john dear

dear dear friends,

am in bangkok now, on my way to vietnam, where i hvae not been since 1990, when i took a manuscript hidden in my suitcase to monks and nuns at thich nhat hanh's temple in hue. the manuscript was for a book he had just finished writing: knowing a better way to live alone. it was a joy to spend time with his friends, and a little heartbreaking. their love for him was deep........ palpable. it takes so much courage to stand up for justice. while there, i saw and mourned the results of the untenable vietnam war. that sense of sorrow is always with me and with so many others.

here is a communique about john dear, another hero of compassion and justice. lend him all the suppport you can.

"A lot of you have been curious about the Sentencing date for Father John Dear the last of the Elevator 6 who has yet to be sentenced. John's original Sentencing date of Nov. 7th has been postponed. Despite the fact that the Judge in our case asked that there be no presentencing report the Federal Prosecutor Bill Pflugrath brought to the attention of the Judge that John has done Federal time for an Action he did at an Airforce Base about 10 years ago, he also brought to the attention a column John wrote where he said he would not pay any fine in our case. So now John faces a presentencing interview & then a new Sentencing date will be given & I will keep you ALL informed. It does look as if OUR government is laying the groundwork to put John in jail, where they sent two of John's priestly brothers, Fr. Louie Vitale & Fr. Steve Kelly, just over a week ago to terms of 5 months behind bars, for also following their conscience & saying NO to hate and violence.

We hope that when John does have his Sentencing we can fill the Courtroom in support, but in the meantime that we ALL continue to work for the end of both the Iraqi & Afghani wars and that war no longer be considered as a valid way of settling human differences!

For Fr. John Dear's latest column http://ncrcafe.org/node/1401 about Franz Jagerstater who was just beatified in a ceremony in Austria that John attended. Franz refused induction into the Nazi army & was beheaded as a result. And if you read John's column please ignore at the bottom where it says his sentencing is Nov. 7th that was written before this new info came to light.

I have repeated times without number that nonviolence is the inherent quality of women. For ages men had the training in violence. In order to become nonviolent they have to cultivate the qualities of women. Ever since I have taken to nonviolence, I have become more and more of a woman. - Gandhi