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Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog. We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4Originally from Omagh and a student activist contemporary of Eamonn McCann, Gary MacLennan has been based in Brisbane Australia for the last 30+ years. Gary was a leading activist in
the mass direct action movement of the late '70's that broke the authoritarian laws restricting free speech and the right to organise in the state of Queensland. He was also a key figure in the mid-80's SEQEB dispute where the same corrupt state government attempted to break trade unionism. Last year, Gary was dismissed from his popularly celebrated 30+ teaching career at QUT for objecting to a PhD film "Laughing at the Disabled".
Gary has previously reviewed Eamonn Crudden's film "Route Irish" http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85706 This review of Harry Browne's "Hammered by the Irish" is also a part of a broader piece where Gary relflects on the church of the peasants, intellectuals and prophets with epilogue http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88972
There seems to be some confusion around production of "Hammered by the Irish" on other Irish indy threads. To clarify, "Hammered by the Irish" is not a project of the now defunct Pitstop Ploughshares, it is a work by the author and journalist Harry Browne. The production of the book, in a time of general disinterest in the war and anti-war resistance, partly involved the co-operation of the broader Catholic Worker www.catholicworker.org and Ploughshares www.plowsharesactions.org movements with Counterpunch www.counterpunch.org . Such co-operation is solely in relation to buying 450 copies (of 2,000) wholesale and distributing the book, these commitments were made after the text of the book was complete. Longtime CW/Plowshares activists such as Carmen Trotta, Kathy Kelly, Paul Magno, Catholic Worker Bookstore (D.C.) and myself have been doing this part of the work.
The Pitstop Ploughshares were one of 100+ such communities over the last 28 years that formed with the intention of nonviolently disarming military equipoments and enfleshing the prophecy of Isaiah. No commmunity has been perfect, very few have been acquitted and avoided prison sentences, all have had their strengths and weaknesses. A particular weakness of the Pitstops was the lack of community formation (8 days....3 months minimum is the general recomendation witin the plowshares movement!) and also the lack of availability of the acquitted defendants to debrief following the action/trialsprocess (largley due to exhaustion of an unusally long 3 1/2 year/ 3 trial process and the far flung origins and destinations of the acquitted defendants).
For those of us who remain active in the work of solidarity organising and nonviolent anti-war resistance we remain under continual police surveillence and harrassment. It is considered unwise in our movement to do such debriefing in public and/or on the internet.
Having said that, I do recomend the recent academic work analysing the Plowshares movement Sharon Nepstead "Prophetic Provocation: War. Resistance in the Plowshares Movement" (New York: Cambridge University Press.
See this link for availability of "Hammered by the Irish" and gigs around the book http://www.indymedia.ie/article/89439#comment237409
Also as folks read the book, this thread might be as good an opportunity as any for feedback and commentary on "Hammered by the Irish"
Well, it was never set out to be a complete account of everything that happened at Shannon, and didn't claim to be, the book at 175 pages packs in a lot of how circumstances and conscience brought so many people together on the issue of Shannon Warport, and how a few of them took drastic action to try to save even one life from carnage.
"Hammered by the Irish" is a thoroughly good read, and especially so when contrasted with the lazy hack journalism coverage of the actions and trials. While giving sympathetic descriptions of the five, Browne doesn't hoist them on pedestals like action heroes, he shows their humanity, and frailty at times, (under the considerable tension of harsh bail conditions and thrice being dragged through the Circuit Court), as well as the humour which undoubtedly kept them sane through it all. Comic book heroes they sure ain't. Made of the same stuff as the rest of us, but making different choices from most of us.
The book concentrates on the actions of 5 people, but gives enough mention to other events to show proper context,
the Dubsky action, the peace camp, the double talk of the government, shallow support of image conscious organisations, and the attitude of the authorities is very clearly indicated by a short section dealing with an exchange between the district court Judge and fumbling Garda prosecutor in the Dubsky trial.
It contrasts very well with the thorough scrutiny that the defendants actions were subjected to by the prosecuting barrister in the Circuit Court.
It also shows how and why Mary Kelly didn't get the same result, a story not too well known outside of activist circles, and one which casts a deservedly poor light on the intergrity of the judge who presided over all three of her trials and disallowed witnesses and legal arguments on spurious grounds.
Nobody who reads this book, (or was at the trial) will be in any doubt as to the motivations of these five or the fact that the jury gave the correct verdict when the crazy legal roller coaster actually managed to get through a trial, following two tense mistrials.
It can be a bit off putting to read through all of that, but one can't blame the author for the fact that it took three attempts before the defendants got a fair trial, and there are important and interesting notes on how and why each trial went the way it did.
Mr. Browne combines his personal research and interactions, along with other sources, indymedia included to give a good rounded picture of something the main stream media were too lazy, or too scared to cover. 5 people taking great risk for no personal reward, to try to help total strangers, and despite the best attempts of corrupt government and lazy media, their message reached 12 people in a jury box, who agreed that they were not criminals and that even with odds against you, 'sometimes you just have to do the right thing'.
A book review should display the publisher's name ,the book's price and where it can be bought . The publisher is AK Press . I don’t know the price in Ireland ,perhaps somebody who does could put it up .From the other thread on the subject , Hammered By The Irish is presently available in Dublin from....
Afri 134 Phibsborough Rd. Phibsborough ;
Tower Records off Grafton St. City Centre ;
Connolly Books , Essex St , Dublin .
In Cork...from James at WSM
In London at the Anarchist Bookfair Oct 18th 08
Online from ....
AK Press
http://www.akpress.org/2008/items/hammeredbytheirishakpress
Counterpunch
www.counterpunch.org
Catholic Worker Bookstore
http://www.catholicworker.com/bookstore/index.html
The book is also available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hammered-Irish-Ploughshares-Disab...r=1-1
the book is presently available in Dublin from....
Afri 134 Phibsborough Rd. Phibsborough ,
Tower Records off Grafton St. City Centre
Connolly Books , Essex St , Dublin .
In Cork...from James at WSM
In London at the Anarchist Bookfair Oct 18th 08
Online from ....
AK Press
http://www.akpress.org/2008/items/hammeredbytheirishakpress
Counterpunch
www.counterpunch.org
Catholic Worker Bookstore
http://www.catholicworker.com/bookstore/index.html
The book is also available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hammered-Irish-Ploughshares-Disab...r=1-1
-----------
People can order it from their local libraries as well , which is what I'm going to do .
Harry Browne Interview: Hammered by the Irish
An Interview with Harry Browne, author of Hammered by the Irish: How
the Pitstop Ploughshares Disabled a US Warplane - With Ireland's
Blessing
http://apos-archive.blogspot.com/2009/01/harry-browne-interview-hammered-by.html
--------------------------------
Except from interview:
What do you make of the US / UK differences on what makes a plowshares action?
The important thing is that people on both sides of the Atlantic are
prepared to take some action, and put themselves at risk, to make
peace. If the US Catholic Worker version is more 'total' -- to use the
Berrigan word -- and the likes of Trident Ploughshares arguably more
'tactical', they clearly both have a part to play. The main thing in
both traditions is that something sustainable and, hopefully,
significant can be built.
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