[Dialogue] It's Not Up to the Court

[Janice & Abe Ulangca]

Colleagues,

I'm reprinting part of a Howard Zinn piece sent by Harry Wainwright because I want to share news of the Sept. trial of the St. Patrick's Four.  Read the whole thing - thanks, Harry. 

The trial was held in Binghamton, NY, the nearest federal court to Ithaca.  Peace activists worked for several months to make it an occasion for in-depth dialogue on the war.  They pulled together an amazing "Citizens' Tribunal on the War" - held each evening during the week when the trial was in session. 

Janice Ulangca 

More on the Trial and the Tribunal after Howard Zinn:

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On St. Patrick's Day, 2003, on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, four anti-war activists poured their own blood around the vestibule of a military recruiting center near Ithaca, New York, and were arrested. Charged in state court with criminal mischief and trespassing (charges well suited to the American invaders of a certain Mideastern country), the St. Patrick's Four spoke their hearts to the jury. Peter DeMott, a Vietnam veteran, described the brutality of war. Danny Burns explained why invading Iraq would violate the U.N. Charter, a treaty signed by the United States. Clare Grady spoke of her moral obligations as a Christian. Teresa Grady spoke to the jury as a mother, telling them that women and children were the chief victims of war, and that she cared about the children of Iraq. Nine of the twelve jurors voted to acquit them, and the judge declared a hung jury. (When the federal government retried them on felony conspiracy charges, a jury in September acquitted them of those and convicted them on lesser charges.) 

Still, knowing the nature of the political and judicial system of this country, its inherent bias against the poor, against people of color, against dissidents, we cannot become dependent on the courts, or on our political leadership. Our culture-the media, the educational system-tries to crowd out of our political consciousness everything except who will be elected President and who will be on the Supreme Court, as if these are the most important decisions we make. They are not. They deflect us from the most important job citizens have, which is to bring democracy alive by organizing, protesting, engaging in acts of civil disobedience that shake up the system. That is why Cindy Sheehan's dramatic stand in Crawford, Texas, leading to 1,600 anti-war vigils around the country, involving 100,000 people, is more crucial to the future of American democracy than the mock hearings on Justice Roberts. 

That is why the St. Patrick's Four need to be supported and emulated. That is why the GIs refusing to return to Iraq, the families of soldiers calling for withdrawal from the war, are so important. 

That is why the huge peace march in Washington on September 24 bodes well..... 

No Supreme Court, liberal or conservative, will stop the war in Iraq, or redistribute the wealth of this country, or establish free medical care for every human being. Such fundamental change will depend, the experience of the past suggests, on the actions of an aroused citizenry, demanding that the promise of the Declaration of Independence-an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness-be fulfilled.

 Howard Zinn is the co-author, with Anthony Arnove, of "Voices of a People's History of the United States." 

© 2005 The Progressive 

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The St. Patrick's Four Trial - Sept. 18-23

Unlike the Ithaca trial which had resulted in 9 votes for acquital, the federal judge ruled out any reference to "putting the Iraq war on trial" - which of course got to the heart of their defense.  So this was much more difficult for them.  The Four decided to represent themselves, though they had distinguished legal advisors.  The head of their advisor team was from New Orleans, a law professor at Loyola.  But it allowed them to cross-examine each other and bring out points that perhaps would not have come out. Had they been found guilty on the felony conspiracy charge, they faced up to 24 years in prison and $250,000 fines each. They are free until their sentencing, in late January.  The trespassing and damaging government property charges on which they were convicted means they face sentences of months, not years.  Two were named in contempt of court for saying too much about the Iraq war.  It seems that the federal government was seeking to keep anti-war protests down by the harsh sentences that could have been given.

The Tribunal

Because the Four did what they did out of deep convictions based on their Roman Catholic faith, they wanted to have these sessions in a church.  Several churches turned them down, but a brave United Methodist congregation, known for homosexual support and work in their low-income community, welcomed them.  Because this was the first federal trial of Iraq war protestors, people came from all over the country to attend the trial and tribunal.  Up to 200 people were fed dinner each night at the church, with volunteer cook and cleanup teams and lots of donated food. Local folks opened their homes to give visitors a place to stay.  I hosted two old "peace warriors", one from California and one from Minnesota. Both men had been on trial with groups that protested the Vietnam war in 1968; one served 25 months in federal prison.

The evening sessions were amazing, with outstanding panelists for each evening's theme.  The church was packed each night, and local press and TV news gave prominent coverage.  The best coverage - with substantial segments from the panelists - was done by the local Fox TV network station!  (nationally the most biased network).  I believe that there was in-depth dialogue, including in the wider community.  The local Peace Action group organized these efforts, with support from other Peace/Justice organizations.  I found the week to be a spiritual experience.

THE CITIZENS' TRIBUNAL ON IRAQ:
THE IRAQ WAR GOES ON TRIAL
Centenary - Chenango Street United Methodist Church
438 Chenango Street, Binghamton New York
Programs begin at 7PM, unless noted otherwise. Free and open to all.



SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: "The Voices of Faith"
. 2:00 PM, Mass with Fr. Simon Harak,
SJ of the War Resisters League.
. 5:00 PM, Dinner and traditional music
by Traonach.
. 5:45 - 7:30 PM, Opening ceremony,
with "Three Women's Voices of Faith,"
Cathy Breen, and a prayerful welcome by
the St. Patrick's Four.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: "The Voices of Diplomacy" 
Panelists: MICHAEL MEACHER, former 
UK MP; (Meacher flew in from London to be on this panel); 

RAY MCGOVERN, former CIA 
analyst; ANN WRIGHT, former US 
Ambassador (resigned in protest of the misuse of intelligence leading to the Iraq war). 

Moderation by JAMES 
PETRAS, Professor Emeritus of Sociology 
at SUNY-Binghamton. 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20: "The Voices of Victims" 
Panelists: MEDEA BENJAMIN, cofounder 
of Global Exchange; KATHY KELLY, 
cofounder of Voices in the Wilderness. 
Moderation by JIM CLUNE, member of 
Zachaeus Catholic Worker House in 
Binghamton. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: "The Voices of Justice"
Panelists: JOHN BONIFAZ, constitutional
law expert; BILL QUIGLEY, law professor
at Loyola University and counselor to St.
Patrick's Four; GITA GUTIERREZ,
international law expert at Center for
Constitutional Rights; SCOTT HORTON,
Columbia Law School professor & 
member of Council on Foreign Relations. 
Moderation by PETER ORVILLE, local 
attorney and adjunct professor of criminal 
justice at SUNY-Binghamton. 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22: "The Voices of Soldiers" 
Panelists: JIMMY MASSEY, cofounder of 
Iraq Veterans Against the War; CAMILO 
MEJIA, member of IVAW; MICHAEL 
BLAKE, Iraq War veteran; BEATRIZ 
TORRES, member of Gold Star Families 
for Peace. Moderation by TIM GRIPPEN, 
former Broome County Executive and 
Vietnam War Veteran. 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23: "The Voices of Support" 
A celebration of music, hope, & friendship. 


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Janice Ulangca
3413 Stratford Drive
Vestal, NY  13850
607-797-4595
aulangca at stny.rr.com
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