82 year old nun about to be sentenced as a terrorist

Does this facility's intrution detection consists of a string and can, manned by "flashlight cops"? Yah, it seems they are having the book thrown at them. The more media exposure the better for 'em. Seems like anything beyond vandalism and trespassing is excessive. I don't support destroying property, but come on, really?

In a weird way, this is actually good news.

These protesters have achieved a lot more than they originally intended.

People won't think these are "terrorists". They will literally laugh at the idea.

And it will wake a lot of people up as to what the "terrorism" hype is really about.

You grab the bull by the horns and you're liable to get gored. Well, at least they can feel morally superior while this sorts itself out.

Originally posted by purplemer

... But it should be noted activism plays an integral and important role in a free democratic system. ...

You are assuming a free democratic system exists.

Fail!

Gone entirely was the original misdemeanor charge of trespass. Now Rice, Boertje-Obed, and Walli faced up to thirty-five years in prison.

That is why I despise everything about our court system.

If you charge someone for a crime, that should be the end of it until a trial. If any new information is found, or other new charges, you can bring it up on the court date assigned for the original charge and let the judge decide how to proceed from there.

Innocent until proven guilty, unless you can't make it stick. Then bury them until they are as good as dead.

Despicable.

And I imagine everyone here saying "Let them go!" would say the same thing if the vandals were young neo-Nazis or Islamic jihadists.

Lock these freaks up, and consider re-assessing the security at nuclear facilities.

reply to post by FurvusRexCaeli

Everyone has a Constitutional right "peaceably to assemble." But you don't have a right to damage and evade the security of a US government nuclear facility and assemble on their property, then repaint their property and pour blood on it. That's not a peaceable assembly. It's criminal.

ahh, but then the U.S. government has the right to make bombs capable of killing millions without trial? just because something is law doesn't make it moral or just.

i'm not advocating that average citizens should be walking up on nuclear sites, but i fail to see how "U.S. government" property ISN'T public property.

Originally posted by DaTroof
And I imagine everyone here saying "Let them go!" would say the same thing if the vandals were young neo-Nazis or Islamic jihadists.

Lock these freaks up, and consider re-assessing the security at nuclear facilities.

neo-nazis and islamic jihadists aren't exactly pacifists.

people who want to end violence definitely share the same intents as those who wish to propagate it *sarcasm*

First they came for the people who illegally downloaded music - I did not speak out because I did not download any illegal music.

Then they came for the children who chewed pop tarts into gun shapes - I did not speak out because I did not chew pop tarts into gun shapes.

Next they came for the elderly nun protesters - I did not speak out because I was not an elderly nun protester.......

Originally posted by VariableConstant

The government also successfully moved to strip the three from presenting any defenses or testimony about the harmful effects of nuclear weapons.   The U.S. Attorney’s office filed a document they called “Motion to Preclude Defendants from Introducing Evidence in Support of Certain Justification Defenses.”  In this motion, the U.S. asked the court to bar the peace protestors from being allowed to put on any evidence regarding the illegality of nuclear weapons, the immorality of nuclear weapons, international law, or religious, moral or political beliefs regarding nuclear weapons, the Nuremberg principles developed after WWII, First Amendment protections, necessity or US policy regarding nuclear weapons.

Rice, Boertje-Obed, and Walli argued against the motion. But, despite powerful testimony by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a declaration from an internationally renowned physician and others, the Court ruled against defendants.

Precluding the defendants from any form of defense and then classifying them as terrorists for trespassing and vandalism seems to be about par for the US today. Someone needs to turn off the torchlight on the Statue of Liberty as there is no liberty in the US anymore. When the government goes after an 82 year old Nun and her equally as old friends as terrorists the nation is no longer a free country and corruption goes clean to the core.

I guess since a 82 year old peace activist Nun is counted a terrorist, they will probably call a baby that messes his nappy...a WMD and then charge him as a terrorist for the dirty deed! It looks like the US has gone completely and utterly insane.

Lets see here, two pacifists and a nun (almost sounds like the start of a joke) are convicted of terrorism while the US government is giving money, arms and ammunition to the real terrorists. You know the ones I'm talking about, their the ones that are eating the hearts of their enemies.

Well, cutting a fence & entering a nuclear facility was just stupid, and where is it written that elderly & even elderly nuns are exempt from doing wrong/harm? Age and occupation are no defense in this criminal activity.. and it was criminal. I do not think that these folks are terrorist threats, but they did perform what we would consider a terrorist act had it been someone else.

I don't think the system is right in treating people as a one size fits all, regardless of the crime, person, age, etc., people should be treated individually and accordingly.

And also.. if a nuclear facility is this easily accessible, it makes me wonder about what is really behind area 51.. because I know of nothing that should be more guarded outside of a nuclear facility. (I realize that is off topic, but it came to mind when thinking about this whole affair).

I'm with NuclearPaul. This kind of thing is outrageous and terrible. But....we need to get this revolution started. The government showing their hand over and over is the best way to get that done.

Well could be worse. What if they were not a 82 year old nun and some old peacenicks cutting through a high security fence then spray painting graffiti on the walls and breaking out into song till they got caught at a nuclear weapons productions facility.

Now image if they were real hardcore trained terrorists, who were really out to do some damage? If some old fogies can do all that, Well I do not think our fear of them terrorists from some caves in some desert wasteland in some country across the ocean who get around by camel, horse and goat, is really not all quite that justified, or they need to get some better security. I mean I am guessing they don't just leave nuclear weapons parts and tech around were anybody can just cut through a fence and grab them? Or do they?

They should get charged with and for the damages they did and whatever penalty they have for trespassing, but the whole oh there terrorists thing, is just silly. I mean if they were terrorists out to blow things up the place, or out to get some nuclear weapons parts, I do not think they would break out into song while there infiltrating a nuclear weapons production facility. The whole thing just sounds like scapegoating to cover up the fact that nobody was watching, or to scare other hippies and the populous from doing it, however it seems that if actual terrorists wanted to get in the place. It would not be all that hard to achieve.

They probably got caught with there pants down and to escape shame and blame they bring the hammer of justice down hard on the nun and her crew. The whole thing could be some sort of blame game to cover there asses. So what else is new?

Terrorist, nuns, elderly, 5 year old girls, all the same in our "governments" eye's. none-the-less we will all be seen as "terrorists" at one point in the near future.

ok im going to go the other rout with this.

so what do yall know about there back ground? where are they from, what where there thoughts when they attempted there so called protest? did they have an ulterior motive and were using there age and religion as a cover? were they pressured in to doing this from some other organization ie terror cell with in the us? what if they were testing the waters to see how far they could go?

these are all the things i ask and need to know if the terrorist charges against them are reasonable. till then, they are the dummies who broke in, they got to pay the price for there deed.

now with that said i feel that if they were not connected with another organization, this was truly a peaceful protest and they had no other motives in the crime that they committed then maybe the government is being a little to harsh on them. oh and if they were trying to be sneaky and do something crazy, DROP THE HAMMER ON THEM!!!

just some thoughts from me

If all it takes is cutting through a fence to infiltrate this place, imagine what a real terrorist could do!

Originally posted by Malynn
I'm with NuclearPaul. This kind of thing is outrageous and terrible. But....we need to get this revolution started. The government showing their hand over and over is the best way to get that done.

I know this sounds paranoid... but I wonder if the Gov't. is actually trying to get the revolution started. I mean.. they're doing everything but inviting us to show our hand. I even imagine them in meetings asking each other, 'What's it gonna take.'

'They' irritate us daily & we talk about it, some protest but not on a huge scale. (paranoid or not) I think they are waiting for us to begin. I think many fear that the beginning is the end of what we know now and others don't want it (when it comes to them) to be all in vain.

reply to post by RobinB022


Spot on, I think, in a general sense.
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Let's not forget, we do not have a "justice system", we have a system of laws. A system of laws does not make itself inherently just.

How can one logically argue what justice is when justice just is? Jury maybe? Can't do that if testimony is stricken/suppressed.

It's kinda like a SLAPP, (strategic litigation against personal participation). Kangaroo court comes to mind.

There's a huge difference between protesting and breaking into the grounds of a nuclear weapons production facility. That is one place in particular that you do not want to mess around with. Just as you'd expect to be shot for tearing towards Area 51 at full speed in your vehicle of choice, you DO NOT mess with nuclear facilities. They're extremely secure, and for very good reason.

Sr. Megan Rice, 82, Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, and Michael Walli, 63, cut through the chain link fence surrounding the Oak Ridge Y-12 nuclear weapons production facility and trespassed onto the property. Y-12, called the Fort Knox of the nuclear weapons industry, stores hundreds of metric tons of highly enriched uranium and works on every single one of the thousands of nuclear weapons maintained by the U.S.

What these people did was extremely stupid, plain and simple. Nothing good can come to the world from violating the security of a nuclear facility.