Five Catholic Workers arrested!

Chris left you all with a cliffhanger so here it comes.  After helping with lunch and dishes in Dingmanhouse in Des Moines we all met at two o clock to prepare for the rally at the Drone Command Base.
A day earlier we watched part of a documentary called National Bird, about the work that is done at this base. Young people operate drones here and kill people with them in far away countries. They often have to make life and death decisions based on blury pictures and very little information. Many of these soldiers suffer from trauma and even become suicidal because of their job. The people that are targets of the drones suffer even more of course.
The 2 0 clock meeting was very short and informal; who wants to speak and when? Who drives what car? who will take pictures? Ok, lets go!

At the base we took a group picture and listened to some people speak. I was one of the speakers and talked about the four reaper drones that the Netherlands bought last year and about nuclear weapons of course, also because next to the entrance of the base stood a big realsize F-16 fighterplane wich is used in the Netherlands to carry nuclear bombs around.

Jacob Whitston, one of the speakers that also got arrested .

After the speaches five of us walked over to the gate with a banner. While doing this they stepped over a white line on the road and entered government property.

Over the loudspeakers of the base they then got three warnings and when they wouldnt move they where handcuffed and taken to jail.

Ruth Hart getting handcuffed

Everything went very friendly, one of the soldiers handed us the banner of the five. We sang a song and applauded when the van with the activists drove off. Then we suddenly realized we may not see those folks again before we would leave to our next destination! They could be released after one night, 30 days or 6 months. Kind of shocking because in the Netherlands you would probably not even get arrested for an action like this.
Today we will get a chance to see the trial of the five, we will let you know what happens!