by Bill Ofenloch
We are looking forward to the virtual Festival of Hope on Sunday, Jan. 10th at 7pm (ET) for Patrick O’Neill. He is about to begin a prison sentence for the disarmament action at the Kings Bay Trident base in Georgia more than two years ago. He is scheduled to self report to the federal prison in Elkton, OH on January 14 to serve the remaining 12 months of his 14 month sentence. Judge Wood recently denied his request for a delay until he could be vaccinated.
The new link to join the webinar (via Code Pink): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81392472499
Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16465588656,,81392472499# or +13126266799,,81392472499#
Or Telephone, dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 813 9247 2499
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbv2LOwdCJ
The program will feature talks from Jeannine Hill-Fletcher, a professor of religion at Fordham University who testified at the Religious Freedom Restoration Act hearing, and Paul Magno, a fellow Plowshares activist with Patrick in the Pershing Plowshares in 1984. Some of the other KBP7 are expected to speak.
Music will be provided by Luci Murphy, guitarist Scott Ainslie and by Patrick’s daughters, Annie and Veronica. There will be a concluding blessing from Fr. Bob Cushing.
The festival will also be viewable on the Kings Bay Plowshares Facebook page. If the webinar is full and you can’t get on Zoom, try this option. It will be recorded and posted to YouTube afterwards. Check the website page for more details.
We here at the CASA ESTHER CATHOLIC WORKER HOUSE IN OMRO, WI send our prayers of solidarity and support along with our most sincere blessings to Patrick, and applaud him for his faith and courage.
The witness of Kings Bay Plowshares 7 has received little attention in the mainstream press. Americans have been apathetic about our nuclear cocked gun held to the head of all people on the planet. Americans are the only people who have ever used nuclear weapons on living things. Incineration of life on the planet is part of our national policy of First Strike if we perceive an imminent danger. Our national leader, sane or insane has the power to do that—to incinerate millions of brothers and sisters anywhere.
Psychiatrists at Yale university in 2017 (37 of them) testified that the sitting President of the United States was insane. Like the Kings Bay Plowshares, it received little attention.
Some would say that the opposite of hate is not love but apathy.
Let’s pray for our leadership to bring sanity to our nuclear brinkmanship.
Pray that Patrick and others will stay healthy in prison.
May the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 be blessed by all who embrace love over hate.
Thank you for your service Kings Bay 7.