annual gathering, "Called to be Peacemakers," held July 28–August
3, 2003, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, sends its support and encouragement to
Dominican Sisters Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert and Jackie Hudson for their
witness on behalf of peace.
At
this time of crisis, when our government has undertaken pre-emptive war, we
believe that taking visible actions on behalf of peace is critically needed.
Such actions provide a beacon of hope to seekers of peace everywhere. On
October 6, 2002, near Greeley, Colorado, these three Sisters committed civil
disobedience by cutting a fence, smearing their own blood on an unmanned
Minuteman III missile silo, and hitting it with a ball peen hammer. They then
sat down to sing, pray and chant and await arrest. They call this act a
symbolic act to protest war and raise awareness. The Sisters are part of a
national nuclear disarmament organization, ‘Sacred Earth and Space
Plowshares.’ Carol Gilbert and Ardeth Platte live in Baltimore, Maryland, at
Jonah House, an activist community founded by the late peace activist Philip
Berrigan. Jackie Hudson lives in an activist community in Seattle, Washington.
The
judge in the case, Robert Blackburn, called the Sisters ‘dangerously
irresponsible,’ but sentenced them to less than the maximum possible eight
years in prison due to their record of community service combined with the
minimal damage they caused. On July 25, 2003, he sentenced Platte, age 66, to
41 months; Gilbert, 55, to 33 months; and Hudson, 68, to 30 months, plus, for
each, three years probation. Prior to sentencing, Sister Carol Gilbert stated,
‘Whatever sentence I receive today will be joyfully accepted as an offering
for peace, and with God’s help it will not injure my spirit.’
Sisters,
we wish to let you know that we are deeply touched by, and grateful for, your
courage and faith, both in committing your acts of civil disobedience
and in accepting and facing your sentences, We will be holding you in the
Light as you move forward in your commitment to the cause of peace."
Approved
July 2003
Baltimore
Yearly Meeting Annual Session
