Summary of the Disarm Now Plowshares Trial

[bananas]

http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/dwyer/

Summary of the Disarm Now Plowshares Trial. This can not be! Not now! Now What?
Posted on December 18, 2010 by Disarm Now Plowshares
By Anabel Dwyer

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At trial, the Disarm Now Plowshares were not permitted to corroborate their legal and moral convictions and knowledge which formed the basis for their action. Instead the court directed the jury to convict them for conspiracy, trespass, destruction and depredation of property knowing that this malicious and misplaced prosecution was fraudulently based on intentional misrepresentation of the purpose and function of the Kitsap-Bangor Naval Base.

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As Susan Crane said in her opening statement, citing Judge Christopher Weeramantry, “Indeed anti-nuclear civil resistance is the right of every citizen of this planet for the nuclear threat, attacking as it does every core concept of human rights, calls for urgent and universal action for its prevention. If it is a basic human right to be free of threat or violence, if the right to life is a basic human right, and if the protection of children and future generations is a basic human duty, international law (specifically the rules and principles of humanitarian law) must unhesitatingly recognize that the right to non-violent resistance activities for the prevention of such an international crime is basic to human dignity.”

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Here’s what the International Court of Justice said about nuclear weapons: “Nuclear weapons are explosive devices who energy results from the fusion or fission of the atom. By its very nature, that process, in nuclear weapons as they exist today, releases not only immense quantities of heat and energy, but also powerful and prolonged radiation… The destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be contained in space or time. They have the potential to destroy all civilization and the entire ecosystem of the planet. The radiation released by a nuclear explosion would affect health, agriculture, natural resources and demography over a very wide area. Further, the use of nuclear weapons would be a serious danger to future generations. Ionizing radiation has the potential to damage the future environment, food and marine eco-system and to cause genetic defects and illness in future generation.”

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At trial Retired US Navy Captain Thomas Rogers, who served as Commander of a nuclear submarine during the Cold War said at trial of Trident, “Strategic nuclear weapons are kept on alert, deployed and if ever used, they are released with a coded message that’s authorized on board the ship and the commander of the ship shoots the missiles, delivers the weapons. Which in my opinion , in my knowledge is contrary to the law of armed conflict which says a commander is responsible for following the rules and principles of humanitarian law and for not indiscriminately hurting noncombatants and for not causing undue suffering a or environmental damage and that commanding officer is powerless and its an awful feeling.”

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I posted news of the conviction in LBN a few days ago:
"Anti-nuclear weapon protesters convicted in Tacoma" http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4658173