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Sr. Jackie Hudson, OP
writes from Victorville Federal Prison
Epistle 7
Winter 2004 - 2005
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May this New Year find you blessed in many ways! !
We
all have celebrated many special days this late winter - so I send each of you
Season's Greetings in many languages as received on a card this Christmas.
I send my gratitude for the messages too numerous to count, for my
birthday, Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas.
This has been a very deep
spiritual journey for me as well as educational. I have spoken before of the
deep peace I've experienced. Recently, I spent a few anxious days before
realizing that I was out of the NOW moment and into the future. A future made
uncertain by the refusal of the Seattle probation office to allow me to return
home to Bremerton, Washington.
Carol, Ardeth and I were sentenced to
prison time, court assessments, restitution payment and three years of
supervised release last April (2003). We have refused to pay money to this
morally bereft government which presently spends over ONE BILLION dollars a day
to slaughter or in planning the slaughter of millions of innocent persons. I am
complicit enough by claiming citizenship in this nation.
We were
convicted of sabotage/ "injury, interference and obstruction of national defense
materials and national defense premises and property". The amount of damage
claimed was never substantiated, yet we are expected to pay the amount declared
by the government. In actuality we fulfilled our civic duty and responsibility
by calling this U.S. government to accountability for its own lawlessness as the
Nuremberg Principles and our own U.S. Constitution calls for. We are not
criminals. The U.S. government officials are the ones engaging in criminal
activity.
I have been subjected to several restrictions during my
imprisonment because of refusing payment of these court ordered fees and now am
restricted from returning home. This refusal to pay will be a violation of the
terms of my supervised release which means I most likely will face a return to
prison - who knows?!?!?
There will be some of you who might say - "it's
not worth more prison time" - "let me help with this payment." I respond, by
asking that you honor the mutual decision made by the three of us not to pay
this money.
As an alternative, I would suggest that you make an offering
of time, funds or items to the peace group or charity of your choice, estimate
the dollar value and send this information (not the money) to Sue Ablao by
e-mail or regular mail - see address below. These will be tallied and offered to
the judge when taken back to court in lieu of restitution/assessment
payment.
I will also submit my time sheets, recording my slave labor
hours while imprisoned for which I was paid the grand sum of eight cents ($0.08)
per hour. Our prison system is the "legitiment slavery of the 21st century."
Enough on me...
One comment on November 2nd - What a sad commentary that
the choice of the President of the United States of America was based by many on
which candidate would be the BEST WARRIOR!! The one positive action that I heard
in the aftermath was to organize boycotts of the sponsors of the right wing
secular and religious media. This may put a dent in the apparatus and stop some
of the sound bites that infiltrate our apathetic society.
A more
long-term activity is to become aware of and lobby for the U.N. Millenium
Development Goals (MDG), signed by 189 governments in September of 2000. This
common global agenda to be achieved by 2015 is as follows:
Halve extreme
poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Empower women and
promote equality between women and men
Reduce under-5 mortality by
two-thirds
Reduce maternal mortality by three quarters
Reverse the spread
of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria
Ensure environmental
sustainability
Develop a global partnership for development, with targets for
aid trade and debt relief
To date, progress on this agenda has been
minimal. There will be an evaluation by he U.N. General Assembly in 2005.
Suggestion from the Maryknoll Office of Global oncerns: Contact the U.S. State
Department and remind them of their pledges to he MDG. U.S. Department of State,
2201 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20520 or vw.state.gov
Another
worldwide activity declared by the U.N. in 2000 is to honor the Decade of
Nonviolence and Peace on behalf of the world's children. (2000 - 2010) Let us
together demand a peace agenda, education, health care and housing for the true
inocents of the world. In this will be true security.
Risks worth taking
on - ARE WE UP TO IT?
With much love and gratitude,
Jackie
P.S. My "out date" from Victorville is Friday, March 4,
2005.
My next "epistle" will be from home, giving an update on the court's
next move.
For Alternative Restitution Payment - send your account to Sue
Ablao at:
3495 Dyes Inlet Rd NW, Bremerton WA 98312 or
sablaol@yahoo.com
IF YOU LOVE
You might quiet the whole world for a
second
if you pray.
And if you love, if you
really love,
our guns
will
wilt.
Jackie's Epistle 6 - Fall 2004
" . . . is it possible to befriend our dying and live into it, trusting that we have nothing to fear?"
Our Greatest Gift by Henri Nowen
I chose this quote to represent my dear friend friend Jackie as she prepared herself, her family and friends for her approaching death. She found it possible to befriend her dying and was gifted with a peaceful death surrounded by family, our sisters and friends. Thank you for your prayers and expressions of sympathy at the death of my friend of over 50 years,
Shortly after Jackie's death, I received word of the death if the a great peacemaker and resister, Helen Casey.
She truly inspired us with her actions, her words and her courtroom statements.
So many of us have been blessed with the presence of Jackie and Helen in our lives.
It was so encouraging to receive the reports of August actions on land and sea around the globe. There is truly a widespread call for peaceful solutions to conflicts and an end to all war. Next up is the week of actions calling for a peaceful use of space. Check this web page for more information: www.space4peace.org.
October 2nd is Adopt a Silo Day. For more information go to www.rmjc.org. My spirit is with each of you as you act for a non-nuclear future.
We have received the government attorney's response to our appeal. A three judge panel will hear oral arguments on October 1st in Denver. A decision will come at a future date.
Speaking of dates, my release date is listed as March 6, 2005. No one works in "discharge" on the weekends so I am anticipating a March 4th release. Three years of supervised released will follow a convienent way for the court to attempt to extend control beyond the guidelines for incarceration.
I am trying not to spend too much time thinking about the above right now. The present moment presents it's own demands as I struggle to deal with my own inner violence. The opportunity to grow in nonviolence presents itself daily in the person of the most abusive guard I've ever encountered. Not physical he wouldn't dare, His greeting when he was reassigned to the FPC was, " Daddy's back!" Many opportunities to practice the gospel message of love and forgiveness.
But this is all so minor when we consider Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Hati, etc, etc. and the overall effect of US empire building and domination of land, air, sea and space. I think often of the quote Frieda Berrigan used as she received the Pax Christi award in New York this last June:
"We have assumed the name peacemaker name but we have been, by and large,
unwilling to pay any significant price. And because we want peace with half a life and half a heart and will, the war will, of course, continues because the waging of war, by it's very nature, is total but the waging of peace, by our own cowardice, os partial . . . We cry peace and we cry peace but there is not peace. The is no peace because the cost of making peace is at least as costly as making war, at least as exigent, at least as disruptive, at least as liable to bring disgrace, prison and death in it's wake.
No Bars to Manhood Daniel Berrigan SJ
In fewer words, if you want to be truly Christian, a follower of Christ, " you had better look good on wood" (a quote I heard from Phil Berrigan.) To what degree are we willing to place ourselves in Harms way to achieve peace? What next step are we willing to take as violence surrounds us on so many fronts?
Violence presents it's self right outside our fence. The former housing area and airstrip at Georges Air Force base is being used for "urban environment" training. . .preparing the troops before sending them to Iraq.
KPFK, an independent Pacifica Radio station out of Los Angeles, is my main source of news. They recently ran an 8 week series on prisons. I recommend the web page: www.criticalresistance.org. The seventh in the series debunked the myth of surrounding the need for prisons. The prison system is beyond reforming. The soul of our nation demands the abolishment of this primitive enslavement of our citizens.
Recent statistics:
Incarceration rates: 1950 Russia under Stalin 1,423 per 100,000 population
2004 US under George Bush 2,298 per 100,000 population
Increase in US prison guards 2000 270,000 2004 476,000
Billions of dollars continue to pour into this evil system as homelessness, insufficient health care and education continue to wreak havoc on the multitudes. The website mentioned will put you in touch with the National Organization of Crirical Resistance. Their goal is the abolition of prisons.
On a lighter note, my exposure to life's offerings have expanded due to incarceration. Michigan jails introduced me to Fruit Loops and now Victorville has added Coco Puffs! Both provide an occasional "sugar snack."
I take this opportunity again to express my gratitude for so many thoughtful acts on your part. My sister-in-law Evelyn, has completed her chemo and and begins intensive radiation treatment now. To date she has suffered no severe reactions to the treatment. We are all extremely grateful.
Financial support continues so that Sue Ablao can care for my temporal needs as well as mailing these epistles. If you wish to receive these by e-mail contact Sue at sablao1@yahoo.com or contact Sue at 3495 Dyes Inlet, Bremerton, WA 98312 .For donations to the appeal fund contact Bill Sulzman at PO Box 915, Colorado Springs CO 80901.
There is so much to challenge our complacency these days. May we all use energies toward achieving a more loving world.
Always grateful, I promise my prayers and good wishes to each of you. MAY THE NONVIOLENT REVOLUTION COME!
Love,
Jackie
Jackie's address is:
Jackie Hudson #08808-039
FPC Victorville
PO Box 5100
Adelanto, CA 92301
May 2004
Jackie Hudson's Epistle Five From Victorville
My apologies for being so tardy in writing but I am now a "working woman ." I began reporting to the library for afternoon duty in March. It cuts into my day terribly!!
Warm/hot days and cool evenings have begun. We celebrate springtime and new life. Easter preceded by Holy Week brought days of wonderful ritual. I thank those of you who carried me on your Good Friday Via Crucis. You all were in my heart as I walked the compound that day. My prayers were at varies spots where Jesus is daily crucified on these premises the warehousing of bodies in the various housing units, the criminal lack of medical care both in and outside the clinic, the dehumanizing "power over" by those in administration, lack of nutritional food in the cafeteria, etc, etc. Other Good Fridays of life the death of Bishop Ken Utner, friends and family dealing with cancer, new arrivals at prisons around the globe…
But always after good Friday comes Resurrection the new life of Amos Philip (born to Molly and Jerry Mechtenberg Berrigan), the release of Mordici Vannunu, Mother's Day actions at the Bangor, Washington Trident Submarine Base and the Elf site in Wisconsin, other actions around the nation and the world calling for the end of the occupation of Iraq, just solutions in Palestine and Afghanistan as well as other "hot spots" around the world, women heading home after months and years of incarceration, wonderful weekend visits, the return of the hummingbirds….
An update on Frieda (80 years old) She has been assigned to AM Food Service by the camp administrator, not by the person in charge of work assignments. When the women converged on him for an explanation he said he had "nothing to do with it", picked up his briefcase, and headed out. So goes life in the gulag.
Speaking of gulag a friend received an article on the Russian gulags of the 50's and 60's. It showed an aerial view of the complex. It looked remarkably similar to the isolated desert setting of Victorville. In Russia as here, prisoners did all the manual labor and worked for the government. So many similarities and yet we hear little condemnation of the US version. Instead we hear of "coddling" of prisoners from folks who have never experienced the system. The latest figures show that 701 of every 100,000 US citizens are currently in prisons.
The news is filled with the inhumane treatment of Iraqi prisoners. Truly an atrocity. Folks in this country refuse to acknowledge that this is commonplace in our own jails and prisons. Prisoners are considered "property of the US Government" literally! Disrespect, dehumanization, humiliation are all part of the prison process. The horrible brutalization suffered by our "war on terrorism" prisoners is not commonplace here at Victorville.
This is a minimum-security facility. There are no bars or barbed wire to keep us here rather it is the 3-5 years for escape that keeps us in place. After a visit, we are routinely stripped searched, forced to squat and cough, open our mouths, wag our tongues, showing nostrils and ears, bowing heads while running our fingers thru our hair. It is supposed to be random but is used for punishment also. So many of our military police and "contractors" rotate from or back into the US prison/jail environment so why should we be should we be surprised. This seems to be acceptable behavior within each system. Prisoners, wherever they are, are property, not human beings, all the more so if they are "different". …And we continue to ask, "Why do they hate us so?" When will we wake up!!
It is encouraging that the mainstream media has picked up the atrocities being perpetuated in our name. Now it is up to us to demand change.
Our case has now reached the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, CO. Our dedicated attorneys have narrowed the appeal to three issues:
1. The trail court's definition of "national defense" and "national defense materials" was unconstitutionally broad and vague.
2. The record is devoid of evidence establishing the requisite specific intent to commit the crime of sabotage (which, in fact, the judge and the prosecutor both repeated said they were not charged with!! sa)
3. A "good faith" defense should have been part of the jury instructions.
No date has yet been set for a hearing and I expect the decision will not affect us personally but anticipate that it will provide material for similar actions in the future. Blessings and many thanks to Anabel, Susan, Scott, Walter and Cliff for all your labors on our behalf.
In reply to your offers of support financial help for mailings, telephone and basic needs can be sent to Sue Ablao, 3495 Dyes Inlet Rd. NW, Bremerton, WA 98312. Sue sees that my monthly needs are covered. Occasionally a piece of stationary, blank card or stamp slips in unnoticed but they are not allowed.
Our letters are now being posted on the web: www.jonahhouse.org. and www.gzcenter.org. Another great site with information on weapons in space is www.space4peace.org .
Some items of interest:
"Excluding civilian and military retirement, veterans benefits, medical care and environmental clean up cost, the US Federal debt approximately $7 TRILLION. That's $24,000 annually for every man woman and child in the US! David Walker, Comptroller General of the US April 4, 2004
"The US military is present in 120 of the 191 recognized countries in the world. Testimony given before the Armed Services Committee, May 4, 2004
"Estimated 1998 spending on all US weapons and weapons related programs was $35 BILLION, 1 Million. US Weapons Cost Study Project.
"Vaccinations for 10 Million children world wide would be $310 Million. This equals the cost of 6 Trident II Missiles. Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action.
"On a different note: An adult male panda does an average of 8 handstands daily! Harpers Index
I am extremely grateful to each of you for your continued love, support and prayers. The inner peace I continue to experience is miraculous, truly a gift. These experiences have brought me to a deeper realization of living in the moment. The past is gone, the future is yet to come we have only this moment and this moment makes life possible. In carrying the Burden of Knowledge, may we each find ourselves doing our best to provide a world that all can live in as one people, relishing the new life each moment affords.
My love to all,
Jackie
PATRIOTISM IS THE LAST REFUGE OF THE SCROUNDEL Samuel Johnson
January 19, 2004
Sue forwarded this petition for the release of Jackie, Carol and Ardeth:
PETITION TO RELEASE FROM PRISON SISTERS ARDETH PLATTE, CAROL GILBERT AND JACKIE HUDSON
Dear President Bush:
We the undersigned request the immediate pardon and release of three Grand Rapids Dominican nuns currently serving time in Federal Prisons. Sr.Ardeth Platte,OP, 10857-039, age 67, is serving a 41 month sentence at FCI Danbury CT, Sr.Carol Gilbert, OP, 10856-039, age 56, is serving a 33 month sentence at RI FPC Alderson WV and Sr.Jacqueline Hudson, OP, 08808-039, age 69 is serving a 30 month sentence at FPC Victorville CA. including 3 years of supervised release Their "crime": non-violently and symbolically exposing and inspecting a first strike 330 kiloton (20x Hiroshima) Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. They found this weapon of mass extermination on high-alert, ready to be unleashed within 15 minutes of your order in Greeley, Colorado.
We know that you are aware that because of its vast and uncontrollable heat, blast and radiation, any use of even one Minuteman III would be a grotesque war crime or genocide. As you know too, any such threat or use of a Minuteman III missile is universally illegal and criminal because it is a threat against all humanity. We trust that you also agree that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty requires all countries to pursue open, non-violent declaration, inspection and disarmament one weapon at a time in order to effectively end highly dangerous nuclear proliferation.
The Nuns pointed out these facts and law asserting that as citizens in a free society we have a basic right to non-violently or symbolically expose threat or commission of war crimes by our own government. Instead of being honored or dismissed, the Nuns were charged with two felonies sabotage and depredation of property over $1000 for lowering 32 feet of fence (worth $200) and placing crosses on the 120 ton missile cover, which did no harm of any kind. They were convicted because of an absurdly unfair criminal trial in which they were prevented from raising any defense evidence about the constitutional limits to your war powers, the laws of war which positively prohibit any threat or use of a weapon of mass extermination or the grim realities of the Minuteman III all directly relevant to elements of the crimes charged. The case is legally ripe for appeal.
You can eliminate the need for further litigation in this matter by ordering the pardon and release of these religious women who have spent their lives in the pursuit of justice and peace and in educating people about the moral and legal obligation for complete non-violent nuclear disarmament. It should be noted that these women are highly respected both in this country and abroad. On October 12, 2003 they received the NUCLEAR-FREE FUTURE AWARD from Munich, Germany. Releasing the Nuns now is the just and humanitarian thing to do.
Thank you.
Go to this web site to view other signers names and to sign yourself:
Sign the Petition
November 2, 2003
Friends,
Jackie asked that I send this letter out to family and friends as soon as possible. I was able to visit her 3 weeks ago. She looked well and we pretty much talked nonstop for two days. It was wonderful to have a "face to face with her... with no glass between us :o) She has also gotten a visit from her longtime friend,Jackie Bennett. S. Carmel Crimmins was going to visit last week but the fires in So. California prevented that.
If any one would like to send a donation to Jackie's support fund, you can send a check made out to me, Sue Ablao and send it to our home at 3495 Dyes Inlet NW, Bremerton, WA 98312. Jackie's birthday is November 19. Her second birthday in jail/prison.
Thank you all for your support.
Peace, Sue
October 15, 2003
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Victorville!! Many thanks for your wonderful letters of love and support. I have not done too well keeping up with my end of the correspondence.
Thanks to those who have sent your e-mail address to Sue Ablao at sablao1@yahoo.com so that my limited budget allows me to keep you updated.
I am adjusting slowly but surely to desert living. Mornings and evenings are very comfortable but as afternoon wears on it is very hot. I have seen so many beautiful sunsets, in fact last nights was spectacular. I have never been so fortunate to witness daily sunsets nor the moon cycles. Mars is still very visible but moving farther and farther away. There are two hummingbirds that dash from flowering bush to flowering tree making me grateful for God's creation.
This prison is located on the former George Air Force Base. We are living on top of a toxic dump so I have been purchasing some of my drinking water. Local water is used for cooking and bathing however. The water has been cleared for industrial use - whatever that means!
It is amazing how many, who have written, know exactly where Victorville is. Guess there are not too many towns in the desert between L.A. and Las Vegas. It stands out as an oasis. The seven prisons in the area no doubt helped increase the population from 40,000 in 1990 to 72,000 in 2000. I'm sure the residents see us as their job security.
We are blessed with an excellent, though long winded Catholic Chaplain. He is truly a human being in his contact with us. There are approximately 25 women who regularly attend Sunday evening mass.
I have experienced my first "Team Meeting" with two case managers and my counselor. This initial meeting is a chance to ask any questions and according to the BOP policy book and opportunity to receive "assistance" in setting up a schedule of classes and a payment plan to cover the court assessment ($200.00) and restitution ordered by the court.
The meeting began with my counselor telling me that I would pay $25.00 per month toward my court assessment and restitution -sign here to OK the withdrawal! Needless to say, I refused -SO -I am now on "Refusal Status". Consequences have to do with my housing assignment, future furlough and half-way house assignment. These present no problem, but limited commissary spending may pinch a bit. The women have been wonderful in making arrangements to cover my needs so I'm not too concerned at this point.
The three of us have been ordered to pay $3,080.04 in restitution to the government for damages (escalated by the Air Force) at the missile site. It is impossible for any of us to pay one penny to a government which would destiit for the "kill chain."
The Team then told me to take a "Victim Impact Class". I laughed at the thought of this government being a "victim" of our action.
At present I have no assigned job though the camp administrator told me that "this is a work camp". The majority of the women here have been transferred from Dublin, CA and Phoenix, AZ to assure that the maximum security prison for 2,000 men will be ready to open by March 2004. It has been truly slave labor -pick axes to loosen desert terrain so that landscaping can be done -raking manure so that grass can be planted for soccer and baseball fields -raking rocks -painting cells -lugging matresses, etc. etc.
Unicor (a nation-wide prison industry) has been building humvees and army trailers. These are the highest paying jobs so there is a waiting list for employment. Basically, there are too many women for the jobs available here so many women are not being paid the normal wage of twelve cents an hour.
Health care in the facility is horrendous. The Physician Assistant in charge told me that this is not a place to become ill. She tries desperately to keep up but runs into many brick walls with the administration.The most difficult part of being here is listening to the tragic stories of so many women. Many who had such trust in the court system that they refused to plead guilty to false charges and went to trial where they experienced severe sentencing for con- spiracy charges which are nearly impossible to defend yourself against.
Actually, there is not one woman here that you would hesitate to invite into your home. If we were not all "in green" it would look like any gathering of women in "Anywhere USA". Imprisoning vast numbers of our population is big business and I fear, part of empire building!
A recent issue (I believe-October) of Sojourners magazine has two excellent articles:
Dangerous Religion George W. Bush's theology of empire. by Jim Wallis and
The Project for a New American Empire by Duane Shank. If you cannot buy the magazine, check it out on the internet. An other interesting web site to check out is: Project for a New American Century this should be able to be located on a "google search". We acted in Colorado twice, specifically because it is the home of the "kill chain".
The Air Force Space Command just celebrated its 21st anniversary. The following is an excerpt from a speech given at Peterson AFB on September 22,2003 by General Lance L
