in tents. The ones who play music to the displaced children, to bring a smile in the midst of pain and destruction. The chefs who are cooking meals en masse. And the smallest of children, tending to their siblings. The loss is enormous. But we have not lost our faith, or our collective humanity. This is the beauty I am talking about.

We especially remember our steadfast churches in Gaza, which, despite the brutality of the scene, have embraced, supported, and suffered for their sons and daughters. In the midst of genocide, they continue to pray and serve.

Today we ask: What happened to humanity? I really fear for our collective humanity when a genocide of such scale is normalized, even celebrated. I fear for our souls, because we have gotten used to the images of children, lifeless, pulled from under the rubble, of plastic and cloth tents bombed, and people starved. How have we become numb? How do we watch this? We must fight this within us. We cannot be content. We have to fight against the growing apathy. We must not rest or grow weary. To do so, is to abandon not only the people of Gaza, but our very own humanity…

Equally, we must insist that all who committed war crimes must be held accountable. We cannot normalize impunity. What kind of a world and future we are leaving our children – if we accept a reality where war criminals go unpunished, even emboldened – where they openly boast of their crimes, and rather than met with justice they are met with applause in the halls of congress and defended by European parliaments. And they still dare to lecture us on human rights and international law.

Never again is only a slogan. Empty words. Never again should mean never again to all peoples. Never again has become yet again! Yet again to supremacy. Yet again to racism. Yet again for genocide…

And sadly, never again has become yet again for the weaponization of the Bible, and the silence and complicity of the western church. Yet again for the church siding with power; with the Empire.

Today, and after all this total destruction and annihilation – Gaza is erased – millions have become refugees and homeless, tens of thousands killed, why is anyone still debating whether this is a genocide or not?…

The genocide will end one day. Soon we pray and plead. But history will remember where people stood. What they said. They cannot claim they did not know. This is why we insist that this is more than Gaza or Palestine. In Palestine, we find the intersection of colonialism, supremacy, the logic of might is right, militarism, racism and religious fundamentalism all coming together…

Today also, we acknowledge all those who stood on the side of justice and truth; all those who said no to dehumanization; many of whom paid a heavy price. We salute you. Solidarity, by definition, is costly. Over the last 440 days, we have heard you, in churches, mosques and synagogues, in the streets, in universities, in governmental buildings, in front of arms factories, protesting, organizing, lobbying… we heard you.

Dear friends, it is indeed painful that we live in a time when a genocide is committed before the eyes of the world, and we feel powerless to stop it. Today, as we gather around “Christ in the Rubble”, we remember the children of Gaza, the children of Bethlehem before them, and many others around the world who have fallen victim to the tyranny of Herod and his modern-day counterparts. The Massacre of innocents.

A voice was heard in Ramah, the prophet cried thousands of years ago, weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her sons and daughters and refuses to be comforted, because they are no more. A voice was heard in Bethlehem, and today we hear the same voice in Gaza: weeping and great mourning.

We weep, we are crushed, we suffer. And we cry out: How long, O Lord? Why, O Lord? Why do You allow this, and why do You remain silent? Humanity has chosen Herod’s path. Humanity glorified power and cruelty. It glorified domination, greed, weapons, and even the annihilation of others. Herod is neither the first nor the last. This is the logic of the Empire. And we have fashioned God in this image, turning Him into a god of war!..

This is why we said last year, “Christ is in the rubble,” and this year, we say, “Christ is still in the rubble.” This is His manger. Jesus finds His place with the marginalized, the tormented, the oppressed, and the displaced. We look at the Holy Family and see them in every displaced and homeless family, living in despair. In the Christmas story, God walks with them and calls them His own.

Today, let us reflect on the Child Jesus—the Child of Bethlehem. At the heart of the Incarnation, there is a child. In His weakness, He is our hope, our consolation, and our strength. This child shook Herod’s throne…He was born among us and entered our world under the most difficult and harsh circumstances. His family suffered greatly to protect His life. The children of Bethlehem were massacred, but not all of them. Jesus survived this genocide, becoming a refugee with His family in Egypt, then returning to His land and people, serving, building, working, and bringing salvation and redemption. In this resilient child and His family, we find hope. This child, whom we see today among the ruins, once stood before Pilate and Herod, faced death itself, and triumphed, granting eternal redemption.

With this hope and faith, we endure. We refuse to surrender to despair, because ours is a faith of resurrection. 

We embrace our calling in this wounded world and land. We insist on seeing the image of Jesus in every victim of oppression, marginalization, and violent ideologies of supremacy and Empire. We will continue to declare the goodness and justice of God. 

It has been 440 days of Palestinian resilience – sumud. Indeed, 76 years of sumud. But we have not and will not lose hope. Yes, it is 76 years of the ongoing Nakba, but it is also 76 years of Palestinian steadfastness, sumud, clinging to our right and the justice of our cause. 76 years of praying and singing for peace …

And today we say: Our faith in the God of truth and justice is our hope.

In our steadfastness – sumud, let us have eyes of faith to perceive and believe that every Herod will pass, every Caesar will fade, for Empires have an expiry date, and let us remember that it is the meek, not the powerful, who will inherit the earth. In our pain and oppression, we might feel that death has the final word, that Herod is sovereign. But through the eyes of faith, we see that God has the final word: and it is a word of life and light, not death and darkness. In Christmas, God has spoken, and the Word is Christ. Christ is born! Hallelujah! Peace on Earth, Hallelujah! May it be so today – Amen!

(Here’s a link to the entire sermon of Rev. Munther Isaac: 
https://redletterchristians.org/2024/12/20/christ-is-still-in-the-rubble-a-sermon-by-the-rev-dr-munther-isaac/

“Gaza today has become the moral compass of the world. This is our message to the world today:

This genocide must stop now!”  — Rev. Munther Isaac  

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Litany For Feast of the Holy Innocents 2024

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

During the last three decades, the United States has engaged in immoral and illegal military intervention and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq, U.S. intervention resulted in over several million Iraqi deaths and countless injuries from bombings, sanctions, torture and occupation; over four million refugees; immeasurable trauma for an entire society; political and social instability; and an endless cycle of violence. During its criminal military intervention in Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghan civilians were killed and wounded and there has been political and social instability. Like Iraq, an entire population has been traumatized by U.S. warmaking. We demand that all those responsible for committing these war crimes be held accountable. 

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

In Yemen, the U.S. continues to provide direct military support and weapons to Saudi Arabia in its brutal war against the Houthi rebels. The war in Yemen has killed over 150,000 people. According to UNICEF, more than 11,000 children have been killed and injured during the war and 2.7 million children are malnourished. A Lockheed Martin made bomb was used in the Saudi bombing of a school bus in Yemen on Aug. 9, 2018 killing over 40 children. We demand that all those responsible for committing these war crimes be held accountable. 

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

We also remember the thousands of innocent civilians who have died as a result of U.S. drone attacks and air strikes over the last twenty years. Three years ago,  the New York Times published a series exposing a vast cover-up by the Pentagon of hiding the numbers of civilians killed by these U.S. bombings. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ), U.S. strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen from January 2004 to February 2020 killed between 10,888 and 20,000 people. On August 29, 2021, 7 children were among the 10 family members of the Ahmadi family that were killed in Kabul Afghanistan by a Lockheed Hellfire missile fired from a General Atomics Reaper Drone. We demand that all those responsible for committing these war crimes be held accountable. 

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War!

In retaliation for the October 7th Hamas attack that claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis and the taking of 240 hostages which we denounce, the Israeli government and military has engaged in a genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, despite pleas for an immediate ceasefire from the UN, Pope Francis, Jewish Voices for Peace, numerous human rights, religious and humanitarian aid organizations, and countless citizens worldwide.

As we remember the over 46,000 Palestinian victims in Gaza and thousands more who are still missing, 900 entire families who have been killed, the over 100,000 wounded in Gaza, the nearly 2 million people who have been displaced and in need of urgent food and humanitarian assistance, we decry U.S. complicity in these atrocities by providing weapons and intelligence to Israel, and for refusing to support UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire. We remember all Palestinian victims in the West Bank who have been killed by the Israeli military and Jewish settlers, and all who continue to suffer under the ruthless U.S.-backed Israeli occupation of the West Bank. We demand a permanent ceasefire, that all humanitarian aid be made available to the starving people of Gaza, release of all Palestinian prisoners and those held hostage by Hamas, an end to occupation and apartheid, self-determination for Palestinians and a just peace in the Holy Land. We demand that all those responsible for committing war crimes be held accountable. 

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

The 2025 NDAA military spending bill of $895 billion was recently passed by Congress, and signed by President Biden. The U.S. proceeds with an estimated $1.7 trillion nuclear modernization program over the next several decades, which includes 12 new Columbia-Class nuclear submarines to replace existing Ohio-Class Trident subs at an estimated cost of over $120 billion. The Pentagon’s new B-21 Raider is a dual-capable strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons. Each B-21 will cost over $700 million. Estimated costs for 100 B21’s over the next 30 years will exceed $200 billion. Pope Francis has declared that the mere possession of nuclear weapons is immoral. These exorbitant expenditures for weapons and war is an abomination–an affront to God and a crime against the poor!

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

According to Save the Children, 1.4 billion children are living in poverty worldwide. According to the Poor People’s Campaign, there are 140 million poor and low-income people in the U.S. According to the Children Defense Fund, 11 million children in the U.S. live in poverty. Over 25 million people are uninsured in the U.S. Over 650,000 people are experiencing homelessness in the U.S. In 2024, about 120 people in D.C. died without the dignity of a home. Dr. King declared: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” 

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

The Doomsday Clock is set to 90 seconds before midnight due to the existential dangers of nuclear war and climate change — threats compounded by cyber-enabled information warfare, upgrades to existing nuclear systems, AI, and worsening world tensions. The Ukraine war has further exacerbated the nuclear peril between the two foremost nuclear powers. While the U.S. has always maintained a “first-use” nuclear weapons policy, Russia has stated it would consider using nuclear weapons if it feels endangered by increased U.S. and NATO intervention in the Ukraine war. With respect to waging war, Dr. King, who condemned nuclear weapons in 1959, declared: “War is not the answer…I consider war an evil…The choice before us is either nonviolence or nonexistence.” It is imperative that the U.S. and the eight other nuclear-armed states ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

According to the Federation of American Scientists, nine countries possess roughly 12,512 nuclear weapons. Approximately 88 percent of all nuclear warheads are owned by the U.S. and Russia. U.S. nuclear weapons are also stored at six military bases in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Turkey. Furthermore, U.S. and NATO missile defense systems ring Russia and China, increasing already heightened tensions. The U.S. and Russia, whose nuclear forces are on high alert, as well as China, are developing hypersonic weapons that could become nuclear capable.                      

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War! 

Every day, the world’s addiction to oil, natural gas and nuclear power is the cause of environmental contamination that is threatening global devastation. With nearly 800 military bases worldwide establishing its vast war machine, the Pentagon is the world’s single biggest consumer of fossil fuels, making it a major contributor to destabilizing the climate. Climate chaos acutely impacts the poor countries of the world. According to the WHO, climate change threatens the essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter – and has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress alone.

Refrain: War Hurts and Kills Children, Help Us Abolish War!

Redeem the Times Declaration 

(We are indebted to Dan Berrigan and Ardeth Platte–Presente!–for their contributions to this Declaration).  

      “Redeem the times,” proclaims the late peacemaking prophet, Jesuit Priest, Daniel Berrigan. “The times are inexpressibly evil.  And yet, the times are inexhaustibly good, solaced by the courage and hope of many. The truth rules, Christ is not forsaken.”

       The violence, massacres and disregard for the truth and human life and creation stops here today at the Pentagon. Now is the time for national repentance and personal and societal transformation. In solidarity with sisters and brothers around the world, we resolve to:

–commit ourselves to follow the nonviolent example of Jesus and call on all soldiers to refuse to fight and kill, and lay down their weapons; 

–denounce and resist all forms of State-sanctioned killing, systemic violence, racial injustice, discrimination and sexism;

–end environmental destruction, poverty and economic inequality;

–respect the human rights of all people, especially immigrants and refugees;  

–call on those who political leadership and all diplomats to adopt nonviolent and just peace initiatives to replace military solutions to resolve conflicts;

–commit in policy that our country makes reparations to all victims of its military interventions worldwide and war crimes; abolish torture, war, and weapons forever, hammer all swords into plowshares; and convert the war economy so our planet and people may live;

–build homes for all, assure healthy food for all, develop health care and education for all, plan an economy for full meaningful employment, develop renewable energy implementation, mass transit lines, and practice restorative justice;

–implore the U.S. and all nuclear nations to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which, to date, has been ratified by 73 nations; 

–celebrate God’s creation with joy.

       During this Holy Season we are reminded once again of the promise of Emmanuel, God is with us. And we are invited by Jesus to make the Word flesh and to nonviolently resist the Herod’s of this world and all forces of death. We are ever mindful of the hope-filled message of the angel Gabriel to Mary of Nazareth, that “nothing will be impossible for God!” As we approach the end of 2024 and move into a New Year, let us keep our eyes on the prize and do all we can to make God’s reign of justice, love and peace a reality as we strive to create the beloved community and a nonviolent world.

November 8th Nonviolent Witness Near the White House on the Anniversary of Dorothy Day’s Birthday—Heed the Mandate of Gospel Nonviolence in this Post Election Time, End the Genocide in Gaza–No U.S. Weapons to Israel

The vision is this. We are working for “a new heaven and new earth, wherein justice dwelleth.” We are trying to say with action, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are working for a Christian social order.

Love is not the starving of whole populations. Love is not the bombardment of open cities. Love is not killing, it is the laying down of one’s life for one’s friends.

                                                                                                                                —Dorothy Day

Dear Friends, 

From Noon-1 p.m. today, 21 peacemakers from the DMV, including members of Christians 4 Ceasefire, held a nonviolent witness/prayer service near the White House marking the anniversary of Dorothy Day’s birthday, the vital need to stay grounded in the Word of God, heed the mandate of Gospel Nonviolence in this post-election time, and an urgent appeal to end Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and U.S. complicity in it. This witness was organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.

Due to construction of special reviewing stands for the inaugural parade in January, part of Lafayette Square and most of Pennsylvania Ave.  is closed off to the public. However, the area near the Old Executive Office Building on Pennsylvania Ave. is open, still in proximity to the White House, and that’s where the vigil was held.

 

The witness began with a reflection about Dorothy Day’s exemplary fidelity to the Gospel and radical commitment to nonviolent resistance, and a faith perspective regarding the election outcome (see below). To help us stay spiritually rooted during this perilous time, Scripture readings were read (Psalm 46; Psalm 146; Micah 5:1-5; Luke: 1: 46-55, 4:16-19; 6:20-27, and John: 14:27; 16:33). Quotes from Dorothy were shared which included her uncompromising pacifist stance during WWII that resulted in some people leaving the Catholic Worker and certain houses closing; how the Works of Mercy are opposite the Works of War; and her admonition to love one another, including our enemies! The latter part of the witness focused on an update about the horrific ethnic cleansing taking place in northern Gaza, Israel securing new U.S. weapons sales, offering Lamentation Litanies, and the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire and an end to this genocidal war. The witness concluded with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, Introductions and singing the Vine and Fig tree song. During the Introductions, we were joined by four Muslim women who expressed their solidarity and appreciation for our witness. 

Special thanks to everyone who attended this witness and did readings as well as for those who could not attend and expressed their prayerful solidarity. 

Inspired by Dorothy Day and the entire Holy Cloud of Witnesses, we pray during this perilous time for the grace to do what God requires of us as we strive to be faithful Gospel witnesses of love, truth, justice and nonviolence.  

In Christ’s peace,

Art

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Opening Reflection

Good Afternoon. We greet all government workers, tourists, visitors and Secret Service agents in a spirit of peace and nonviolence. I’m Art Laffin and on behalf of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker I’d like to welcome everyone here present to this nonviolent witness. A special thank you to members of Christians 4 Ceasefire, and other faith groups that are represented here today. 

As today marks the birthday of Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, we give thanks to God for her exemplary steadfast Gospel witness. During our vigil time we will hear several quotes from Dorothy’s writings. There will also be scripture readings to heed in this post-election period, a Litany of Lament and an urgent appeal to end Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and U.S. complicity in it. 

I want to call your attention to the fact that in November 1917, 107 years ago, 20-year-old Dorothy Day joined 22 women in an ongoing Suffragists protest right here at the White House and was among those arrested for picketing. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail at the Occoquan jail, notorious for its brutality. Dorothy, along with other women, went on a 10-day hunger strike and was placed in solitary confinement. She was released after 15 days of brutal confinement. This experience had a profound impact on Dorothy’s life and faith journey. This was not Dorothy’s last arrest/jail stint. As we know, she was arrested numerous other times, including in the 1950’s for resisting civil defense drills and U.S. nuclear war preparations. Her last arrest was in 1973 in support of Caesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. 

And so as we stand here, let us remember and offer a prayer of gratitude for Dorothy and countless others throughout U.S. history/herstory who have witnessed here at the White House, speaking truth to power and acting for peace and social justice. 

We live in a war making empire founded on genocide and slavery. The triple evils Dr. King identified as racism, economic exploitation and militarism are the hallmarks of a political and economic order that is rooted in white supremacy, systemic violence and oppression, and dominated by corporate power. Before the election the Doomsday Clock was already set at 90 seconds before midnight, due namely to the existential threats of nuclear weapons and the climate crisis, worsening world tensions, and AI. The perils facing the country and the world post-election are now even more ominous. The forces of fascism, racial hatred, violence and destruction are pervasive. As people of faith, we must remain rooted in the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus, renounce Christian nationalism, and resist the powers and principalities. The times require us to dig deeper into the well of faith so that we can be sustained as Gospel peace and justice makers in our resistance to the deadly forces of evil.  Going deep into the well of faith is something Dorothy and so many peace and justice makers have done–past and present, as they sought spiritual sustenance, courage and hope to respond to the perils of their time. 

In 1975 Dorothy wrote: “The peace movement knows there is something fundamentally evil about this society.  Kent State and the killing of the students. All the years of killing in Vietnam. All the murderous weapons sold throughout the world. All the endured violence of the civil rights struggles and freedom rides and sit-ins. Through all this one comes to know the seriousness of the situation and to realize it’s not going to be changed just by demonstrations. It’s a question of risking one’s life. It’s a question of living one’s life in drastically different ways.” 

This admonition from Dorothy certainly speaks to our situation today. Now more than ever we need to live and boldly proclaim God’s reign of love, justice, peace and Gospel Nonviolence as we seek to help create the Beloved Community. 

Update About Gaza Genocide

Here is some tragic news taken from Democracy Now over the last two days. 

“Yesterday it was reported that the Israeli military says Palestinians from northern Gaza will not be allowed to return to their homes, effectively admitting to ethnically cleansing the region. A military official said any future aid to Gaza would only be allowed to enter through the south, but not the north, where there are “no more civilians left.”

“UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge posted a harrowing video from northern Gaza showing its utter decimation. Wateridge wrote, “No matter from what direction you enter, homes, hospitals, schools, health clinics, mosques, apartments, restaurants — all completely flattened. An entire society now a graveyard.”

“For the last seven weeks, Israel has allowed almost no food or aid into northern Gaza as the U.N. has repeatedly warned the entire northern population is “at imminent risk of dying.”

“The United Nations Human Rights Office has reported that nearly 70% of the more than 43,000 Palestinians killed by Israel over the last 13 months are women and children.”

“Also yesterday, Israel’s military said it had secured 25 next-generation F-15 fighter jets from Boeing. The $5.2 billion deal is part of a larger U.S. funding package to Israel approved by Congress and provided by the Biden-Harris administration.”

We pray and stand in solidarity with all who grieve today and who are acting for peace. We pray and stand with Palestinian and Jewish brothers and sisters, as well as all Christians, Muslims, Jews, and all people of goodwill everywhere who are advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, an Arms Embargo of Israel, and for an end to the cycle of violence.

In the name of God who commands us not to kill, we appeal to all people of people of faith and conscience to call for:

• An end to the Israeli siege and bombing in northern Gaza! 
• A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon!
• U.S. Arms Embargo for Israel! 
• Removal of U.S. troops and weapons systems to Israel!
• Removal of the USS Georgia Trident nuclear submarine with 150 Tomahawk  cruise missiles from the Middle East region!
• An end to settler violence and Israeli attacks in the West Bank and confiscation of Palestinian homes and land!
• Release of all hostages and prisoners!
• Unimpeded delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza! 
• UNRWA be allowed to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza and that the U.S. restore funding for it!
• An end to apartheid and occupation in Palestine and self-determination for Palestinian people!
• Just peace for Palestine and Israel!
• Comprehensive peace with Iran, Israel and the U.S.!

As we remember all Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese victims who have been killed, and as Palestinians face forced displacement, starvation, torture and endure living in an apartheid state—all with U.S.-backed military assistance—​let us act in solidarity with everyone advocating for nonviolent solutions to end this tragic conflict and bring about a just peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East/ West Asia. This includes courageous student groups, 100 city councils across the country who have passed cease-fire resolutions, and the more than 150 NGOs Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel and End to Impunity amid a Spiraling Humanitarian Catastrophe and Escalating Regional Conflict. U.S. complicity in supporting Israel’s genocidal war must end!

On Oct. 18, 2023, Pope Francis declared: “The number of victims is growing and the situation in Gaza is desperate. Everything possible must be done to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. The world already witnesses so many open war fronts. Lay down weapons and heed the cries for peace from the poor,  the people, and the innocent children. War solves no problems. It only sows’ death and destruction, increases hatred, multiplies revenge. War erases the future; it erases the future. I urge all believers to take one side only: that of peace.”

Now more than ever we need to heed Dr. King’s prophetic words: the choice before us is “nonviolence or nonexistence.”

Report of November 1 (All Saints Day) Witness/Prayer Service for Peace in Gaza and the Middle East Outside the White House– Ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon Now! No U.S. Weapons/Military Aid to Israel

Dear Friends, 

From Noon-1pm today (Nov. 1), 26 peacemakers commemorated All Saints Day (and tomorrow All Souls Day) by holding a nonviolent witness/prayer service outside the White House calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, an Arms Embargo for Israel, and an End to U.S. Complicity in Israeli Genocide! This witness was sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Groups represented at the witness included members of Christians 4 Ceasefire, Pax Christi USA national council,  Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore, Franciscan Action Network, St. Camillus Church, Assisi Community, Holy Redeemer Church, and Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.

Due to construction of special reviewing stands for the inaugural parade in January, part of Lafayette Square and most of Pennsylvania Ave.  is closed off to the public. However, the area near the Old Executive Office Building on Pennsylvania Ave. is open, still in proximity to the White House, and that’s where the vigil was held (see attached photo). 

The prayer service included a sung Litany of the Cloud of Witnesses, a Litany of Women, scripture readings from the Book of Revelations (7:2-4,9-14), Isaiah (59: 1-5,6-10, 12-15, 58: 6-8, 10-12) and Luke (6: 20-28),  an update and statement about the genocide in Gaza (see excerpt below), a Litany of Lament, Know Their Names Litany (see below), Pax Christi Litany of Repentance, and a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.  We concluded the witness with introductions and singing the Vine and Fig Tree song. A special updated prayer card for the election season, written by the late Sr. Dianna Ortiz, was also distributed. 

Special thanks to everyone who attended this witness and did readings as well as for those who could not attend and expressed their prayerful solidarity. 

During this perilous time, we beckon the Saints and all the Holy Cloud of Witnesses to advocate on our behalf. We pray for the moral clarity that Isaiah and Jesus speak of (see readings) as we strive to be faithful followers of Jesus living in this warmaking empire. Now more than ever we need to live and proclaim the Gospel of Nonviolence!

In peace and hope,

Art

Statement/Update

Surrounded by a Holy Cloud of Witnesses, we come to the White House today to say Yes to the God of Love, justice and nonviolence and No to the idolatrous forces of greed, oppression, violence, death and destruction. We are here today because we refuse to be indifferent to evil—the evil of injustice, killing, war and genocide. We ask God’s mercy for the ways in which we and our nation have been indifferent to and complicit in evil. We feel and hear the suffering cries of human beings in our world, and especially in the land called “Holy.” Mindful of our personal and societal need for repentance and conversion, we recognize that it is our responsibility to do what God commands: to revere all life as sacred, to love our neighbor, to beat swords into plowshares, and never to kill. We therefore believe that to love our neighbor means we must renounce all injustice, violence and killing, no matter who the perpetrator is. And we must denounce all forms of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia! 

We decry the genocidal war Israel is carrying out in Gaza and Lebanon—all with direct U.S. military support! Last Friday during our vigil here, we, in solidarity with many worldwide, appealed that the Israeli government, with support from the Pentagon, not attack Iran. On Saturday, this attack focused on military targets was carried out, further perpetuating the cycle of violence and enmity. We also heard about those living under siege in northern Gaza, that over 770 people have been killed over a 3 week period and that people are “lost between a war and an extermination.” 

Earlier this week the following tragic news was reported on Democracy Now: “On Tuesday, Israel’s military once again bombed residential buildings in Beit Lahia, killing at least 19 Palestinians just hours after a separate attack killed at least 93 people, including 25 children. Beit Lahia has been declared a “disaster area” amid weeks of relentless Israeli bombings and military siege. Also “The World Food Program is calling for immediate action to prevent famine in the Gaza Strip, warning Palestinians across the besieged territory are losing hope of finding any food for their starving children. The aid agency said it has nearly 100,000 tons of food ready for shipment from Egypt and Jordan — enough to feed a million Palestinians for four months — but that Israel has largely denied access to convoys. The situation is most dire in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army has blocked all aid access for a 25th consecutive day. This comes amid dire warnings from aid organizations over Israel’s decision to ban the U.N. relief agency UNRWA…the U.N. humanitarian office called the policy “collective punishment” — a war crime.” 

Meanwhile, a new report by the research group Forensic Architecture finds Israel is systematically committing crimes of persecution and destruction in Gaza, amounting to genocide. The group found Israel has destroyed over 83% of all plant life in Gaza, over 70% of agricultural land, nearly half of all groundwater wells and two-thirds of water tanks. Of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, Israel has forced 35 to stop service at least once, targeted 31 in bombings and attacks, and violently invaded 10 hospitals. 

In Lebanon, residents of the city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley rushed to flee their homes and businesses today after Israel’s military ordered them to leave the city and surrounding villages. The panicked forced displacement came after two days of stepped-up attacks by Israel killed at least 60 people in Baalbek. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 77 people across Lebanon. Among the dead are 10 people, mostly women and children, killed when Israel bombed a residential block in the town of Sarafand.”                                                   

And yesterday there was this news:  “As of last week, Israel killed over 160 health and rescue workers across Lebanon and damaged over 150 ambulances and 55 hospitals…                                                           

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers have carried out more raids, including on the Nur Shams refugee camp, where at least three Palestinians were killed…                     

According to the Washington Post, The Biden administration has received nearly 500 reports of Israel using U.S.-supplied weapons for attacks that killed and maimed civilians in the Gaza Strip, but it has failed to comply with its own policies requiring swift investigations of such claims…   

On Monday of this week, South Africa filed over 750 pages of evidence in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The case lays out how Israel is “promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza, physically killing them with an assortment of destructive weapons, depriving them access to humanitarian assistance, causing conditions of life which are aimed at their physical destruction, … and using starvation as a weapon of war and to further Israel’s aims to depopulate Gaza through mass death and forced displacement of Palestinians.” Over 30 countries and regional blocs are supporting South Africa’s case at the ICJ.

Lastly, it was reported yesterday that 95 people were killed in Gaza by Israeli forces. In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers are now branding Palestinians prisoners by writing numbers on their forehead. https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/1/headlines

We pray and stand in solidarity with all who grieve today and who are acting for peace. We pray and stand with Palestinian and Jewish brothers and sisters, as well as all Christians, Muslims, Jews, and all people of goodwill everywhere who are advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, an Arms Embargo of Israel, and for an end to the cycle of violence.

In the name of God who commands us not to kill, we appeal to all people of people of faith and conscience to call for:

• An end to the Israeli siege and bombing in northern Gaza, now in its 27th consecutive day! 
• A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon!
• U.S. Arms Embargo for Israel! 
• Removal of U.S. troops and weapons systems to Israel!
• Removal of the USS Georgia Trident nuclear submarine with 150 Tomahawk  cruise missiles from the Middle East region!
• An end to settler violence and Israeli attacks in the West Bank and confiscation of Palestinian homes and land!
• Release of all hostages and prisoners!
• Unimpeded delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza! 
• UNRWA be allowed to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza and that the U.S. restore funding for it!
• An end to apartheid and occupation in Palestine and self-determination for Palestinian people!
• Just peace for Palestine and Israel!
• Comprehensive peace with Iran, Israel and the U.S.!

As we remember all Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese victims who have been killed, and as Palestinians face forced displacement, starvation, torture and endure living in an apartheid state—all with U.S.-backed military assistance—​let us act in solidarity with everyone advocating for nonviolent solutions to end this tragic conflict and bring about a just peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East/ West Asia. This includes courageous student groups, 100 city councils across the country who have passed cease-fire resolutions, and the more than 150 NGOs Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel and End to Impunity amid a Spiraling Humanitarian Catastrophe and Escalating Regional Conflict. U.S. complicity in supporting Israel’s genocidal war must end!

On Oct. 18, 2023, Pope Francis declared: “The number of victims is growing and the situation in Gaza is desperate. Everything possible must be done to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. The world already witnesses so many open war fronts. Lay down weapons and heed the cries for peace from the poor,  the people, and the innocent children. War solves no problems. It only sows’ death and destruction, increases hatred, multiplies revenge. War erases the future; it erases the future. I urge all believers to take one side only: that of peace.”

Now more than ever we need to heed Dr. King’s prophetic words: the choice before us is “nonviolence or nonexistence.”

Know Their Names Litany   The following information is based on a Report by Mohammed Hussein, Mohammed Haddad and Konstantinos Antonopoulos– Published on Al Jazeera’s web site “Know Their Names,”                      Oct. 8,  2024. (see: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/10/8/know-their-names-palestinian-families-killed-in-israeli-attacks-on-gaza)

Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

Zein was the youngest member of the al-Najjar family, a common family name in Gaza meaning “Carpenter” in Arabic. They lived in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. On October 10, 2023, 18 members of the family, including five children and three women, were killed and 23 others injured in an Israeli air strike on their home. Zein was just two months old. According to Airwars, a UK-based conflict monitoring organisation, there have been at least three al-Najjar families that have lost 10 or more members.

Among the hundreds of families killed since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, at least 393 people were al-Najjars, I was shocked. I rushed home and saw a scene of utter destruction. I could not believe my eyes. Everybody was under the rubble. The house was completely pulverised. The bodies were reduced to shreds. Over the past year, Isarael has killed at least 41,909 – including 16,756 children – in attacks on Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, with thousands more missing or buried under the rubble. On September 15, the ministry published a comprehensive report detailing the names, ages, gender and ID numbers of 34,344 of these victims. Thousands more bodies were still being identified.                                                                                                                                                 

Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

Every day in Gaza, on average:

• 115 people are killed – that’s one out of every 55 people living in Gaza;
• 46 are children, 31 are women, 38 men;
• 266 people are injured – that’s one out of every 23 people in Gaza;
• 27 people are missing under the rubble;
• 5,480 people are forced from their homes

Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

The Gaza Strip is a graveyard for thousands of children, the United Nations has said. Many of these children have lived through the trauma of multiple wars.  From birth, they have lived under an Israeli blockade that has affected all aspects of their lives. More than 17,000 children have lost one or both parents.                                                                                                                                        

Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

In the early hours of the morning on October 26, 2023, at least 38 members of the al-Astal family across three generations, including seven women and 20 children, were killed by an Israeli air strike on their home in the as-Satr al-Gharbi area of Khan Younis.                                                              

Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

Israel’s attacks on Gaza have wiped out 902 entire families, erasing them from the civil registry. This means every single one of their members was killed over the past year.                                          

Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

Additionally, at least 1,364 Palestinian families were left with only one surviving member, while 3,472 Palestinian families were reduced to just two surviving members. The largest number of people were from these families:

• Al-Najjar – 393
• Al-Masry – 226
• Al-Astal – 225
• Ashour – 166
• Shaheen – 164
• Hamdan – 151
• Al-Madhoon – 146
• Ahmed – 145
• Obeid – 144
• Hijazi – 141

  Response: God Forgive US. We Remember You!

Charges Dismissed for Kathy Boylan and Art Laffin for the March 21, 2024 Pray-In for GAza at Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda

October 11th

Dear Friends,

When Kathy and I appeared in court for our October 7th trial date, along with our legal team of Frank Panopoulos and Mark Goldstone, our two witnesses, Josh Paul and Philip Farah, and the many friends who were present, Prosecutor Roberts requested that Magistrate Judge Berkower grant a continuance as several government witnesses who were to testify were not available. The request was granted and we were given an October 23rd trial date. (see below report regarding the background of the case, pre-hearing prayer service outside the courthouse, and the court hearing). Also please see this short video about the witness and court case by TRT World that was posted on Instagram on October 7, 2024. 

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A post shared by TRT World (@trtworld)

Yesterday, a notice was sent to Mark and Frank from Mr. Roberts stating that the charges against Kathy and me are being dismissed. The Notice of Dismissal reads:  

Pursuant to Rule 48 (a)(1) of the Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure, the District of Columbia, by and through its attorney, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, hereby informs the Court that it is dismissing the information in this matter. 

Respectfully submitted, John A. Roberts, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Section.

Kathy and I are deeply grateful to Mark (and his interns) and Frank for all their help in this case, and for Josh and Philip’s willingness to testify at trial. We are also thankful for everyone who came to court to offer their prayerful support, as well as those who were not able to be at court and who expressed their prayerful solidarity.

On March 21, the date of the Christians 4 Ceasefire “Pray-In for a Ceasefire in Gaza” witness, the official Palestinian death toll in Gaza was over 32,000. Additionally, relief agencies reported that a vast majority of Gazans faced famine conditions due to lack of food and Israel’s prevention of crucial humanitarian aid shipments to be delivered. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, as of the first week of October, an estimated 42,000 people have died in Gaza, including 17,000 children, and over 100,000 have been injured as a direct result of Israeli bombing and siege. Nearly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced. As Israel has blocked critical food and aid to enter into Gaza, Gazans are experiencing famine conditions. Cases of polio have been reported. Most of Gaza is virtually uninhabitable.

The accumulative effects of Israel’s war on Gaza could mean the true death toll could reach more than 186,000 people, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal in July 2024. The study points out that the death toll is higher because the official toll does not take into account thousands of dead buried under rubble and indirect deaths due to destruction of health facilities, food distribution systems and other public infrastructure. 

Just think, over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed since our March 21st witness. On March 21st, the 13 of us who were arrested in the Russell Senate Rotunda were in fact engaging in an act of crime prevention. We should never have been arrested for this nonviolent witness. If the U.S. Senate would have listened to our prayerful plea, and that of so many more across the U.S. and called for a permanent ceasefire on the day of our pray-in, and authorized an arms embargo on Israel in accordance with the Leahy Law, over 10,000 lives could have been saved. Israel’s genocidal war now continues in Gaza and has expanded into Lebanon. Settler violence and Israeli attacks have increased in the West Bank. And the Israeli government, with U.S. backing, is now threatening to attack Iran. 

Today, the Japanese group Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization of atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their “efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” After the prize was announced, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, Toshiyuki Mimaki, spoke to reporters in Tokyo and said, “In Gaza, bleeding children are being held [by their parents]. It’s like in Japan 80 years ago.” https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/11/nobel_peace_prize_nihon_hidankyo

I conclude with a portion of a Prayer of Lament that was offered last Friday, Oct. 4, outside the White House, during a prayer service for Peace in Gaza and the Middle East to mark St. Francis’s Feast Day.

For our nation’s role in the deaths of more than 42,000 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 children, each one of them a precious and irreplaceable life. Our leaders knowingly sent to Israel the weapons that killed them. For this we repent…

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God, forgive us now 

For our nation’s role in allowing the suffering and trauma of countless wounded Palestinians, enduring unthinkable pain including amputations and other procedures without anesthesia, and the many who will face unnecessary death due to the deliberate destruction of almost all hospitals and the collapse of medical care in Gaza, we repent…

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God, forgive us now 

For our nation’s role in allowing the forced starvation and acute malnourishment and dehydration now widespread in Gaza amid chaotic and inadequate humanitarian aid deliveries, we repent….

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God, forgive us now 

For the displacement of nearly two million Palestinians prevented from returning to their homes throughout Gaza and chased from place to place seeking safety, we repent…

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God forgive us now 

For our nation’s failure to advance a permanent ceasefire and to prioritize the release of Israeli hostages as well as Palestinians unjustly detained; for our failure to promote diplomacy toward a just and lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis, we repent

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God forgive us now 

For our nation’s failure to take meaningful action while the Israeli army bombs Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers carry out attacks to escalate the attempt to push Palestinians off their land, we repent

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God, forgive us now 

For our nation’s failure to take meaningful action to prevent Israel from escalating the war with Lebanon through bombings and assassinations, we repent

God forgive the wrong we’ve done; God, forgive us now 

We stand with all Jewish, Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters who are working to end U.S. complicity in Israel’s genocidal war and to help bring about a ceasefire, an end to the seige and occupation, and a just peace for Palestine and Israel. Now more than ever we need to proclaim the Gospel of Nonviolence!

In Christ’s peace,

Art Laffin

---

October 7th

Dear Friends,

At 8:30 this morning, about 25 peace and justice makers from the DMV gathered at the D.C. Superior Court in support of Kathy Boylan and Art Laffin’s court hearing for the Christians 4 Ceasefire sponsored

March 21, 2024 Pray-In for Gaza witness at the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda where 13 people were arrested, including Kathy and Art. Before the hearing there was a prayer service outside to remember all the victims from the Oct. 7th Hamas attack in Israel, all Palestinians who have suffered and died since due to Israel’s assault and siege of Gaza, and to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, release of all Palestinian and Israeli prisoners, an end to settler violence and Israeli attacks in the W. Bank, and an end to U.S. military support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza,  now extending into Lebanon (see below).

I also recalled during our prayer that today marks the 23rd anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and we remembered and prayed for the countless victims of this horrific criminal intervention. 

Back on July 15th, which was the original trial date, the prosecutor at the time requested a continuance for Oct. 7 because of the unavailability of two police officer witnesses. This morning, we were prepared to go to trial. However, Prosecutor Roberts had submitted a motion to have the trial continued, again because witnesses were not available. 

Mark Goldstone, who is representing Kathy, addressed Magistrate Judge Risa Berkower, a new judge who we were before for the first time. Mark stated that our case should be dismissed because government prosecutors have twice continued the case and have not been ready for the trial dates that were agreed to. As a pro-se defendant who has Frank Panopoulos as an attorney adviser, I made a brief statement about out nonviolent witness. I stated that we acted to uphold God’s command “Thou shalt not kill,” and to call for a permanent cease fire in Gaza and for end to U.S. military support for Isarael’s genocidal war in Gaza. I also referred to the Interntional Criminal Court determination that the claim that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza was “plausible.” I affirmed Mark’s request that the case be dismissed. Judge Berkower denied the dismissal request. When the prosecutor was asked by the judge when a trial date could be set and he stated in November, she asserted that the trial would need to place within the next two weeks. She passed the case so that the prosecutor could contact witnesses to see about their trial availability. 

During this recess time, both witnesses that we plan to call at trial, Josh Paul and Philip Farah, were able to share with all gathered. Josh resigned from the State Department in October 2023 due to his disagreement with the Biden administration’s decision to rush lethal military assistance to Israel in the context of its war on Gaza. He had previously spent over 11 years working as a Director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the State Department, which is responsible for U.S. defense diplomacy, security assistance, and arms transfers. Philp is a Palestinian Christian peacemaker. His relative, 84-year-old Elham Farah, was shot and killed outside Holy Family Church in Gaza by an IDF sniper on Nov. 11, 2023. Recently several of Philip’s elderly family members died in Gaza, one due to lack of access to medical care and the other from starvation and dehydration. God have mercy!!!

When we returned to court a trial date was set.  The trial will be on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 9:30 AM at D.C. Superior Court, 500 Indiana Ave. NW, WDC, Rm. 310. After court was finished, we had a closing sharing and Fr. David Bava, pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in WDC, led us in praying The Lord’s Prayer.

We are deeply grateful for everyone who was present today in court and who participated in the prayer service. We are also grateful to all who were not able to be at court and who expressed their prayers and support. Please come to the trial if you can and spread the word. If you are not able to attend, your prayerful solidarity is greatly appreciated.

In peace and hope,

Art

Report of Nonviolent Witness at AFA Arms Bazaar, Sept. 16, 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, MD

“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”                                                                                                                                                       –Pope Francis, September 24, 2015 Speech to the U.S. Congress

Dear Friends,

Today from Noon-1:30 PM, Mike Walli, Kathy Boylan, Bob Cooke, Jack McHale, Scott Wright, Verleah Kosloske, Ken Cooper, Jake Cooper-Kalin, Msgr. Ray East, Donna Grimes and I vigiled outside the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD which is once again hosting the annual Air Force Association (AFA) “Air-Space-Cyber Conference and Technology Exposition,” what we call an “Arms Bazaar.” This Arms Bazaar is an affront to God and endangers the entire human family and all of creation! This witness, organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, was in solidarity with all who are participating in the coming days in Campaign Nonviolence (https://paceebene.org/action-days), the Catholic Days of Action  (https://nonviolencejustpeace.net/days-of-action/), and the Warheads to Windmills Campaign, https://warheadstowindmills.org/  I want to express great gratitude to all who were part of today’s witness, as well as those who were in prayerful solidarity but not able to be physically present. 

During our witness we were visible to many weapons contractors and military attending the Arms  Bazaar who were on their lunch break. (see attached photo). Holding banners and signs, we began our witness/prayer service by remembering that God and Jesus command us to renounce all killing and be nonviolent peacemakers, and calling into our presence the Holy Cloud of Witnesses. There were readings from the Beatitudes in Luke’s Gospel (read by Verleah) and an excerpt from Dr. King’s Beyond Vietnam Speech, April 4, 1967 (read by Kathy and Mike). Also offered was a Reflection and Response (see below—read by Bob, Jack, Scott, Donna and Art), a “Prayer of Exorcism and Conversion” (read by Msgr. East), and a recitation of the Pax Christi Litany of Repentance and Conversion (read by Coop). 

Bob Cooke also shared a personal statement about the role weapons contractors at the Arms Bazaar, including Lockheed Martin whose corporate headquarters is in Bethesda, MD, have played in the death and suffering of the Afghan people. Bob has been working to support Afghan refugees who have been relocated to Montgomery County. Bob writes: “Lockheed Martin, for example, has an Office of Charitable giving. They have been asked at least a few times by former Lockheed Martin employees, to consider giving a tenth or a hundredth or a thousand of one percent (or less) of the massive profits they made in Afghanistan over 20 years to help those who helped the US in Afghanistan and as a result needed to flee. Lockheed’s Charitable Giving office has been very adamant that they only provide financial support to US Veteran organizations or STEM programs. This does not seem to be charity to me at all.” (see attachment)

We then processed to the main entrance of the Gaylord from our vigil site located just up the street at another entrance. We sang “Down by the Riverside” and Msgr. East read the Gospel account where Jesus commands his followers to put away the sword (Mt. 26:52). I made a statement about the purpose of our presence and why the Arms Bazaar should be permanently shut down. We then had a brief exchange with security who ordered us to leave because we were on “private property.” I was able to remind them that we were all on stolen Piscataway Indian land. We eventually complied with the order and sang the “Vine and Fig Tree” song as we left the area and had a closing circle across the street. During this time Msgr. East offered a concluding prayer and blessing. We also remembered Tom Siemer, who went home to God on September 11th. Tom, who often attended this vigil in the past, as well as countless other peace vigils over the years, was part of the early beginnings of the Dorothy Catholic Worker Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and a long-time Pax Christi member. We give thanks to God for Tom’s life, his steadfast commitment advocating for Gospel Nonviolence, and his tireless work for the abolition of nuclear weapons and war. 

In these perilous times, let us live in the hope that Jesus offers: “All things are possible for the one who has faith.” (Mk. 9:23) We beckon the holy cloud of witnesses and all peace and justice makers who have gone home to God and who are now advocating for us. Hope abounds in the actions of countless people worldwide who are seeking to make God’s reign of justice, love and peace a reality. Let us redouble our efforts to do all we can to nonviolently resist the forces and systems of violence, racism, oppression and death and witness to the God of Life and Love as we strive to create the Beloved Community.

In peace and hope,

Art

Reflection/Response

From September 16-18, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is once again playing host to the Air Force Association (AFA) “Air-Space-Cyber Conference and Technology Exposition,” what we call an “Arms Bazaar.” The AFA is “the voice for aerospace power and the Air Force family.” According to the AFA web site: “AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference provides first-class professional military development, facilitates sharing of emerging requirements and technologies, and helps fuel connections that advance the cause of air and space power. The theme of this year’s conference is “Achieving Decisive Advantage in an Age of Growing Threats.“ There are nearly 300 exhibitor booths at this year’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. 

2024 Air, Space & Cyber Conference | Exhibitor Directory

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

The U.S. is the #1 arms dealer worldwide. U.S. weapons companies racked up $81 billion in new foreign military sales last year, a more than 50 percent increase from 2022. See:  

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/29/us-foreign-arms-sales-russia-china-00138390

Exhibitors taking part in the Arms Bazaar play a prominent role in U.S. warmaking and global military intervention, including now in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Weapons contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, BAE, and General Atomics are profiting from war and literally are making a killing! But that’s not all. The Pentagon, in concert with numerous arms dealers, are committed to U.S. nuclear/military/cyber superiority and militarizing and controlling space.  

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

During its three-day Arms Bazaar, the AFA will hold forums addressing how the U.S. can refine its war making apparatus and cyber capability so it can dominate earth and space. See Agenda:  https://www.afa.org/air-space-cyber-conference/2024-agenda/

Additionally, there will be two gala banquets. We decry the AFA Arms Bazaar for what it is: a scandalous affront to God, a theft from the poor, and a threat to people and the environment throughout the world!

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

On January 23 of this year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists “Doomsday Clock” was reset to 90 seconds before midnight due to the existential dangers of nuclear war and climate change — threats compounded by cyber-enabled information warfare, upgrades to existing nuclear systems, the Ukraine war and worsening world tensions.  https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/

The Ukraine war has further exacerbated the nuclear peril between the two foremost nuclear powers, the U.S. and Russia. 

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

Last year the U.S. government spent over $51 billion on its nuclear weapons program. 

https://www.icanw.org/global_nuclear_weapons_spending_surges_to_91_4_billion

The proposed National Defense National Authorization Act (NDAA) FY 2025 military budget is $923.3 billion. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fy25_ndaa_executive_summary.pdf

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

Since the October 7, 2023 horrific Hamas attack in Israel, the U.S. has continued to supply weapons, produced by arms contractors at the Arms Bazaar, to Israel who has waged a genocidal war in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza has resulted in some 41,000 deaths  (the actual death toll is believed to be much higher–

https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-death-toll-2668700991),

including over 16,500 children; nearly 100,000 injured, over 17,000 orphans, the displacement of some two million Gazans, and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis resulting in widespread famine, and now an outbreak of polio. Additionally, Save the Children estimates over 20,000 Palestinian children have gone missing during Israel’s war on Gaza, with thousands separated from relatives or buried under the rubble. Gaza is now rendered almost uninhabitable, with people lacking adequate sources of income and access to water, sanitation, health or education.

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the Bombing in Gaza! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

The victims in Gaza and worldwide cry out for justice, and the earth, under daily assault, groans in travail! Who will speak for the poor and the victims, as arms dealers reap huge profits from their lethal weapons and death technology? Who will protect our sacred earth and environment and work to avert global catastrophe? Who will help to convert the U.S. war economy to meet urgent human needs? We need, more than ever, to nonviolently resist and work to eradicate what Dr. King called the interrelated triple evils of racism, poverty/economic exploitation, and militarism/war. 

Response: God Commands Us Not to Kill and To Beat Swords into Plowshares! Stop the AFA Arms Bazaar! Disarm Now!

Together, in solidarity with sisters and brothers in the U.S. and worldwide, we appeal to all people of faith and goodwill to call on the U.S. government to:

–repent and make reparations for the harm it has caused people resulting from its military intervention and economic exploitation;

–renounce all systems of domination and oppression, rooted in white supremacy, which are reinforced by the murderous weapons displayed at the AFA Arms Bazaar;

–ensure an immediate permanent ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, provide emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza, release of all Palestinian and Israeli captives, and reparations to all victims; demand an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, U.S. weapons to Israel to support the war and occupation, and support self-determination for Palestinians, and a just peace in Israel and Palestine;

— end U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia used to support its 9-year illegal war in Yemen, and to Morocco used to support the illegal occupation of Western Sahara;

–close its over 800 military bases worldwide, end NATO and AFRICOM, stop all forms of military intervention throughout the world, and cancel all arms sales worldwide;

–stop the deployment of U.S. and NATO missile defense systems ringing Russia and China which is increasing already heightened tensions and; 

–heed Pope Francis’ plea that the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral and abolish all nuclear weapons now;  

–ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which now makes nuclear weapons illegal under international law (70 nations have ratified the TPNW but the U.S. and other 8 nuclear nations refuse to do so); 

–redirect exorbitant military expenditures, including the estimated $1.7 trillion over the next several decades to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal, to meet urgent human needs and safeguard the environment;

–promote nonviolent diplomatic solutions to conflict and establish peace between adversaries;

–create and economic and political order committed to placing people before profit, serving the common good, dismantling racism, promoting equality and restorative justice, and upholding the human rights and dignity of every person. 

Let us continue to do all we can to establish the Beloved Community, end the climate crisis and create a world free of nuclear and conventional weapons and war.In the name of God, who commands us to love and not to kill and to beat all the swords (weapons) of our time into plowshares, in the name of Jesus, who calls us to be peacemakers and people of total nonviolence, it’s time to end the AFA Arms Bazaar, abolish war, and establish a disarmed world!