Crossing the line.

Today was the big action day. We went to the National Security Campus where the new nukes for Europe are made, crossed the purple line on the road indicating where the factory terrain starts , got arrested and after an hour or so released again. Thats it.
Kind of a short story really except that the whole thing was very surreel, weird, emotional and amazingly relaxed and wonderfull to us.

Debbie Penniston holding her deceased husbands mask that was used in the radiation therapy he recieved for the braintumor he got after working at the nuclearbomb factory.

Hmm, how can I explain this to you all...
Before the linecrossing we heard speeches from people who had lost their loved ones from illnesses they contracted while building nuclear weapons. And their was a die-inn; the people who joined that first read the name of a victim of the nuke factory and then would lie on the sidewalk. We only heard a few names, maybe twenty or so of the many people who have died, but it was a very impressive and heartbreaking ceremony.

The die-inn in front of the new nuke factory.

After some more speaches the potential linecrossers then gathered at the purple line painted on the road and were stopped, warned and arrested by the police.
That whole line thing is really weird to me though. Its painted on the street, but left and right of this maybe 30 foot long, purple painted line is a nice grassfield without any markings or fence. It is easy to just walk onto the factory terrain without crossing the line. And the street in front and back of the line is both Kansas City property. Two days earlier, when Jane showed us the factory for the first time she drove over it without anyone stopping us (until we started taking pictures of the buildings and were send away). This line is...how can I put this...Have you ever seen a dog that couldnt enter a house because he thinks the glass door is closed when it is actually wide open? He is so used to not being able to enter that he doesnt even dare to try it anymore. That line kindof symbolizes our internalized fears or laws that say we can not do a certain thing, when in reality we most certainly can. If only we believed in our own capacity to love our enemies, we wouldnt have any enemies and we COULD get rid of all weapons, nuclear or otherwise, but somehow we have been taught to fear and mistrust and it paralyzes us into not crossing lines, not shaking hands with strangers or dismanteling bombs. Does that make sense?

Chris, Brian and Susan in front of the nuclear bomb factory.

The goal of todays action was to cross the line so that was what we did. We could have entered the Campus  a 100 feet to the left of the line where there was no line and no police but we choose to cross this damn line and in some way that acknowledges the existence of said line, its power over us and it was very weird and surreel to me.
What enforced those feelings was that after we did EXACTLY what we had told the police what we would do, the police did (almost) EXACTLY what they had told us they would do. The whole happening was an absurd play, a pointless ritual. Well maybe not pointless, it did have meaning to most people present and it was a safe environment for those prepared to be arrested for the first time I guess, but to me it was strange.
Dont get me wrong, I am very happy we came and joined and I feel it was much appriciated that we came all the way from Europe to support the local efforts to stop the bombs from being built. And I have learned so much from the people of Kansas City about their struggles. Very grateful for their hospitality and love and willingness to share their stories. 

The amazingly wonderful people of Cherith Brook CW who came to support and gave us hospitality this week. Thank you!

I hope they wont think I am being too harsh on them, and anything is better than staying silent when attrocities happen around you. But I guess my calling is to do more direct actions. I want to be able to say, as Dan Berrigan did: " Apologies, good friends for the fracture of good order... We could not, so help us God, do otherwise."  Because to do otherwise, to comply with the law makers and war mongers goes against my conscience, my very being and my religion.

Susan handcuffed in custody.