Frank Munger: Letter writers weigh in on Y-12 protesters' punishment

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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jul/10/frank-munger-letter-writers-weigh-in-on-y-12/

Frank Munger: Letter writers weigh in on Y-12 protesters' punishment

By Frank Munger
Posted July 10, 2013 at 3 a.m.

Supporters rally at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Federal Courthouse on Wednesday after Transform Now Plowshares members Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed were found guilty of breaking into and damaging property at the Y-12 nuclear security complex in July.

There’s another little drama taking place in the run-up to September’s sentencing date for the three peace activists who were convicted on two felony charges for the July 28, 2012, break-in at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.

Letters asking Judge Amul R. Thapar to be lenient in the sentencing of Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed have been placed in court files at U.S. District Court in Knoxville and taken under advisement by Thapar. Rice, Walli and Boertje-Obed — known collectively as the Transform Now Plowshares —are being held at a detention center in Georgia.

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In a June 28 letter, Buddy Bell of Covington, Ky., wrote to Thapar:

“I respectfully urge you to diverge from the sentencing guidelines by issuing a lighter sentence for these three defendants.

“The action taken by these three, for which they are accountable, was at all times peaceful. None of the three had the intention of harming anyone, as was suggested by the prosecution when it argued for a designation of terrorism. In reality, these three sincerely intended to make the world safer.”

Three dozen members of St. James Episcopal Church in Pullman, Wash., signed a May 21 letter that also urged Judge Thapar to consider the peaceful nature of the three. The church group said they felt that part of the spiritual calling a Christian may feel is to protest “our nation’s enormous stockpile of nuclear weapons.”

The letter states:

“It’s true that Sister Rice, Mr. Boertje-Obed and Mr. Walli trespassed on government property. They also did a token amount of damage by cutting through fencing and writing on a piece of government property. But, as we understand it, a normal sentencing range for their actions would be up to one year in prison — and that’s a maximum.

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1. If you want to send a letter or postcard to the judge,

instructions are here: http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/transform-now-plowhares-needs-your-help/