Reflections on great activisits

Suddently sit-ins in a Congressman’s office to try to stop the war and blockading the doors of the Federal Building here in Salt Lake(yes, we did this) seem miniscule comparted to the impact that Phil Berrigan had during the course of his life. He made great self-sacrifices in the name of peace. A couple of years ago Tom (my wonderful and inspiring husband) and I attended the War Resisters League Conference in Colorado Springs. There we met Phil Berrigan’s daughter, and Amy Goodman of the award-winning “Democracy Now” News program, and we also met and listened in awe to the Ploughshare nuns that a few weeks later were sentenced to prison for breaking into a military base and pouring their blood on a missile. We also met Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness who has spent years helping to provide humanitarian aid to Iraqi families during the sanction period and has been arrested many, many times for civil disobedience acts in the name of peace and against war and human suffering as a result.

And we have met and heard accounts from young people who were close to Rachel Corrie, the young lady who was bulldozed by an Israeli bulldozer in March 2003 while attempting to prevent the home of a Palestinian family from being demolished.

And then there is Margene Bullcreek, a Western Shoshone Goshute here in Utah, who is fighting for her people’s land about 50 miles west of here, to keep nuclear waste from being stored on that sacred land. And there is Corbin Harney, Western Shoshone Spiritual Leader and Elder – one of the most inspirational men I have ever met – who leads us in prayer during sunrise circles on the Nevada Test site when we go to peace camp there as guests of these people on their land, “mother” (earth)….while across the highway (still their land) nuclear testing continues and the land continues to be desecrated and countless amounts of people in Utah and surrounding areas have become ill from the effects of fall-out over the years. We have followed Corbin through a hole in the fence separating the real world from the area called the Nevada Test site, and held ceremony with the Shoshone on the “other side”. Truly inspiring. Tom and I have grown to respect, admire and appreciate our indigenous neighbors, learning so very much from them.

In September Juan Melendez came to Salt Lake from Puerto Rico, a man who was on death row in Florida, accused of a murder he did not commit and 18 years into his sentence it was discovered that he was innocent. He came here to share his story of courage and faith. He was inspiring beyond belief.

And we find ourselves in counseling mode with our sons who are scared that there may be a draft and they/we will be faced with a huge decision….Just the fact that they are considering alternatives verses facing what they may be forced to do is a display in itself of courage.

There are many more reflections of people I have either heard of or have met or have witnessed in action as they stand up for what is right in this world and against the gross injustices that occur. Their bravery is astounding.

The issue of same-sex unions is yet another example of injustices against human beings, as far as I am concerned. Some of my best friends have been homosexual. Again, here is a marginalized community of people for which I have gained so much admiration and respect for the bravery they have. I only wish that people could see all of us as people and not as gay, straight, black, white, mexican, and so on.

Sometimes it seems overwhelming, this working for peace and demanding respect for life on this planet and trying to convince people that their comforts are relatively short-lived because of the quickly diminishing resources and the greed that supersedes the need to conserve what is left at the risk of the needs of millions of other human beings around the globe. It is so overwhelming that is beyond comprehension. Here in Utah, in our efforts locally to speak out, we have been spit on, had food and eggs thrown at us, had guns pointed at us, cars try to run us over, told to “get a job” (Now there’s an intelligent response to peaceful protestors), been followed and visited by FBI agents, and told that “if we have a chemical/biological weapons invasion, I hope you are the first ones to die”. On the other hand, we have had very engaging and meaningful interactions with people (even of opposing viewpoints and even with police!) and lots of encouragement. We have had great responses to film showings, panel discussions, and candlelight vigils. We have written letters to our representatives and have engaged them in dialogue.

So I suppose there is hope that people will begin to at least listen to each other without judgement.

While it is overwhelming I feel the great need to move forward with my own personal efforts to say what must be said and do what must be done. In some tiny way, the world may benefit from my small contributions.

“Peace–Live in it or rest in it.”