Antiwar protesters face federal conspiracy charges (NCR)

[struggle4progress]

By CLAIRE SCHAEFFER-DUFFY

The U.S. federal government is prosecuting four Catholic peace activists from Ithaca, N.Y., after a state court jury refused to convict them last year for their antiwar protest at a local U.S. military recruiting station. The federal charges made against the activists include “conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States,” a crime punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

“The federal government is clearly trying to make an example of these people and to intimidate future nonviolent protestors by charging these folks with conspiracy,” said Bill Quigley, a law professor at Loyola University, New Orleans, and an advising attorney for the activists.

On March 17, 2003, in protest of the impending U.S. invasion of Iraq, Danny Burns, Peter DeMott, and sisters Clare and Teresa Grady poured small bottles of their own blood on the walls, floor and an American Flag in the foyer of a military recruiting center in Lansing, N.Y.

Charged with criminal mischief, the activists, who have been dubbed the St. Patrick’s Four, spent four days in jail and in April 2004 were tried at the Tompkins County Courthouse. During their weeklong trial, the defendants, all of whom have children, said they carried out their protest as Catholics and parents who wanted to warn members of the military and potential recruits about the illegality and immorality of the war in Iraq. <snip>

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2005b/061705/061705p.htm

[Roland99]

1. That's just about vandalism, though.

There are better ways to protest without defacing things.

[burrowowl]

6. Their own blood

is easy to clean up.
What about Bu$h!?! He can't put the blood back into the dead.
Do read Howard Zinn's: A Peoples' History of the United States.
And if you are caught in a charge of mounted police, how do you defend yourself? As much I as love horses, I know how. Know some people who in the 40's had to do this.

[struggle4progress]

7. I bet they didn't do $250 worth of damage total. I've known people like ..

.. this: they're ready to give up everything to make a symbolic statement, but they really aren't destructive ...

[dave502d]

2. I hate my country when i read thing like this.n/t

[Erika]

3. And Bush is trusted with the powers of the Patriot Act?

Lock up anyone who disagrees with the politics of Bush? And throw away the key?

[ooglymoogly]

4. sig heil

welcome to the new reich

[punpirate]

5. "Impede" is a rather vague and...

... nebulous term. In the context of this case, advising people not to go into a recruiter's office could be construed as an attempt to impede a recruiter's function. And if two people got together to warn potential recruits, that would be a conspiracy.

I hope this one ends up in the same wastebasket as Ashcroft's attempt to prosecute Greenpeace under the 1872 sailor-mongering law.

[ElectroPrincess]

8. Yeah, watch those NUNS real close during probation ...

we all know the high recidivism rate among those devout Catholics who are called to serve The Lord, i.e., Sisters Clare and Teresa Grady. :crazy: