May 2004

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