China II
Can this even be happening? Sometimes I wonder when we will have to change the name of this Country from United States of America to China II...? This is not a trial of four criminal, but the Anti-War movement is being prosecuted in its entirety.
"The first federal trial to arise out of an act of civil resistance to the Iraq War traces back to March 17, 2003, two days before Bush’s illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq. That day, Danny Burns, Peter DeMott, and sisters Clare and Teresa Grady walked into their local military recruiting center and carefully poured a small amount of their own blood around the vestibule. They read a statement, as well as letters from Iraqi peace activists, then knelt to pray and awaited the authorities.
Originally tried in April 2004 in Tompkins County and charged with criminal mischief, the St. Patrick’s Four chose to represent themselves. They articulated a defense that centered around international law and the legal defense of necessity. Peter DeMott, a Vietnam veteran, spoke of the horrors of war, of men and women who, when asked to kill for dubious reasons, return forever changed. Danny Burns explained our constitutional obligation to international treaties as the “supreme law of the land” (Article 6), and why this planned invasion was in direct violation of the UN Charter. Clare Grady spoke of her moral obligations as a Christian peacemaker. Teresa Grady reminded the court of how modern warfare harms women and children disproportionately, and so as a mother, saw no legal or moral justification to wage merciless war on Iraqi children who obviously posed no threat to our national security.
Months after the trial, Judge David Peebles admitted that the four had represented themselves 'probably better than some of the attorneys that practice in this court, frankly.' No wonder nine of twelve jurors voted to acquit.
Many thought the mistrial signaled the end of the saga. However, in February of this year, a federal grand jury decided to haul the four Christian parents back to court to stand trial for conspiracy charges. If convicted, each defendant could be locked up for six years an"
The Anti-War Movement March: From Istanbul to Binghamton
"The first federal trial to arise out of an act of civil resistance to the Iraq War traces back to March 17, 2003, two days before Bush’s illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq. That day, Danny Burns, Peter DeMott, and sisters Clare and Teresa Grady walked into their local military recruiting center and carefully poured a small amount of their own blood around the vestibule. They read a statement, as well as letters from Iraqi peace activists, then knelt to pray and awaited the authorities.
Originally tried in April 2004 in Tompkins County and charged with criminal mischief, the St. Patrick’s Four chose to represent themselves. They articulated a defense that centered around international law and the legal defense of necessity. Peter DeMott, a Vietnam veteran, spoke of the horrors of war, of men and women who, when asked to kill for dubious reasons, return forever changed. Danny Burns explained our constitutional obligation to international treaties as the “supreme law of the land” (Article 6), and why this planned invasion was in direct violation of the UN Charter. Clare Grady spoke of her moral obligations as a Christian peacemaker. Teresa Grady reminded the court of how modern warfare harms women and children disproportionately, and so as a mother, saw no legal or moral justification to wage merciless war on Iraqi children who obviously posed no threat to our national security.
Months after the trial, Judge David Peebles admitted that the four had represented themselves 'probably better than some of the attorneys that practice in this court, frankly.' No wonder nine of twelve jurors voted to acquit.
Many thought the mistrial signaled the end of the saga. However, in February of this year, a federal grand jury decided to haul the four Christian parents back to court to stand trial for conspiracy charges. If convicted, each defendant could be locked up for six years an"
The Anti-War Movement March: From Istanbul to Binghamton
posted by NBT at 22:35
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