330 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 38 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Keep A Clean Nose - Watch The Plain Clothes

By       (Page 4 of 8 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   1 comment

Mike Palecek
Message Mike Palecek
Prior to that date I leafletted a bunch of cars down at the federal building, probably FBI vehicles and U.S. Marshal vehicles. I also leafletted down at the Cathedral - parishioners during church. We were going to be very open about what we planned - trying to force the Catholic Church to speak out about the targeting of nuclear weapons by SAC, the spending of billions on weapons rather than the poor.

Two days before the date the FBI hit Greenfields in a pre-dawn raid. They also went to Marylyn's home. She was able to lock them out while she called the media.

By the time she was taken out in handcuffs she was on TV.

Kevin and his family were not at Greenfields at the time. Ruth and I were in Norfolk visiting my mother.

Kevin remained out of sight for a few days and then re-appeared in a car driven by his wife, Laura, at the front steps of the Cathedral.

He was met at the curb by a welcoming committee of two priests: Fr. Jack McCaslin, a priest of the Omaha archdiocese, and Fr. Frank Cordaro, of the Des Moines diocese, and led up to the Cathedral past the media.

Kevin resumed his sanctuary action and eventually was arrested back on the front steps of Greenfields by several FBI agents. He went to federal court and to prison for one year.

Kevin and Marylyn challenged the FBI, the Omaha Catholic Church, the federal government, the United States military, the federal district court.

They kicked all their asses, actually, embarrassed them, stuck it to them.

They are American heroes for that, though we will never-ever read that in an American History textbook, unless we some day have a Truth Commission.

And it was all non-violent, creative, very brave.

In the 1960s the FBI was murdering Black Panthers, putting them in prison. The United States military was slaughtering millions of people in Vietnam.

There were huge demonstrations, marches, and things just kept getting worse. Nixon kept increasing the troop levels, the bombing.

What else were those people to do?

Well, also during those days the Berrigan brothers, two priests, took draft files out of a Selective Service office in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned them in the parking lot with homemade napalm. They went underground, then to prison. They did not harm anyone. They did destroy property.

In the film, one of the Weathermen mentions that for a family or a person in America at that time to just go about their normal life, getting job promotions, bringing home Dairy Queen birthday cakes, was also violence.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Mike Palecek Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Author, former peace prisoner, journalist, candidate.
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter

Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

JFK & The Unspeakable

Johnny Carson vs. Jim Garrison ... and me

Keep A Clean Nose - Watch The Plain Clothes

Part Five: The American Dream Book Tour & Protest Across the USA

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend