Peace Activists Convicted, Await Sentencing

Friends Committee on National Legislation is working to influence the sentencing of three peace activists. Sister Megan Rice, 83, Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, and Michael Walli, 63, were found guilty last May of intentionally harming “the national defense of the United States,” as a result of their July 2012 security breach of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Now they could each face up to 30 years in prison – effectively a death sentence, given their age.

The prosecution sought to portray the three as terrorists and saboteurs; however, they never believed they could breach the security fence. It was only when they arrived and saw how lax security was that they decided to enter the grounds of the complex. They spray painted messages in protest of nuclear weapons and quotes from the Bible, as well as put yellow crime scene tape around a part of the facility. Those are not the actions of a terrorist or saboteur.

FCNL wrote a letter to the judge who will sentence them, U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar. We urged him to demonstrate compassion and to hand down a lenient sentence for these peaceful activists. We are not alone in our effort; concerned individuals and organizations from across the nation have written similar letters. The volume of letters Judge Thapar has received influenced him to move his sentencing from September 23, 2013 to January 28, 2014. This is working, and we urge you to help this effort by writing your own letter to Judge Thapar.

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Here is my letter:

Judge Amul R. Thapar
United States District Court
800 Market Street, Suite 130
Knoxville, TN 37902

Dear Judge Thapar:

I am writing today out of concern for Sister Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed, and Michael Walli. They were found guilty last May of intentionally harming the “national defense of the United States” because they trespassed into the Y12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I do not feel they harmed anyone, and in fact they pointed out the lax security around the nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. I believe their intention was to (eventually) stop the production of nuclear bombs, or at least bring some awareness to the hideous monsters these bombs are. The US can never use these bombs – we would be poisoning the earth for our own children and grandchildren. Further, having these bombs just takes money and resources away from more worthwhile pursuits, like protecting our environment.

I would ask you to consider leniency and compassion in this case. These three individuals were/are fighting non-violently for a better world, and I hope they are successful. They are not terrorists, and they did not hurt anyone, nor was it their intention to hurt anyone. They were trying to point out the massive evil there is in nuclear weapons. Thank you for reading this.