7306 days open--and what are we doing about it? It is a credit to a committed coalition of human rights defenders that we have seen bi-annual attention to the issue since Obama left office. A closer look will show some of the minor victories month by month. This year in review is  partial.  Since a year ago, former prisoners of Guantánamo organized their  open letter to President Biden specifying demands --our role has been to amplify that letter.  Jan 11, 2021 Amnesty International publishes " USA Right the Wrong: Guantánamo Decision Time " Jan. 22, 2021 Ahmed Rabbani, still prisoner at Guantánamo has published in UK Independent a letter to Biden :  When I was kidnapped from Karachi in 2002 and sold to the CIA for a bounty with a false story that I was a terrorist called Hassan Ghul, my wife and I had just had the happy news that she was pregnant. She gave birth to my son Jawad a few months later. I have never been allowed to meet my own child. President Biden ...

Trial by Jury--Jesus never got one, still, how did Jesus resist during his trial? How is the Gospel of Nonviolence attesting against Crucifixions of our time? As a follow up to my article Feb. 22 " Disarmament Learning with Fr. Louis Vitale OFM " who was arrested 350 times standing up against war, nuclear weapons and drones, 2009-2011 spent 17 months in prison for opposing torture training at Ft. Huachuca, AZ and Ft. Benning, GA.  In recognition of Jesus' defense "If my kingdom were of this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over" (Jn 18: 36), the followers would be fighting (Greek agoni-zomai, struggling with all their physical and mental energy like athletes) or with soul-force? I present legal work that demonstrates the right to a trial by jury. As food for thought this Good Friday, while we mourn the crucified--I hope in a small way to honor the tradition of trial resistance. -*-*-*- A new DePaul Peace Award to the Kings Bay...

At Ft. Huachuca, was Barbara Fast one of the "bartered brides"  of the military-intelligence complex, passed from her post as superior military intel officer in Iraq (when the abuses of Abu Ghraib occurred) to Ft. Huachuca the headquarters responsible for training interrogation officers in the war on 'terror' in Guantánamo and elsewhere.    Barbara Fast, not long before she retired in October 2008, had become a Major General--celebrating her rank with an ironic no, is the theme of my reflection today, ending with the words of Prophet Ezekiel. The case for Guantánamo is always made courtesy the imprecision of language. Vital part of the war 'on terror', as necessary to hold 'the worst of the worst'. Thomas Hobbes cited the malleability of language as blameworthy in large part for insecurity and war: "To these Uses [of speech], there are also foure correspondent Abuses. First, when men register their thoughts wrong. False Secondly, when they use wor...

Yesterday writing about the appeal of Mohammedou Ould Slahi, I almost mentioned the appealing, charismatic images created by Deb Vanpoolen during our Fast for Justice in 2014. When I touched base with Deb, she sent me these images!  In front of the Smithsonian Portraiture Museum, Washington DC Fahd Ghazy banner Top to bottom: banner images of Tariq ba Odah, Fahd Gazy, Shaker Aamer. Colombia Heights Station, Washington DC Images of portrait banners in demonstrations during WAT 2014 used with permission, courtesy the artist, Deb Vanpoolen. Contact:  biodiversityarts.com Other images of WAT 2014 here  Here banner exits Union Station, held by blogger CR Spicer.  

In Norfolk prison, Alan was a young man long-accustomed to his serotonin inhibitors, who on the anniversary of his mother and father's death, was denied the drugs. He had complained of the side-effects and in recourse, was denied proper medical care. Alan became suicidal, planing to assault a guard in front of other guards thinking they would kill him.  He was taken to 10 block, which friend Caroline Bays came to learn was "a nightmarish, horrible horrible hell hole."  This morning I met Caroline over zoom, not having any idea we shared in common an interest. For this meeting, convened to charter the historic launch of Massachusetts Progressive Alliance, envisioned to unify and strategize with respect to 97 member organizations across the state, s he had drafted the goals, structure and operations. Six months later h e was given an internal trial. Caroline had arranged for an advocate who came from Harvard Law School.  "It was a complete sham: the correctional office...

Consider the prayers of a political immigrant. For in tongues lies the autonomy of prayer, a preference cultivated after a fashion, a tribal competence, whoever belongs in language to G-d,  modeling choices of grateful praise, entering the self-expressive spaces, waving or nodding, the gestures of a kind understanding, spontaneous some, others dignified.  All the links below are internal, directing to other articles on this blog, with exception of the Senator's page. *-*-*-*-*-*-* O God of Peace, For a World Community bent on peace, draw me into community celebration of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . For a Senator who enjoins practical steps to nuclear Disarmament,  You make us grateful -- contact Senator Ed Markey for thanks For example, "It means a great deal to me reading of your support for nuclear abolition, at least calling on President Biden to cancel the submarine-launched, low-yeld W76-2 warhead, fielded under Trump. Thank you also for your ...

So ill--in an isolated instance of seeming compassion, Government allowed Ibahim Idris repatriation to Sudan, where he died in the care of his mother, age 60.  He never married, never found work. Welcome back, dear reader. It's good to meet and pray. This evening we recover to the attention what can never be easy to notice, what will at best offer a momentary surrender. The reward for mourning the death of someone in our family, the reacquaintance with colleagues at the memorial of an employer--at times of loss we have little to take from such moments, except each other. I suggest again, that's why we are here. One of the beautiful portions of our tradition is the litany--I'm not so much a singer as the Peace Poets, but their teaching style when we take up a new verse for an action--like a litany, we say it over and over together.  "A Beautiful Sound" we sing, It is the breaking of chains! ... let them go home, let them go home, let them go home today! --you can l...