This is an ongoing update site for matters pertaining to the May 31, 2008 Feast of the Visitation vigil, action, and subsequent Federal Trial on January 13, 2009. Unless otherwise attributed, photos & text provided by Laura Mill Karlin. Please use the comment form at the bottom of this site to participate!
OPENING STATEMENTS - not allowed, but prepared for Federal Trial on 1-13-09. Click on each line to read testimony prepared by these three codefendants:
Anne Hall-Opening Statement Bill Bichsel-Opening Statement Tom Karlin-Opening Statement Anne Hall-Testimony Tom Karlin-Example Q&A Dialogue
The following video from Jeff McKenzie shares the tone of the direct nonviolent action on 5-31-08.
FEDERAL TRIAL IN TACOMA - TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2009
Hon. J. Kelley Arnold's courtroom in United States District Court - Western District of Washington at Tacoma - in the consolidated case of United States of America, Plaintiff, vs. William J. Bichsel, Thomas V. Karlin, and Anne S. Hall, Defendants;
VERDICTS: Karlin and Hall - cases dismissed. Bichsel - Defense motion allowed for Directed Verdict
There was no conviction and there will be no sentencing.
Click on the page at right ---> to read an impression of the first half of the standing-room-only proceedings by one audience member. Please use the form at the bottom of this website to submit your own observed corrections and additions, plus any other comments and greetings you would like to send!
<----Read at left the Expert Testimony on International Law by John Burroughs submitted via sworn declaration in New York. This was ALLOWED into the case record by Judge Arnold in spite of his earlier ruling to not permit "International Law" as a defense argument. Judge Arnold said he read it all and found this testimony "interesting."
The Federal trial began at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 in Judge Arnold’s courtroom (Courtroom D) located at the US District Court, Union Station Courthouse, 1717 Pacific Ave., Tacoma. The Seattle Raging Grannies and others circled for prayer, song and support outside the courthouse at 8:00 A.M.
(Click on any picture to enlarge it.)
RECENT SUPPORT FOR THE RESISTANCE Thank you, all of you who came to pray, sing and learn about the issues that led to the arrest of three civil resisters of nuclear weapons. A pre-trial vigil was held on Monday evening, January 12, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Leo Church -- a Festival of Hope in support of Fr. Bill Bichsel S.J., Rev. Anne Hall of University Lutheran - Seattle, and Tom Karlin. The three defendants were arrested May 31st, 2008 trying to present petitions and an invitation to the base commander at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor for dialogue to establish the Puget Sound Nuclear Weapon Free Zone.
Supporters included Jesuits, Buddhists, Dominicans, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and people professing no monotheistic faith or organized religion. We missed Anne & David Hall who were handling family emergencies, and added our prayers in support, holding them in the circle and in the light.
Supporters met in a prayer and sharing circle with Rev. Anne Hall (center, kneeling) at her church in Seattle, University Lutheran, on Monday, January 5th, 2009
NEWS FLASH 10:30 a.m. November 26, 2008: Pre-Trial Vigils on December 2nd and 3rd in support of three of the resisters pictured above --defendants Fr. Bill Bichsel, Tom Karlin, and Rev. Anne Hall -- are CANCELLED. Magistrate Judge J. Kelley Arnold has postponed the trial until Tuesday, January 13, 2009, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Any new plans for gatherings of support will be posted here. Please continue to observe the date of December 2, 2008 as the 28th anniversary of the martyrdom of four U.S. churchwomen in El Salvador.
To receive direct notice of future gatherings, leave your request and contact information using the form at the very bottom of this page.
FALL 2008 UPDATES TO THE VISITATION RESISTANCE ACTION:
Rev. Anne Hall shared her civil resistance with her University Lutheran congregation in the September issue of Spirit: http://www.ulcseattle.org/September_2008.pdf
Read Tom Karlin's article, published in Ground Zero October 2008: IWasArrestedForFollowingBix.pdf
A short film by Betty Udesen on the May 31st action: http://homepage.mac.com/udesen/bix/
AND -- Tacoma News Tribune's double front page article on Bix's Civil Resistance history:
Bixcalledtocivilresistance.pdf
ORIGINAL NEWS POST: May 31, 2008 ~ Feast Day of Mary's Visitation to Elizabeth.
Why did Bill Bichsel choose this feast day to invite civil resistance at Bangor? A little background about the Visitation:
Pregnant with Jesus, Mary comes to visit her cousin. Elizabeth greets her with amazed joy, even from within her own womb, bearing John the Baptist. These women's openness to the healing and justice of God leads them to speak out prophetically. Mary proclaims:
Who are the hungry in our day? Who are the lowly? At the Kitsap Naval Base, members and friends of Tacoma Catholic Worker and Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action gathered to bring attention to the impoverishment the Trident Nuclear program suffocates us with. We are all the poorer for neglecting our children's needs, our environment's safety, our society's full commonwealth, our world's cooperative balance of justice and peace. We can all live without Trident. The hungry will be filled with good things when we send nuclear weaponry and its industry, away, EMPTY. May we enCOURAGE each other to find ways to enact this conversion.
____________________________________________________________________________________________ More about the liturgy on Saturday, May 31st:
Click here to view the prayer card used for this Feast Day Vigil and Nonviolent Direct Action at Bangor. It includes the Nonviolent Commitment Statement observed by all participating witnesses, the full reading of Mary's visit to her cousin as told in Luke's gospel, and an additional reading used in the liturgy, from Paul's epistle to the Romans.
Peter Roderick read an excerpt of Nichidatsu Fujii's address to the World Assembly of Religious Workers, The Time Has Come
Many of the people who gathered at the gates of Bangor Submarine Base received this invitation written by Bill Bichsel in preparation to celebrate his 80th birthday.
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Fr. Bill Bichsel, SJ ...if you can't hear Bix's voice, click on volume above, like so
Who else gathered at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action May 31st to march to Bangor's Main Gate??
To see the full-screen slideshow and to play the included short movies, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/tomkarlin36/TridentVisitation#
____________________________________________________________________________________________ Read more items addressed to the Base Commander that these seven nuclear resisters carried over "the blue line:"
To gather more signatures for the resolution, please print out this form:
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and finally, if you are willing to lean LEFT, watch this clip of Tom's statement just before the Visitation 7 walked onto Federal property:
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Now it's your turn. Let us know how you might like to get involved for the Puget Sound Nuclear Weapon Free Zone. Send us your comments or questions: