New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy

offsite link Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy

offsite link It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy

offsite link Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left

offsite link Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Mon Aug 05, 2024 01:07 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link David Miliband Is Handed £1 Million Pay Package by Charity Funded by the British Taxpayer Even Thoug... Sun Aug 04, 2024 19:00 | Richard Eldred
David Miliband has snagged a $1.25 million annual pay package from an aid charity bankrolled by British taxpayers ? all while the charity slashes jobs and programmes due to financial problems.
The post David Miliband Is Handed £1 Million Pay Package by Charity Funded by the British Taxpayer Even Though it?s Losing Money and Slashing Jobs Under His Stewardship appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Civil Disorder Comes to My Home Town Sun Aug 04, 2024 17:22 | Dr Roger Watson
Hull resident Dr Roger Watson has written an account of the rioting that blighted his city yesterday afternoon. He too has reservations about the number of asylum seekers being housed in Hull, but thinks that's no excuse.
The post Civil Disorder Comes to My Home Town appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Hospital Where Lucy Letby Worked Suffered Bacteria Outbreak Lethal to Babies in 2015-16 Sun Aug 04, 2024 15:00 | Will Jones
The neonatal unit where Lucy Letby worked suffered an outbreak of bacteria lethal to babies in 2015-16, a leaked risk report shows.
The post Hospital Where Lucy Letby Worked Suffered Bacteria Outbreak Lethal to Babies in 2015-16 appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Canary Wharf Workers Offered Free Books on White Privilege and Colonialism Sun Aug 04, 2024 13:00 | Richard Eldred
Canary Wharf commuters can snag free books on white privilege and colonialism from vending machines, celebrating "diversity and inclusion" for South Asian Heritage Month, Black History Month and LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
The post Canary Wharf Workers Offered Free Books on White Privilege and Colonialism appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en

offsite link Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en

offsite link Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en

offsite link Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Anti-War Prisoner Reflects from a "Run-For-Profit" Jail & Updates!

category international | anti-war / imperialism | news report author Saturday May 06, 2006 23:32author by Frank - Des Moines Catholic Worker Report this post to the editors

He's in There For Us, We're on the Loose for HIm!

Frank Cordaro addressed a public meeting organised by the PIt Stop Ploughshares at the Teachers Club in Dublin last Summer. Frank is presently imprisoned for 6 months as consequence of a nonviolent anti-war trespass at a U.S. Air Force Base in Omaha. You can send a solidarity letter or postcard to Frank Cordaro, Jackson County Jail, 210 US Hwy 75, Holton KS 66436 USA. Frank reflects on doing time on a "run-for-profit" Kansas county jail.........

April 30, 2006

Doing Time at the Jackson County Jail "On the Cheap"

I do not believe Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz had the Jackson County
Jail in Holton, KS, in mind when she said, "There's no place like
home." Life here at Jackson County has lightened up some since last
I wrote. After a week of darkness in our cell, the burned out light
bulb was replaced. This brought immediate improvement to my life.
I'm now able to read and write in my cell instead of in the Common
Room where the TV blares and the noise is most intense. I was not
sure how long this enlightenment was going to last. One of my cell
mates, a 30 year old Federal inmate starting a ten year sentence for
drug-dealing, was not happy with our lighted cell. He had gotten used
to sleeping in the darkness during the day. For a few days after the
light was replaced, he kept trying to break the light fixture with his
shoe. Lucky for me, he was moved to another Mod before he could
finish the job.

Four weeks into my stay here and I've learned more about Jackson
County and Holton, KS, where this jail is located. Jackson County is
a sparsely populated rural county with the Pottawattamie Indian
Reservation right in the middle of the county on an eleven mile by
eleven mile Reservation. The Reservation runs a large casino
operation. Holton is the largest town in the county with 3,000
people. It is also the county seat and a "bedroom" community. Holton
is 30 miles from Topeka, KS, and most people work in Topeka. Its
biggest employer is a meat packing plant that hires mostly Hispanics.

The county got into the "for profit" jail business about ten years
ago. They built themselves a hundred bed holding facility and started
taking overflow inmates from Johnson County where Kansas City, KS, is
located and Federal prisoners awaiting trial or in transit into the
Federal prison system. On average, the jail houses about 25 inmates
who are from Jackson County. The rest are paying customers. The idea
was sold to the taxpayers of Jackson County because no county tax
monies would be used to build and operate the jail.

Ten years later and the facility now holds over 130 inmates, the extra
slots created by tripling two men cells plus adding extra bunk beds
and boats in already full Mods. A boat is a plastic container in
which bed mats can fit. They are called boats because they look like
small rowboats.

I do not know how much money Jackson County receives for housing an
inmate per night from Johnson County and the U.S. Marshals. I do know
anyone being held in the Jackson County Jail is being locked up "on
the cheap."

The first thing an inmate notices when entering the Jackson County
Jail is the poor condition of the facility. Only ten years old, the
place is falling apart. In our Mod alone, four of the eight cell
doors do not lock down. These doors are jammed. My 3-man cell door
cannot close. In two cells in our Mod, the tinted windows that let
sunlight in were busted out by inmates but never replaced. They're
just boarded up. I'm told this is a common condition throughout the
jail. The walls are painted with very cheap paint. They are peeling
and retain dirt easily. The air conditioning system either freezes us
out or doesn't work. Power is often cut off, broken breakers. I'm
hoping I'm out of here before the high temps of summer put extra
strain on the system. It is obvious little or no money is being spent
to maintain this facility except what absolutely is needed.

The jail-issued clothing, bedding and towels are not much more than
rags. There are dishtowels at the Des Moines Catholic Worker larger
than the one towel each inmate is issued. When the place is full,
there is not enough clothing to go around. Inmates are constantly
trading with outgoing inmates for a better set of clothing and
bedding.

Hygiene is a real problem here. The place looks and feels dirty.
Cleaning materials for our Mod consist of a mop and a bucket with
mostly dirty soap water and a small white plastic container with
bleach water and a 4 inch by 8 inch rag, a dirty broom and filthy
dustpan. These cleaning materials are brought in and out of the Mod
three times a day around meal times. The two shower stalls in our Mod
are really filthy. The shower curtain is grimy. It hangs by two
thing strings. The walls and floors and drain are ugly. Whenever I
take a shower, I make sure I'm wearing my shower shoes and I do not
touch the walls.

Toilet paper is the most valued commodity here, something to die for!
Each inmate is issued two rolls of toilet paper a week plus each cell
gets one extra roll a week. Now this may sound like more than enough
except that the toilet paper here serves a multitude of purposes.
It's the only thing we have to clean our sinks, table tops, plastic
bowls, coffee cups and spoons. If you drop something on the floor,
toilet paper is all you have to clean it up. If you want a napkin at
your meal, toilet paper is your only option.

The way these all steel combo sink and toilet units are built, every
time a guy pees, the toilet seat has to be wiped clean. Two rolls a
week barely covers the necessities and getting an extra roll from a
guard is next to impossible.

We have two phones in our Mod. They are rarely used. Why? Because a
15 minute collect call costs $20 each! I have had to limit the number
of calls I make to once a week to the Des Moines Catholic Worker and
two a week to Laney Green, the love of my life, and sporadic calls to
family.

The medical scene here is scary. A doctor and physician's assistant
come to the jail once a week. An inmate must put in an Inmate Medical
Request Form at least two days before the scheduled day. The first
month an inmate is here, all visits to the doctor and meds are free.
After the first month, each time you request to see the doctor costs
you $10 and every prescription drug costs you $3.

Space is so limited that when you do see a doctor or physician's
assistant, you see them in the same space where we were booked into
the jail. There are no medical personnel on site. All meds are
administered by guards. All medical assessments on site are made by
guards.

Luckily, I'm getting the meds I need for which I am most grateful.
God forbid I should get sick here and need immediate medical
attention. Take Paulo, for example. Paulo broke two bones in his
hand in a fight. The doctor at the local hospital said he needed to
see a bone specialist. They wrapped his broken hand and sent him back
to the jail. Paulo is a Federal inmate and since his injury is not
life threatening, the US Marshals must give the ok for him to see a
bone specialist. It took him two days in our Mod before he even got
pain pills. And he was given pain pills only after he took the broom
handle and started pounding on the door leading into the Mod to get
the guard's attention. Fourteen days now and he has yet to get
permission from the Marshals to see a bone specialist.

Since space is so limited, there is no classroom or chapel area. The
Sunday night Catholic communion services are held in the Rec area.
Our Mod is called out for Catholic services at 8:30 pm. Mary and Don,
two faithful volunteers from St. Dominic's Catholic Parish in Holton,
have been coming to the jail for the last eight years. They share
the readings of the day and distribute communion. It's a humble and
simple service and I am most grateful for the Word and Eucharist they
bring us. They are also the folks who got me a Catholic Bible and the
missalette, two needed tools for my lectionary reflections.

The library here is a joke. I've been here four weeks and have been
to the library once. It consists of a wooden book rack that they
wheel into the Rec area. Half of the book covers are won off. Most
are rejects from the local public library. It is so lame. Luckily,
I've started receiving a subscription to the New York Times which is
keeping me up to current world events. And I need to confess I am
four volumes into the eight volume trashy Christian series, Left
Behind. We have a whole set of them in our Mod. I'm trying to read
them slowly in hopes I'll be moved before I'm done.

I can't help feeling somebody is making a lot of money from operating
this jail. It's a place begging a good audit and an investigative
reporter, somebody who can follow the money.

There are pluses to being here. The food gets high marks as county
jails go. The jail store is well stocked and each mod has a
microwave. There are no guards in the Mods. We are policed by
cameras. Guys prefer guardless Mods. It is louder and more rowdy.
They allow gym clothes and tennis shoes if they are worn into the
jail. I got a pair of gym shorts from a guy leaving and I'm renting a
pair of tennis shoes for $2 of store goods a week. This has greatly
improved my physical exercise options. I'm now doing a combo one hour
walk, stair climbing and sung rosary every morning and a one hour walk
in the afternoon. Mostly though, I'm being treated well by the men in
my Mod. I've been here long enough that the old timers in the Mod
look after me. In my next prison journal, I hope to write more about
everyday life in my Mod and the men I share this time and space with.

Folks have been writing me a bout how wonderful spring is this year.
I'm afraid I'll be missing this year's spring season. We are
completely shut off from the outdoors: no smell, touch or sight. I'm
living a real cave-like existence. The only spring I'll experience
this year is the great support and love I've been given by so many
good friends through this captivity. And I say, thank you all! Amen.

Frank Cordaro
Jackson County Jail
210 US Hwy 75
Holton, KS 66436

author by Frank in Fed Prison - Des Moines Catholic Workerpublication date Wed May 17, 2006 02:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Sixth Sunday of Easter May 21, 2006
Acts 10:25-56, 34-35, 44-48
John 15:9-17

ACTS 10 – A TALE OF TWO VISIONS:
Chapter 10 of Acts begins the mission to the Gentiles with a tale of
two visions. An angel of God visits a man named Cornelius in the city
of Caesarea (also known as Caesarea Maritima. Caesarea was a seaport
town built by Herod the Great in honor of Octavian (a.k.a. Caesar
Augustus), the first Roman Emperor. It was the capitol for the Roman
government in the sub-province of Judea-Palestina and the home of the
various Roman prefects, a position held by those of lesser equestrian
rank. (Later in the 1st century AD this title became procurator.) The
prefect governed the area under the watchful eye of the governor of
the Province of Syria (himself of senatorial rank). Though no legions
were directly assigned to the prefect in Judea during the time dealt
with in the Gospels and Acts, there were typically three or four
nearby legions in Syria ready to respond to any revolts and, of
course, there were Roman auxiliaries provided to the prefect by the
client kings of Rome.
Cornelius was not your ordinary Gentile. He was a centurion, perhaps
even retired, living in Caesarea. Centurions were the backbone of the
Roman legions. They were the hands-on commanders of the fighting men
in the Roman armies and could well be compared to our modern
sergeants. The centurion or centurio in Latin was not named after the
number one hundred as is commonly thought. The centurions, who came
in various ranks, commanded the Roman century, a group of 80, not 100
men. The head centurion was called primus pilus or 'first spear'. It
is interesting to note that the top sergeants in our modern U.S. Army
are called 'first shirt'. Centurions were known for their discipline
and loyalty to their generals. They were excellent and brave soldiers
who were willing to do whatever was asked of them, including the dirty
work that comes with creating and maintaining an empire. It was a
centurion who was assigned to crucify Jesus. The second phase of a
centurion's life was just as important to the Roman Empire. Retired
centurions often settled in conquered lands, helping to maintain
pro-Roman outposts in hostile areas. Centurions were known for their
harsh and violent behavior as they enforced Roman discipline and their
sense of entitlement and greed after their service to Rome.
Cornelius was not your ordinary Roman centurion. He was a "devout
and god-fearing" man along with his whole household (Acts 10:2).
God-fearers were Gentiles who believed in the one God of the Jews,
followed the Jewish ethical code and attended the synagogue but were
not bound by other Jewish regulations like circumcision and dietary
laws. Cornelius must have been very devout because it was his
"prayers and almsgiving" (Acts 10:4) that got God's attention and
brought an angel of the Lord to him with a message. The angel told
Cornelius to send men to Joppa, summoning Peter to visit.
At the same time this was happening Peter was in Joppa, staying at a
friend's house. Around noon Peter went up to the roof to pray. He
was hungry at the time. He fell into a trance. In a vision he saw a
large sheet lowered down from heaven filled with "all the earths' four
legged animals and reptiles and birds of the sky" (Acts 10:12). A
voice from heaven commanded Peter to "slaughter and eat." (Acts
10:13). Peter refused. The heavenly voice replied, "What God has
made clean, you are not to call profane." (Acts 10:15). This happened
three times before the objects were taken back into heaven.
When Peter awoke from his trance, the men from Cornelius arrived,
told Peter an angel of the Lord had appeared to their master
"Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and god-fearing man, respected by
the whole Jewish nation." (Acts 10:22) A "man respected by the whole
Jewish nation" puts Cornelius in a league of his own, the exception to
the rule as the camel that truly does go through the eye of the needle
(Mark10:25). Peter agrees to the invitation to visit Cornelius.

CORNELIUS MET PETER AND, FALLING AT HIS FEET, PAID HIM HOMAGE Acts
10:25
We pick up in this week's text when Peter arrives at Cornelius' home
and is greeted by Cornelius and his whole household. As soon as he
sees Peter, he falls to his knees and does Peter homage, a startling
gesture highlighting Luke's theo-political perspective that the
Lordship of Jesus trumps the lordship claims of Caesar. Cornelius, a
former Roman centurion and servant of Caesar pays homage to Peter, a
disciple of Jesus, the Lord of all. Peter tells Cornelius to stand up
for he is only a human being and hierarchy in the family of Jesus is
based on those who serve, not on those who are served.
Peter tells Cornelius and his household that even though Jews are not
allowed to associate and visit the homes of Gentiles, God has shown
him that no human being regardless of race, nationality, religion or
gender is "profane or unclean" (Acts 10:28). Then Peter asked
Cornelius why he was summoned to visit. Cornelius told how an angel
of the Lord had appeared, asking him to summon Peter to his home.
Then he said now that he was here, he and his household were ready to
listen to what Peter had to share with them.

"IN EVERY NATION, WHOEVER FEARS GOD AND ACTS UPRIGHTLY IS ACCEPTABLE
TO GOD." (Acts 10:35)
Peter begins his testimony with a remarkable statement of how
inclusive the circle of people who are acceptable to God is. From now
on, anyone anywhere anytime who fears God and acts justly is
acceptable to God. Even though there are places in the New Testament
that insist on the explicit belief in Jesus as the only means to
salvation (John 3:16), Acts 10:35 leaves the door open for God to make
the final judgment, whether a person says they believe or not, if they
are acceptable.
This verse from Acts is one of the reasons the bishops at the Second
Vatican Council affirmed the possibilities for 'anonymous Christians.'
They are people who through no fault of their own never got a chance
to become a believer in Jesus, yet lived holy god-fearing lives who
are among the saved. This was one of the most important and positive
teachings to come from the Second Vatican Council.
Peter then proceeds to give one of six kerygmatic speeches in Acts
(Acts 10:36-43) which is not included in this week's text. At the
conclusion of Peter's speech the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and
his whole household. Peter and his Jewish friends "were astounded
that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on
Gentiles" (Acts 10:45). Peter ordered Cornelius and his whole
household baptized right then and there.
Just one final note about a story filled with our two ordinary
characters and irregularities. In sacramental terms Cornelius and
his household received the sacrament of confirmation before they were
baptized. This would not be allowed today.

"AS THE FATHER LOVES ME, SO I ALSO LOVE YOU." (John 15:9)
This week's gospel is the second half of John's vine and branches
chapter. Love is the measure. The word love appears nine times in
this week's gospel. Using the metaphor of the vine and branches, love
is the life source, the sap that flows through the vine. The source
of this love is God, the Father who is the vine grower. He loves his
son Jesus who is the vine. Jesus in turn loves his disciples who are
the branches. The disciples show their love for Jesus and the Father
by following Jesus' example and keeping his commandment to "love one
another" as Jesus loved them. This is how the branches bear fruit.
This is what Jesus calls his joy, the joy the disciples will share if
they follow Jesus' commandment of love.

"NO ONE HAS GREATER LOVE THAN THIS, TO LAY DOWN ONES LIFE FOR ONE'S
FRIENDS" John 15:13
All this love talk could be sentimental and flowery except for the
fact that these words are spoken by Jesus to his disciples the night
before his crucifixion. Judas was already gone and betraying Jesus to
the authorities. In a few hours Jesus will be arrested, these very
disciples to whom Jesus is speaking will abandon him and Peter will
deny him. This was not a lovie lovie moment; this love in practice
was a harsh and dreadful thing.

"YOU ARE MY FRIENDS, IF YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND YOU." John 15:14
The new command of love changes everything, especially the nature of
our relationship to God. With Jesus as our go-between (the vine) us
(branches) and God the creator (the vine grower), we can now relate to
God as a friend, person to person, no longer slaves, objects to be
owned but friends to our maker as long as we do what Jesus commands,
which is to love one another as he loved us. Love is the measure,
love is the sap that flows from the vine to the branch that bears
fruit.

"IT WAS NOT YOU WHO CHOSE ME, BUT I WHO CHOSE YOU." John 15:16
No more can a branch produce the sap that gives it life and the
ability to bear fruit than can we produce the love we need to be God's
friends. Jesus must first love us, so we can love him and bear the
fruit that comes from loving each other.

SO THAT WHATEVER YOU ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME HE MAY GIVE YOU John
15:16
Regarding prayer, there are two faith facts. The first is that God
answers all prayers. The second is that we do not always get the
answers we want.
Jesus tells his disciples that as long as they (the branches) stay
one with him (the vine) and love (the sap) remains what unites them
they can ask God for anything and it will be given, just as long as
the answer to the prayer is in keeping with the nature, goal and
mission of God's kingdom, God's love.

Frank Cordaro #13093-047
FPC Yankton
P. O. Box 700
Yankton, SD 57078
USA

author by Frank in Fed Prison - Des Moines Catholic Workerpublication date Tue May 16, 2006 22:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Frank has left El Reno by Con Air and has landed in Yankton Federal prison. The federal system is much better conditions than county jail system. FPC Yankton used to be a college campus before it got morphed into being part of the growing prison industry. There are more black Americans in prison than in college. Back in the day, Frank actually tried out for the footbal team on this campus. Frank should serve out the remainder of his 6 month sentence for his "Feast of Holy Innocents" anti-war trespass at Offcut Air Force base at this address. Please wirite him c/-

Frank Cordaro #13093-047
FPC Yankton
PO. Box 700
Yankton, SD 57078
USA

author by Frank on the Move! - Des Moines Catholoic Workerpublication date Sun May 14, 2006 01:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Received this note from Frank in the mail this morning:

May 9, 2006
Federal Transfer Center
Oklahoma City

An all day affair. Woke up at Jackson County and rolled up right
after breakfast. Then it's a series of hurry up and wait from one
holding tank, to a van, to the plane to Oklahoma City and the Federal
Transfer Center located right at the airport.

This is my fourth experience of this place. I just got here tonight.
My cell bunky tells me they only allow mail out once a week on
Wednesdays....that's tomorrow. It's late tonight and I am beat so
this will be brief.

I am designated to the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, SD. It could
take as long as two weeks to get there. I will write more about this
Tranfer Center later this week. Right now I'm going to bed....

Frank Cordaro
Federal Transfer Center
Oklahoma City, OK USA

author by MichaelY - iawmpublication date Wed May 10, 2006 15:36author address author phone Report this post to the editors

To add a bit of support and solidarity to this thread:

Listen here:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/9726

Let’s impeach the president for lying
And leading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door
He’s the man who hired all the criminals
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors
And bend the facts to fit with their new stories
Of why we have to send our men to war
Let’s impeach the president for spying
On citizens inside their own homes
Breaking every law in the country
By tapping our computers and telephones
What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees
Would New Orleans have been safer that way
Sheltered by our government’s protection
Or was someone just not home that day?
Let’s impeach the president
For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected
Dividing our country into colors
And still leaving black people neglected
Thank god he’s racking down on steroids
Since he sold his old baseball team
There’s lot of people looking at big trouble
But of course the president is clean
Thank God

author by Des Moines Catholic Workerpublication date Wed May 10, 2006 15:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I just got a phone call from Frank and he's been moved to a Federal Prison in Oklahoma City that serves as a transit centre for Con Air.
His final destination will be the federal facility in Yankton, South Dakota.

author by Frank - Des Moines Caholic Worker Communitypublication date Tue May 09, 2006 06:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

5th Sunday of Easter – May 14, 2006
Acts 9:26-31
John 15:1-8

WHEN PAUL ARRIVED IN JERUSALEM HE TRIED TO JOIN THE DISCIPLES BUT THEY
WERE ALL AFRAID OF HIM (Acts 9:26)

This week's text from Acts introduces us to St. Paul, the main
character of the second half of the book of Acts. Paul first appears
in Acts at Stephen's stoning (Acts 7:58) not as Paul but as Saul. In
the narrative both Stephen and Saul are portrayed as zealots for their
causes, Stephen for Jesus and Saul for the Jewish establishment.
Before Stephen's stoning, the church in Jerusalem was living in
peaceful co-existence with the Jewish establishment. Despite the
Apostles "court order" by the Sanhedrin to "cease and desist"
preaching and healing in Jesus' name (Acts 5:40), the community grew
in harmony with the larger Jewish community attracting even priests of
the Temple to the community (Acts 6:7).
The charismatic, outspoken Stephen pushed the limits of the growing
harmony between the house church of the first followers of Jesus and
the temple establishment. Stephen, one of the seven deacons ordained
to serve the poor, went beyond his ordination call and spoke boldly
and courageously about the great divide between Jesus' new covenant of
love and the Temple establishment support of the old covenant of the
Law. This was brought to a head when Stephen spoke boldly before the
Sanhedrin (Acts 7) which led to his immediate stoning.
Saul, every bit the zealot Stephen was, took up the cause of the
Temple establishment and the fixed Jewish tradition and actively
endorsed the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1-3). Immediately after the
stoning, Saul conducted a house-to-house search for believers in
Jesus, arresting and imprisoning many. Everyone in the community left
Jerusalem except for the Apostles.
Saul then sought permission to take his persecution of the early
church to Damascus where the followers of Jesus were getting
established. It was on the road to Damascus that Saul encountered
Jesus and was renamed Paul becoming no less the zealot, but now for
Christ. It was in Damascus that Paul first preached the message of
Jesus.
"After a long time had passed" (Acts 9:23) in Damascus Paul made
enough enemies within the Jewish community that a plot to have him
killed was discovered (perhaps three years) plenty of time for Paul to
grow in the faith and early traditions. When Paul's friends
discovered the plot against him they helped him escape the city in a
basket they lowered over the city walls.
It is at this point in the story that we read this week's text from
Acts. From Damascus, Paul made his way to Jerusalem in hopes of
connecting with the disciples. When he reached Jerusalem the
disciples were afraid to meet with him because of his past persecution
of the Church. It took Barnabas to convince the Apostles of the
authenticity of Paul's conversion and of his work for the faithful in
Damascus. After this Paul lived freely within the community in
Jerusalem. Paul began to boldly proclaim the faith to the larger
Jewish community. He soon ran afoul of the Hellenist Jews, who then
started plotting to have him killed. It looked like what happened to
Stephen was about to happen to Paul. When some of the disciples heard
of the plot against Paul, they quickly got him out of town and sent
him to his hometown of Tarsus where Paul stayed until Barnabas called
him to Antioch to help with the newfound gentile believers and the
start of Paul's career as the Disciple to the Gentiles (Acts
11:19-26).

A TRUE VOCATION TAKES YEARS TO DEVELOP – A LOT OF THINGS CHANGE AND
SOME THINGS STAY THE SAME:

Even though St. Paul was knocked down on the road to Damascus by the
Risen Lord and converted in one day, it took perhaps five years
between Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus and his finding his
place and vocation in the Church at Antioch with Barnabas. The one
thing about Paul's character that remained throughout his life was his
zeal, both in persecuting the Church or proclaiming the faith.
The last place Paul visited before he joined Barnabas in Antioch was
his home town of Tarsus. Nothing is known about this visit in Acts.
I wonder how one of Tarsus' Jewish community's most famous and
infamous son's return to his home of birth was received? How did
Paul's visit play with his childhood friends and family?
My own conversion to the nonviolent Jesus and career as an 'outlaw
peacemaker' has been a long and many-phased journey. Anyone who knew
me as a student at St. Anthony's grade school and Dowling High School
could not have guessed my peacemaking ways. I was the kid who had the
biggest collection of war toys and army men. I was the one who played
war games most intently and longer than any of my friends. I watched
the movie "The Sands of Iwo Jima" multiple times and cried every time
John Wayne got shot. In high school I was a blind patriot, a backer
of the Vietnam war and a harsh critic of anyone against the war.
It was not until I went to college (1969-1973) that I started to
question the war in Vietnam and even this was a very timid questioning
compared to many of my contemporaries. The most radical thing I did
in college was to read the New Testament and begin my walk with the
biblical Jesus. From college I went to seminary. Three years later I
dropped out of seminary, fell in love, and helped start the Des Moines
Catholic Worker. Seven years later I fell out of love, went back to
the seminary on the rebound and got ordained a priest in 1985. I was
both a parish priest and a peace activist for 18 years, had a heart
attack in September 2001, two weeks after 9/11, and resigned the
priesthood in August 2004. Somewhere in the middle of all this I
stopped being a student of life and became a fully-vested Catholic
Worker and a follower of the non-violent resister, Jesus.
As different as I have become since my school years, when I meet
classmates and friends who have known me all my life, even though few
could have guessed that I would have chosen the path I've chosen, most
would say I'm still the same person I was when I was a kid. I imagine
it was the same for Paul when he returned to Tarsus in today's text
from Acts.

I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES (John 15:5)

For the next two weeks our gospels come from John's fifteenth
chapter, "the vine and the branches" chapter. It's part of the long
four-chapter section called Jesus' final discourse, sandwiched between
the Last Supper and Jesus' arrest.
I used to have a difficult time with the dialogue in John's gospel.
It's hard to understand. It does not flow like regular conversation.
It's misdirected questions and repetition confused me and Jesus' long
monologues were difficult to follow. It wasn't until I understood
that John is using a unique literary style akin to a quasi-poetic
form, that I've come to appreciate them more. If we were producing
the four Gospels on stage, John's gospel would be a musical opera.
John's "Jesus' final discourses" section used to be one of my least
favorite sections. They were just too long and heady for me; that is
until I found myself in a similar situation as is found in the
gospel's narrative, the last few weeks leading to my participation in
the Gods of Metal Plowshares witness in May of 1998. I was dealing
with a lot of fear about the action and possible consequences. I was
not on good terms with my bishop and the diocese. My personal
relationships were strained. I was looking at an action that could
put me behind bars for a long time, perhaps years. I was preparing to
leave my mother, who was suffering with Alzheimer's, mindful that when
I returned if my Mom was alive, she might not know who I was. I had a
lot of personal demons working on my heart and spirit. I turned to
the Scriptures for help and comfort and, sure enough, I found Jesus'
final discourses in John's Gospel the most helpful. Something about
its repetitive cadence and themes of impending suffering and loss and
its hope-filled promises for those who remain faithful helped me deal
with my fears and anxieties. This was a personal confirmation of my
belief that the three most important things when reading the gospels
are location, location and location.
The vine and branches theme is a long and familiar tradition in the
Old Testament to describe God's relationship to his chosen people (Isa
5:1-7; Ps 80, Jer 2:21, Ezek 15:2; 17:5-10; 19:10; Hos 10:1). God is
the vine grower and Israel and Israel's kings are the vines and
branches.
In this week's gospel God the Father is the vine grower, Jesus is the
vine and we are the branches. John uses this simple and accessible
image to explain God's new and improved relationship with the human
family through Jesus. With Jesus as the vine, he becomes the living
source for being fully human and in sync with God. We, who are the
branches, have two options. We can remain one with the vine and
produce its fruit or we can deny the vine's life force and produce no
fruit.
Now the agricultural context in which the Gospel was written helps to
extend the meaning of the metaphor. For a vine to produce good fruit,
it needs to be pruned. Its non-producing branches have to be cut off
so the healthy branches can bear good fruit. In this week's Gospel,
God, the Father, will be the pruner; he will cut off all non-producing
branches. This suggests that if we do not embrace Jesus and his new
covenant of love seeking justice, we will be cut off the vine, made
useless, good for nothing, to be burnt and thrown away.
In the context of Jesus' "last discourse" the vine and braches
metaphor is a hope-filled promise for the disciples to remain faithful
to Jesus and his ways in the difficult times to come.

author by Catholic Workerpublication date Tue May 09, 2006 01:06author address author phone Report this post to the editors

May 8, 2006

Anti-War Activists staged Anti-War Game drills in front of Senator Kit Bond's Columbia, MO office today. Activists denounced the Bush adminstrations planning for a pre-emptive air war on Iran's nuclear sites as a disastrous plan and denounced Senator Bond for being one of nine Senators who voted against a ban on torturing prisoners.

Activists say an air war against Iran practically insures resumption of the military draft and will endanger U.S. troops in Iraq when waves of Iranian suicide bombers cross the Iraqi border to attack U.S. troops.

Activists were drilled in how to burn a draft cards, which they lit and then dropped into a bucket on the sidewalk in front of Bond's office. Then 13 of them entered the Senators office and practiced sitting-in and blockading the door. They told the receptionist that since it was only an anti-war game exercise they would not block anyone from entering or leaving unless the U.S. attacked Iran. Activists promised to return to Bonds' office for civil-disobedience in that case.

They were asked by Bond's office workers not to block the door but one of the activists informed the office workers that they needed the practice for future civil disobedience and would leave if police ordered them to do so.

Negotiations between office personel and activists worked out an arrangement whereby office personel promised to give Senator Bond messages and contact information from the activists and then activists would agree to end their blockade and sit-in. Bond's workers agreed and provided paper and pen. The activist thanked Bond's office for their patience and for being inadvertant volunteers in their Anti-War Games.

For further info contact Steve Jacobs at 573-875-4913 or 875-7878 or at sfhcw913@aol.com or Jeff Stack at 573-449-4585 or jstack@coin.org or jstack@no2death.org or contact Senator Bond's office at suite 204 at Tenth and Cherry St.

author by Fr. Joseph Mulligan SJ - Global Call for Nonviolentt Resistance to End Occupationpublication date Sun May 07, 2006 11:44author address Managua, Nicaraguaauthor phone Report this post to the editors

DEMONSTRATION HELD MAY DAY AT BRITISH CONSULATE IN MANAGUA AGAINST BRITISH AND U.S. OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

Today, May 1, International Workers' Day, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., a demonstration (including "street theatre") was held at the British Consulate (Taboada & Asociados) in Managua, Nicaragua.

The group, consisting of representatives of the Christian Base Communities, the Solidarity Network, and religious orders, denounced British participation in the invasion and occupation of Iraq as an active partner with the U.S. government and demanded that the British government withdraw its troops from Iraq and put an end to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

A "street theatre" was presented outside the consulate, with some people representing British soldiers "beating" others playing the role of Iraqi teenage prisoners. The shocking video of this was seen on international television in February (see below, at end).

Signatures are being gathered on a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair which will be presented to the British Consul, with the request that he forward it to the Prime Minister.

Fr. Joseph Mulligan, S.J., of the Christian Base Communities of Managua, explained why this demonstration is being held on May 1, International Workers' Day: "This is an appropriate day because British and U.S. imperialism, of which the invasion and occupation of Iraq is a current _expression, is essentially harmful to the interests of the working class and of the impoverished of the whole world.
"There is also a clear connection between our demonstration and the struggle of the immigrants in the U.S. who have declared May 1 'a day without Latinos' as a protest against repression. In Iraq as in Latin America and other parts of the world, imperialism seeks to establish a savage kind of 'free market' or 'neo-liberalism' for the benefit of the multinational corporations (mainly of the U.S.), almost eliminating the regulatory role and the social services of governments. This creates an economic and social situation in which working people and the poor must seek work in other countries.
"We totally support the rights of the immigrants who are struggling by means of boycotts and mass marches; and through our opposition to the imperialist aggression in Irak, in Nicaragua, in Venezuela, and in other countries we want to contribute our little grain of sand to the construction and maintenance of just societies in which the majority will have the freedom to stay in their countries, finding work and a decent life there, if they wish, without being obliged to emigrate in order to survive."

**************************************************************************

Related Link: http://www.globalcalliraq.org
author by Ploughsharespublication date Sun May 07, 2006 00:12author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Pit Stop Ploughshares return to Dublin's Four Courts on July 5th. for their third trial (expected to run at least two weeks). Irish-Australian defendant, Ciaron O'Reilly, was recently in Perth the most isolated city in the world calling for more nonviolent resistance to the war..........

Ciaron O'Reilly Speaks at Murdoch Uni, Perth
http://emunews.murdoch.edu.au/oncampus5.htm

Call for further nonviolent resistance to the war
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=97916

Interview by Perth Indymedia
http://perth.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&pa...18576

Related Link: http://www.peaceontrial.com
author by Prisoner Solidaritypublication date Sat May 06, 2006 23:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Prison Addresses
St. Patricks Four Occupation of a Military Recruitment Centre, Ithaca, New York
www.stpatricksfour.org

*Teresa Grady 13183-052
FCI DANBURY
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
ROUTE 37
DANBURY, CT 06811
USA
The Bureau of Prisons has listed her release date as May 21, 2006

*Clare Grady 01264-052
FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER
P.O. BOX 562
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106
USA

*Peter De Mott 10891-083
MDC Brooklyn
Metropolitan Detention Center
PO Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232
USA

*Daniel Burns 13182-052
MDC Brooklyn
Metropolitan Detention Center
PO Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232
USA

-------------------------------------------------------
TRESSPASS AT OFFCUT AIR FORCE BASE
OMAHA, NEBRASK
(6 months)
*Frank Cordaro
Jackson County Jail
210 US Highway 75
Holton, KS 66436
USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
School Of Americas Watch Prisoners
Trespass at SOA
www.soaw.org

*Buddy R. Bell #92561-020 (3 months)
FCI Oxford
Satellite Camp
PO Box 1085
Oxford, WI 53952
USA

*Fred Brancel (three months)
fredinjail(at)gmail.com (Correspondence will be forwarded.)

*Robert Call #92563-020
FCI Fort Dix
Satellite Camp
PO Box 1000
Fort Dix, NJ 08640
USA

*Stephen Douglas Clements #92565-020 (BOP has misspelled Clemens) (three months)
FPC Duluth
Federal Prison Camp
PO Box 1000
Duluth, MN 55814
USA

*Joanne Cowan #92566-020 (two months)
FCI Phoenix
Satellite Camp
37930 N. 45th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85086
USA

*Kenneth Francis Crowley #90963-020
FCI Beaumont Low
Federal Correction Institution
PO Box 26020
Beaumont, TX 77720
USA

*Anika D. Cunningham #92567-020 (one month)
FMC Lexington
Satellite Camp
PO Box 14525
Lexington, KY 40512
USA

*Scott Dempsky #92568-020 (three months)
FCI Terre Haute
Satellite Camp
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USA

*Joseph DeRaymond #92569-020 (three months)
FCI Schuylkill
Satellite Camp
PO Box 670
Minersville, PA 17954
USA

*Samuel Foster #91439-020 (two months)
FCI Beckley
Satellite Camp
PO Box 350
Beaver, WV 25813
USA

*Christine Gaunt #91356-020 (6 months, out May 19))
FCI Pekin
Satellte Camp
P.O. Box 5000
Pekin, IL 61555
USA

*Michael Lee Gayman #92570-020 (two months)
FCI Terre Haute
Satellite Camp
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USA

*Sarah C. Harper #92571-020 (three months)
FCI Dublin
Satellite Camp
5765 8th St. – Camp Parks
Dublin, CA 94568
USA

*Rita Hohenshell #90280-020 (two months)
FCI Pekin
Satellite Camp
PO Box 5000
Pekin, IL 61555
USA

*Jane Hosking #05331-090 (6 months)
FCI Pekin
Satellite Camp
PO Box 5000
Pekin, IL 61555
USA

*John LaForge #03213-090 (6 months)
FPC Duluth
Federal Prison Camp
PO Box 1000
Duluth, MN 55814
USA

*Sr. Mary Dennis Lentsch PBVM #30147-074 ( 6 months)
FMC Lexington
Satellite Camp
PO Box 14525
Lexington, KY 40512
USA

*Robin Lloyd #92572-020 (three months)
FCI Danbury
Federal Prison Camp
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811
USA

*Linda Mashburn #91430-020 (3 months)
FPC Alderson
Federal Prison Camp
PO Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
USA

*Donald W. Nelson #92559-020 (three months out April 14))
FCI Memphis
Satellite Camp
P.O. Box 2000
Millington, TN 38083
USA

*Liam O'Reilly #91431-020 (three months)
USP Canaan
Satellite Camp
P.O. Box 200
Waymart, PA 18472
USA

*Dorothy Parker #91432-020 (two months)
FCI Dublin
Satellite Camp
5765 8th St. Camp Parks
Dublin, CA 94568
USA

*Gail S. Phares #91433-020 (three months)
FPC Alderson
Federal Prison Camp
PO Box A
Alderson, WV 24910 J
USA

*Jonathan Robert
Muscogee County Jail
700 E. 10th St.
Columbus, GA 31901-2899
USA

*Judith Ruland #91434-020 (two months)
FCI Danbury
Federal Prison Camp
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811
USA

*Delmar Schwaller #91435-020 (two months)
FCI Oxford
Satellite Camp
PO Box1085
Oxford, WI 53952
USA

*Cheryl Sommers #91437-020 (three months)
FCI Dublin
Federal Satellite Camp
5765 8th St. – Camp Parks
Dublin, CA 94568
USA

*Donte Smith #91436-020 (three months)
FMC Fort Worth
Federal Medical Center
PO Box 15330
Fort Worth, TX 76119 K
USA

*Edward Naed Smith #46994-083 (6 months)
FCI Schuylkill
Satellite Camp
PO Box 670
Minersville, PA 17954
USA

*David A. Sylvester #91441-020 (three months)
FCI Lompoc
Satellite Camp
3705 West Farm Road
Lompoc, CA 93436
USA

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy