What citizens need to know about KC nuclear bomb plant
Administrative Building for the Kansas City National Security Campus, where 80% of the electronic and mechanical parts for US nuclear weapons are made or procured--Photo by Brian Terrell
By Mary Hladky
Kansas City, Missouri, is literally at the center of the 2lst century new nuclear arms race.
Brian Terrell and Bennette Dibben put “crime scene–do not cross” tape on the National Security Campus entry sign.–Photo by Theo Kayser
Kansas City MO is home to one of the 8 major sites that make U.S. nuclear weapons. The site has an innocuous name, the Kansas City National Security Campus (NSC), located at 14520 Botts Road, where it produces or procures over 80% of the parts to build the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Honeywell runs the NSC facility. Very few people living in and around Kansas City know it exists, let alone know what it produces. Activists against nuclear weapons more accurately refer to it as the Kansas City nuclear bomb plant. This plant is a vital link in the production of nuclear weapons. And for this reason, the plant could be a target in an enemy attack.
The National Nuclear Security Administration plans to spend $2 trillion dollars over the next 20 years to make new nuclear weapons and their delivery system – aircraft, ICBMs and submarines.
Spending trillions of dollars on nuclear weapons, weapons that destroy all life, is a choice. The U.S. government and its elected officials have chosen to enrich wildly profitable military contractors by spending outrageous sums of money on weapons that can never be used if we expect to continue to live on this planet. The military bonanza hurts all U.S. citizens. Americans deserve better. Americans deserve affordable housing, affordable medical care, a livable wage, good schools, roads, bridges, allowing no one to go hungry in the richest country in the world.
The KC nuclear bomb parts plant will double in size over the next few years to handle this increased production. Adding insult to injury, state legislators, with bipartisan support, are set to pass legislation that will provide a state sales tax exemption on the cost of all materials needed to double the size of the current nuclear bomb plant. This huge windfall to Honeywell/NSC is a cost all Missourians will absorb!
Photo by Peter Metz during 4/15/24 resistance
Instead of wasting the intelligence, skills and talents of those employed by Honeywell at the NSC, those employees’ talents could be used to address the climate crisis, the other existential threat facing the world.
We all live on this planet together. We are not each other’s enemies. It is in deciding to come together that we can address the nuclear and climate threats so life continues on this planet.
With all that said, the Kansas City National Security Campus is one crazy notion of national security.
Come learn about the oppression of the Palestinian people by Israel on Sunday, April 28th, at the Waldo Public Library, 201 E 75th St. KCMO, 2-5 pm. The program will address the humiliation and cruelty of apartheid in other decades and countries, including South Africa.
PeaceWorks KC is excited to be co-sponsoring this important program with Al-Hadaf KC, Jewish Voices for Peace KC, and Citizens for Justice in the Middle East. We are delighted that Amnesty International KC Chapter is hosting this program.
Please join us for this important event!
50 resist nuclear bomb production in KC; 10 arrested
Ann Suellentrop, left, and Steve Jacobs monitor proceedings as protesters in yellow vests put "Crime Scene" tape on a dump truck used to prepare a field for building a huge addition to the bomb factory in KC, MO.--Photos by Jim Hannah
By Jane Stoever
Barbara Kass, left, watches as her husband, Mike Miles, is handcuffed. They and five others crossed the property line at the National Security Campus to protest the making of nuclear weapon parts there, in KC, MO.
With workers streaming into the Kansas City Nuclear Security Campus (NSC)—not a campus but a giant factory making parts for nuclear weapons—50 Catholic Workers and friends took action to try to stop production of nuclear weapon parts at the NSC. And—oh, yes—we protested the building of new structures to make the so-called campus twice its size.
Three persons put “crime scene—do not enter” tape on a huge dump truck on the field the NSC needs flattened for the new building to make new nukes. Workmen told us, “We’re just moving dirt,” an amazing disconnect between their labor and the factory to come that will do mechanical/electronic work for US nuclear bombs.
Lindsey Myers, left, leads a chant; Mary O’Connell, seated, calls for us to stop paying for war–the right message for tax day.
Two persons—Brian Terrell of Maloy, Iowa, and Bennette Dibben of PeaceWorks KC—put the same “crime scene” tape on the hulking sign at the NSC entry road. Brian and six others crossed the purple line indicating the NSC property line and stayed there under arrest. Our presence and commotion led the guards to place waist-high concrete highway dividers across the main entry road and sent employees to a further entry. Brian later said, “We stopped the workers from getting to the plant as usual!”
All 10 persons were driven hand-cuffed to a police office for fingerprinting, picture-taking, and release. No bond was demanded—no fee had to be paid to get out of the police station. The arraignment for most of the line-crossers will be June 3, 1:30 pm, in the KC, MO, Municipal Court.
Later, resisters and supporters met at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker in KC MO for a feast. They soon retrieved their belongings from the nearby Jerusalem Farm, where most had settled for the April 12-15 Midwest Catholic Worker Faith and Resistance Retreat.
Overheard after the resistance:
Kathy Kelly of St. Charles, IL, explains the little-known work of the Kansas City National Security Campus.
—“Some of the drivers headed for the plant parking lot gave us a thumbs-up,” said Barbara Kass of Anathoth Community, a Catholic Worker farm near Luck, WI. “With the news about Iran and Israel this weekend, everyone is nervous. All are on alert.” Barbara spoke with the woman officer who drove her and others to the police station. The woman said, “I’ve lived in Kansas City my whole life and didn’t know this was there”—the nuclear weapon factory. Kansas Citians on the retreat said many local people do not have a clue what NSC does.
—Mike Miles, husband of Barbara Kass, said he liked doing the resistance at about 7:30 am as workers were arriving. Often PeaceWorks KC has held actions at the NSC entry road on Memorial Day or a weekend. For the future, Mike advised, “Go there when people are there!” Mike got to talk with one man walking toward the plant. Mike asked, “You work here?” The man replied, “Well, for now.” Maybe he’s re-evaluating his work at the nuclear weapon plant?
—“It was important that we held signs on the road some ways from the entry road,” said one supporter, feeling that it helped give drivers notice of our reason for descending on the area. Sarah Cool of Atlanta, GA, said it would be wise once a month or so to have a few folks hang out with peace signs near the entrance, on the public right-of-way, where people if they wished could converse with us.
Protesters tell Honeywell, operator of the National Security Campus, to stop escalating nuclear war; others explain the resisters are upholding the law.
—“Jane, watch out who you hang around with,” Scot Bol of Duluth, MN, said to me about Greg Boertje-Obed. “He’s a terrorist!” This comment came after Scot, Greg, and I had succeeded in taping up an earthmover and were relaxing after release at the police station. One officer had noted that their files identify Greg as a terrorist. Well, Greg has done some Plowshare actions where government property was damaged. Scot took issue with the terrorist brand, saying, “Greg is the gentlest man I know.” Greg and his wife, Michelle, founded the Duluth, MN, Hildegard Catholic Worker House.
Millie Fried is on duty with her sign.
Brian Terrell, of the Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker House in Maloy, IA, said he saw progress in our KC experiences since 2010 with the guards, the police, and the courts. In the October 2023 trial of Ann Suellentrop, of the boards of Physicians for Social Responsibility and PeaceWorks, after the defense had rested its case, the prosecutor asked the judge to add the name Honeywell to the citation from the police. The judge, who had already heard the case, refused that request and declared Ann not guilty. “You are free to go!” the judge told Ann—meaning no sentence of community service, no court fine, no probation. Just free.
Bennette Dibben, left, drums as she and Debora Demeter, both PeaceWorks activists, share a light-hearted moment on the protest line.
At this year’s April 15 event, Brian overheard a guard telling the police, in their citation, to refer to our resistance as occurring on the NNSA site (National Nuclear Security Administration site) instead of only identifying Honeywell. In other words, Honeywell simply operates the factory for NNSA. Brian underlined the national aspect of our KC efforts. Thanks, Brian!
Among the Catholic Worker families attending the retreat and resistance were Paul and Sara Freid and two of their daughters, Millie and Louise. During the April 13 evening talent show, Millie, 11, played her ukelele and sang “I’ll Fly Away.” At the police station April 15, while some of the early civil resisters were waiting to be allowed to leave the station, Paul Freid and another line-crosser arrived for processing. Recalling Millie’s rendition two days earlier, the resisters sang (softly) “I’ll Fly Away.” Indeed, there was a sense of jubilant flying away after the two-part resistance.
For the record: Besides the civil resisters named in this story (Brian, Barbara, Mike, Paul, Scot, Greg, and myself), the others to be arraigned are Tom Fox (former National Catholic Reporter editor and publisher), Eric Garbison (of Cherith Brook Catholic Worker), and Al Zook (of Luck, WI).
"No more war crimes on my dime!" sings the Watermelon Band (from left), Tommee, Patty, and Barry.--Photos by Jim Hannah
By Kristin Scheer
Some 50 persons gathered March 24 to hear about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the heroic work that PAMA (Palestinian American Medical Association) is doing to get support into Gaza. The gathering, sponsored by PeaceWorks KC and held at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in KC MO, helped raise much-needed funding for PAMA. The Watermelon Band entertained us with an accordion, a washboard, and a maraca. They sang, “Free Palestine Now! No ammunition! Schools and education!” and “No more war crimes on my dime!”
Ann Suellentrop spoke of her recent pilgrimage to Japan, where she met survivors of the 1945 bombings and they vowed to work together to end nuclear weapons. She also announced a protest at the KC National Security Campus on Monday, April 15, to resist nuclear weapons. Eighty percent of the parts to build those dangerous weapons are manufactured and procured here. The resistance will kick off with a weekend of free events leading up to the protest. Get information about and register for the events at https://www.jerusalemfarm.org/ —click on “Catholic Worker Faith & Resistance Retreat KC MO.”
Ann Suellentrop salutes during one of the MO Peace skits.
During the fundraiser, the street theater group MO Peace performed two theater pieces. Ann introduced herself as Tammy Tik Tik, CNNN media influencer, and introduced Tommy was US Sen.Josh Hawley–“Boo!” said the audience. With humor and wit, MO Peace took the opportunity to say, “Most of the world is appalled that you are paying Israel billions of dollars to blockade medical supplies and carpet-bomb cities packed with children. … Even in the face of incessant mass media propaganda, most actual human beings want to stop the mass shootings and bombings that are being done every day by Israel and paid for by the US.”
“We have to stop the bleeding,” says Fatima Mohammadi.
Fatima Mohammadi of Al-Hadaf KC, which works to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians through direct aid and education, spoke in support of Palestinians and all oppressed people. “Our struggles are united,” she said. “Structured systems are designed to oppress us. We are the heroes!” PAMA is doing work that other organizations have not been able to do, said Fatima. “They are getting doctors and medicine into Gaza.” She said those doctors are testifying that this is the worst humanitarian crisis they have ever seen. Those doctors have been to Sudan, Haiti, and Ukraine. They have seen wars, famine, earthquakes, and more, but they have never seen anything like this.
“How can we allow this to continue?” Fatima asked. “170 days into this genocide, the atrocities are numerous and horrifying. Thousands of children have been orphaned, thousands have been hospitalized or martyred. We have to stop the bleeding. The need is dire!” The March 31 New York Times said Gaza health authorities report 32,000 persons killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, and warned that famine is spreading.
Funds were raised at the March 24 event. In cash and checks we counted $942, and more was raised electronically. Anecdotally, we know of at least $100 donated through the website. Thus, during this fundraiser, KC contributed more than $1000 to alleviate suffering and resist violence against the innocents of Gaza. Thank you! If you did not get the opportunity to join us and want to help, please donate at https://palestinian-ama.org/.
Hailey of MO Peace encourages donations to save Gaza.
We are excited to announce the 2024 PeaceWorks KC Local Art Fair. This year’s fair will be on Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 10 am – 5 pm, September 21 and 22. Artists can start setting up as early as Friday. The Fair will be in Theis Park again, and we look forward to good weather!
PeaceWorks KC is committed to inclusion – communities of color, persons of all genders, LGBTQIA, genderqueer, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The deadline for application is August 30. Artists can apply here–please share this link with all your favorite local artists.
Tom Fox, right, crosses the property line at the National Security Campus operated by Honeywell. Kim Hoa Fox (in center) and Jane Stoever follow Tom.--Photos by Bennette Dibben on Memorial Day, 2022
By Kristin Scheer
Kristin Scheer kneels during the 2022 Memorial Day protest near the Honeywell plant opened in 2014 in KC MO. She reads the name of a person who died from toxins at Bannister Federal Complex, home to the former nuclear weapon parts plant.
An ad in The Kansas City Star and on National Public Radio asks us to celebrate 75 years of the Honeywell facility in KC, now called the National Security Campus. They boast the making of nuclear weapons parts, and I am not celebrating. I am concerned at the growing arsenal of nuclear weapons, which—if we ever dare use them—will signal the end of life as we know it on planet Earth.
Honeywell plans to double its footprint in South KC in the coming years (see https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2023/11/07/nnsa-honeywell-office-manufacturing-campus-nuclear.html). Just like guns in the street, the more we have, the more we invest, the more somebody profits, the more the temptation to use them grows. Already they boast of tactical nukes that could be used on a smaller scale. Make no mistake. As soon as we push that button another nuclear-armed nation will feel emboldened to launch theirs and the dangers of our nuclear arms race will be realized.
On this increasingly volatile world stage, we already face combustible circumstances that could, through miscommunication, accident, or malicious intent, kick off the beginning of a hellacious existence that I have no interest in surviving. The Hibakusha of Japan have nightmarish stories to tell of the hell they survived in 1945—a legacy of survival scars that endure to this day.
I am concerned about the employees of the old Bendix corporation and surrounding businesses (before the move to Botts Road) that were not told of the toxic dangers of the materials they were handling and breathing, the cancers and tumors and mysterious illnesses that cost lives and well-being. I am concerned about the current employees. What are they being exposed to? What are they not being told? There is no transparency to alleve my concerns. Documents are not shared. We have asked. We still do not know.
I am concerned about the toxic underground plumes that may still exist at the old site, a deadly concoction of toxic chemicals that make habitation and use of that part of our city dangerous today and for future generations.
I am concerned about the nuclear waste being collected in other parts of our nation. Collection and storage and clean-up of past mistakes are never given the resources needed to adequately protect the planet and local populations.
I am concerned about the Indigenous communities and other downwinders exposed to dangerous uranium dust and other toxic fall-out and are still not adequately compensated or protected or even considered by this dangerous business. Our nuclear arsenal sucks resources needed to provide health care, housing, education, and social services to our children, our veterans, and our senior citizens, resources needed to restructure our society for resilience and for mitigating the dangers of cataclysmic climate change, changes that our scientists tell us must happen NOW to truly secure our nation.
I am concerned about the lie that is being told in our newspapers and on our radio waves that we should somehow feel safer that they are doing something out there at that “National Security Campus” that somehow benefits our collective well-being. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I am not celebrating. Instead, I urge Kansas City to reconsider the atrocity that is Honeywell. It is not protecting but stealing our well-being, our security, our wealth, and our health.
Kristin Scheer leads the Communications Team for PeaceWorks KC and is an ardent environmentalist. (c) 2024, Kristin Scheer, Bennette Dibben, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
Annual Meeting: love, peace, standing together, the nonviolent way
Maha, at the microphone, speaks of the war in Gaza while Layla stands near; both are Al-Hadaf KC leaders.
By Mary Hladky
Tommy (as Sen. Josh Hawley) and Hailey (as a CNNN reporter) spice up our PeaceWorks meeting with their skit, written by Tommy.
Inspirational and informative—that was the PeaceWorks Kansas City Annual Meeting, held Sunday, March 3, 2024. The day’s events started with a short MO Peace play demanding a Gaza ceasefire–with everyone at our meeting chanting, “Free Palestine, Free Palestine!” For fun, see the skit at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCr0n2MWFkM; the statement, “Thank Gawd Almighty, we have the atom bomb factory!” stirred us up.
Moment of Silence for those lost in the Palestine/Israeli conflict. Jim Hannah spoke about the paradox of a moment of silence for highly motivated activists who are always speaking out. He reminded us of the power of silence, the importance of listening in silence, and that silence is the presence of deep meaning. He welcomed us into a few moments of active silence, listening with heart and mind, together generating what some recognize as A Force More Powerful than tyrants and tyrannies. (See the second half of the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-cvC4T03qo.) As we observed silence, we heard windchimes outside—a gift from the wind, captured in the video.
Indigenous Statement (abbreviated here) by Breanna Crawford: Osiyo (oh-see-yo), my name is Bre. I am a Dakota/Cherokee woman. When asked to reflect on my ancestors, and injustices against them, and that these lands are Indigenous—I want to be honest, it’s hard. It is important to remember where we came from and who we are. Understanding history and all of its pain—we must learn from history! We must see the truth for all that it is. Which is not easy. I believe that my ancestors have always wanted what was best for humanity and this Earth as a whole—to respect all that the Creator has given, to not take any of it for granted. When you leave today’s event, take time for yourself. Go outside and be one with the Earth, and thank her for supporting your existence. (Listen to the full statement at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-cvC4T03qo.)
Guest Speaker. Dave Pack introduced Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action, a national organization with which PeaceWorks has been affiliated for 28 years. Kevin, via Zoom, thanked PeaceWorks for its decades of peace activism, given the many challenges we face in building a more peaceful world.
Kevin Martin calls for contacts with senators to seek an expanded RECA (Radiation Exposure Compensation Act).
Kevin said peace activists have had some recent successes. First, the continuous resistance to the war in Gaza has forced the hand of the Biden Administration to implement a 6-week ceasefire. This is not sufficient, there must be a complete ceasefire, but this step wouldn’t have happened at all without the people’s pressure. Second, activist pressure ended Saudi Arabia’s support for the war in Yemen by convincing Saudi Arabia it couldn’t count on the US government’s continued support due to intense activist pressure.
Kevin stated Sen. Josh Hawley will introduce an expanded/extended RECA (the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act) this week. The RECA (reauthorized) would provide compensation to people exposed to radiation in the development and testing of nuclear weapons, including downwinders in states not covered in the former RECA. The reauthorized RECA could benefit many people living in Missouri and Kansas.
Finances. Dave Pack, PeaceWorks’ treasurer, provided a financial update, letting us know that 5 years of a struggling Art Fair (Covid 3 years, and 2 art fairs with stormy weather) have depleted our finances. We rely on our membership and the Art Fair fundraiser to make ends meet. So … we hope for better art fair weather this year and ask those who can, to please financially support PeaceWorks KC. See https://peaceworkskc.org/donate/.
Back from the Brink. Dave told us about the Back from the Brink campaign and its 5-point mission to eliminate nuclear weapons. This national campaign is supporting H.Res. 77, “Embracing the Goals and Provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” The flags in the photos represent the 70 countries that have ratified the “ban treaty.” PeaceWorks plans to work with the city councils of KCMO, KCKS, Independence, and Overland Park to try to get the Back from the Brink resolution passed locally. Please email Dave at djpack.12645@gmail.com if you would like to help.
Catholic Worker Retreat & Resistance 4/12-15. Jane and Henry Stoever spoke about this upcoming weekend event. Henry began with “love is an active force,” and this Catholic Worker retreat is a discernment of what type of action should be taken on Monday, April 15, at the KCMO nuclear weapon plant. The weekend begins on Friday evening, April 12, with the 8 pm film “Downwind” at Jerusalem Farm, 520 Garfield, KCMO. Everyone is invited to participate in this retreat of fellowship, prayer and discernment. There is no charge; there is a simple request to bring desserts Saturday/Sunday. For info and registration, go to www.JerusalemFarm.org.
Eyyup Esen, left, and Jim Hannah display the Bebb Award Eyyup has just received from PeaceWorks KC.
Bebb Award. Jim Hannah introduced Eyyup Esen of the Dialogue Institute as this year’s winner of the Charles E. Bebb Peace Merit Award. Eyyup Esen was born and raised in Turkey. He is an outstanding individual who is pioneering a cause so similar to PeaceWorks that we could easily tack their mission statement onto ours. The Dialogue Institute has a major focus on fostering community. The Dialogue Institute grew out of the need to address the question, “How can citizens of the world live in peace and harmony?” Eyyup has organized a variety of Kansas City area events to promote peace, and he is dedicated to the deep desire expressed in his first book, the Global Warming of Hearts. View Eyyup Esen’s award acceptance speech at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmWF4wKfhWY.
Cheatum Award. Kimmy Igla introduced Layla and Maha, representing Al-Hadaf KC, recipients of the Kris and Lynn Cheatum Community Peace Award. Kimmy said she was not told about Palestine growing up. As an adult, she said, she has educated herself about Palestine’s history and is grateful for the spiritual and emotional generosity of community leaders with Al-Hadaf. In late October, there was an interfaith vigil at City Hall, organized by Al-Hadaf. People prayed outside on the steps of City Hall and shared the truth with the public, mobilizing people to act. The leaders at Al-Hadaf KC deserve to be acknowledged for their outpouring of generosity and dedication to the truth, said Kimmy. Even while undergoing immense tragedy and loss, Palestinian leaders still engage the uninformed masses, calling people to learn and join the fight to free Palestine. Because of Al-Hadaf, Kansas City started to wake up, and has sprouted a vibrant and loving coalition that stands with Palestine. View Layla and Maha’s award acceptance speeches for Al-Hadaf KC at https://youtu.be/FyV7wieCoxA and see Kimmy’s reflections at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CBc0Ee4ewI.
Cris Mann announces the 4/5-7 Midwest Anti-War Conference: Decolonization & the Fight Against Imperialism.
The two Al-Hadaf KC leaders Layla and Maha expressed the grief of Palestinians worldwide over the loss, by now, of about 30,000 Palestinian lives. Layla said one of the Al-Hadaf KC leaders has an uncle who was recently released from prison and who phoned his nephew to thank Al-Hadaf for reaching out to many in KC. Maha, in immigrant, denounced “the mass murder and subjugation of Palestinians.” She said, “I lost over 100 members of my family … in the last 5 months alone.” She urged, “Call your representative. Say no more financial cover should be offered to Israel. Vote for change!”
And the rest of the meeting … we covered a lot of territory. We elected Board members, including the new chair of the Board, Tommy Indigo, the Annual Meeting’s emcee. See https://peaceworkskc.org/election-results/ for more on the election. We noted that Jon Shafer and Charles Carney were receiving certificates for their dedicated work as past Board members. Cris Mann, the outgoing chair of PeaceWorks and now a vice chair, asked us to come to St. Paul, MN, 4/5-7, for the Midwest Anti-War Conference: Decolonization & the Fight Against Imperialism, with info at https://unacconference2024.org/.
Spencer Graves invites us to 5/4-5 events with Mubarak Awad, expelled from Jerusalem after founding the Palestinian Centre for Study of Nonviolence.
Spencer Graves, PeaceWorks’ treasurer, announced events at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church featuring Mubarak Awad, a Palestinian expelled from Jerusalem after founding the Palestinian Centre for Study of Nonviolence. Spencer and Mubarak will lead the Saturday, 5/4, 2:30-5:30 pm workshop: Role of the Media in Violent and Nonviolent Conflict, with a fundraiser dinner following, plus an All Souls Forum 5/5 at 9:45 am.
We let people know how they can contribute to PeaceWorks and how they can support four KC young people to attend ANA (Alliance for Nuclear Accountability) DC Days to educate and inspire them to demand an end to nuclear weapons. And we ended the day’s events with Ron Faust’s poem “Waiting to Cease Fire,” at https://peaceworkskc.org/waiting-to-cease-fire/.
–Mary Hladky serves on the PeaceWorks KC Board. (c) 2024, Mary Hladky, Kriss Avery, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
PW leaders delve into Palestine-Israel anguish
“We consider Israel to be America’s 51st state,” Suhaib (at right) explains to Cris Mann (at left) while Layla Allen listens.—Photos by Kristin Scheer
By Jane Stoever
PeaceWorks KC leaders/members met Feb. 17 to look at the Palestine-Israel history and suffering. A small group posed questions and heard answers from two representatives of Al-Hadaf KC, a Palestinian-led group, and three representatives of Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, which for decades has sought fair, even-handed US policy concerning Israel and Palestine.
Palestinian Loss of Land: From 1947 to the Present (2023), postcard shared at Feb. 17 meeting—see www.IfAmericaKnew.org.
Al-Hadaf spokesperson Suhaib, born and raised in Palestine, an immigrant to the US at age 18, commented on a postcard: Palestinian Loss of Land 1947 to Present (late 2023). Israeli settlements were sparse on the early 1947 map of Palestine. The Israeli land expanded vastly with the UN’s partition plan in 1947. Suhaib said, “For the UN to divide land how they saw fit and steal space from other people to create a nation, that’s what started the problem.”
Barbara Le Clerq of CJME said Jewish landowners went to the League of Nations and later to the UN to promote the Zionist movement.
Suhaib reflected, “People always try to make this a religious conflict. It never was. But since Day 1, they knew if they made it into a religious conflict, they would win.”
Commenting on the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and the horrific bombing of Gaza since then, Margot Patterson of CJME said, “As things get worse and worse, we get less and less news about it.”
The group deplored the recent US military support and funding for Israel, in addition to decades of customary aid. Layla Allen of Al-Hadaf remarked, “Think of the state of Israel as an investment for the US,” a means of US sway in the Mid-East. Margot replied, “The Israel-America relationship is actually a bad investment–$3.5 billion per year in aid—plus loans that don’t need to be paid back.”
Ian Munro of CJME added, “Israel is a terrible ally. They spy on the US. They sell our secrets to China.”
Margot Patterson, right, speaks with Barbara Le Clerq, left, and Ann Suellentrop during the meeting about Palestine and Israel at the Penn Valley Quaker Meetinghouse in KC MO.
Suhaib said, “The way we look at it in Palestine is this: Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union (1991), the US has been the only superpower in the world. But we in Palestine are paying the price for it. As if we are the ones to blame for the genocide against us, for the invasion of our houses. We are watching a genocide unfold. And Israelis have an endless river of money going to them—including free health care, free education, in the Zionist state.” Suhaib related, “We consider Israel to be America’s 51st state.”
Al-Hadaf KC offers educational sessions on zoom about Palestine every other Thursday. The site http://alhadafkc.org/calendar/ lists the Feb. 29 session “Occupation 202: The Right of Return and Self-Determination,” 7:30-8:30pm. The calendar also notes Monday-Friday Ceasefire Power Hour Calls at 8am and noon, and an action sheet: https://bit.ly/kcceasefire. On Facebook, see https://www.facebook.com/alhadafkc/.
During the PeaceWorks discussion Feb. 17, Henry Stoever asked which books to read and which films to see by or about Palestinians and Palestine. These were suggested: The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries; Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations;The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine, by Nathan Thrall; “Tantura” about a village massacred in 1948 (film on Apple TV); and the movie “3000 Nights,” directed by Mai Masri. The website https://decolonizepalestine.com/ has a reading list and a Q&A. In addition, Margot moderates the show “Understanding Israel/Palestine” 9:30-10 am each Friday on KKFI radio, 90.1 FM; see https://kkfi.org/?s=Understanding+Israel+Palestine.
–Jane Stoever serves on the PeaceWorks KC Communications Team. (c) 2024, Jane Stoever, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
PWKC leader to make pilgrimage to Japan
Ann Suellentrop eagerly awaits her visit to Japan March 3-17.
By Kristin Scheer
Car air freshener with sunflower design. Photo by Ann Suellentrop
Ann Suellentrop, a vice chair of PeaceWorks KC, and 12 other US citizens will travel to Japan March 3 for a 2-week Pax Christi (Peace of Christ) visit. “It is a spiritual pilgrimage,” Ann says. One of the pilgrims’ objectives is to deliver a letter of apology to the people of Japan. The travelers will meet with hibakusha, survivors of the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to hear their stories and learn about the tragedy that happened to them.
“We come on a Pilgrimage of Reconciliation to express … profound sorrow for the atomic bombings of your cities in 1945,” the draft letter of apology says. “We are children of one mother, our earth, and one Creator. We unite ourselves in solidarity with your hibakusha and lament their sufferings. … We pray for the courage to live as your heroic hibakusha have lived in resistance, rising from the ashes of death in a new spirit for the betterment of all our human family.”
Ann says the travelers will fo to Catholic mass and pray together mornings and evenings. They will meet with bishops and archbishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They will learn about Japanese culture, visit with other peace activists there, and share gifts. Ann is wrapping the gifts of small jeweled sunflower car air fresheners — sunflowers represent Kansas and symbolize healing from nuclear weapons. “Sunflowers can actually uptake radioactivity,” Ann says.
Ann notes that the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki was used as the actual target for the US bombing of that city in 1945. Nagasaki was the largest center for Catholics in Asia for many years, with Catholics holding secret gatherings for centuries to survive when Catholicism was forbidden by the government.
Visit the interactive map online (click image above).
The Oleander Initiative will lead the Hiroshima part of the pilgrims’ trip. The Hiroshima interactive map has faces of hibakusha to click on to hear their survival stories in Japanese, and some have English transcription. One with English transcription is at the bottom of the map, left of center. Tsuyako Harada says, “I was 17 when I became a victim of the atomic bomb. … I was student at a nursing school. … The dormitory collapsed by the blast of the bomb and I was trapped under the rubble. I lost consciousness. … (Then) I heard my roommate calling my name. She told me she found my leg hanging out from the rubble. … She pulled me out with all her might. … I saw many people with their hands or legs ripped off. … The hell on Aug. 6 does not end that day. The cruelty of nuclear weapon is that it continues to kill people for decades. … Hiroshima and Nagasaki has the right and responsibility to call for nuclear abolition. I am anxious of the world’s future because the fear of nuclear weapon is becoming bigger and bigger.” (from the Hachioji Hibakusha Association)
Ann has purchased a Go Pro tool to help her capture videos more smoothly while walking with her iPhone, as they travel. “But more important than what happens there is what happens after,” she says. “The trip is meant to inspire activists and action into the future.”
Ann laments that the crisis of war and environmental destruction seems to be outpacing the efforts to stop it. She reflects, “As a person of faith, I am being called to trust in God, that God will help put an end to it before it puts an end to us.”
Of nuclear weapon production in Kansas City, MO, Ann says, “The secrecy of the nuclear enterprise has had a deadly effect on the workers and downwinders. Workers at Bannister Federal Complex were poisoned without their knowledge or consent, exposed to highly toxic materials causing many severe illnesses, cancers, and early deaths. Many of these workers and their families have yet to be fairly compensated.” She adds that there is a lingering superfund site at the old Bendix location (Bannister Federal Complex), and we have yet to determine what toxins people are being exposed to at the new plant, managed by Honeywell.
Ann says the patriotism and sense of duty that people feel who work at the new plant (the National Security Campus in KC MO) is being exploited. “What is the use of defending ourselves if our own people are being poisoned in the process?” she asks. “Our government is making plans for an all-out nuclear war that will exterminate all life on earth by incinerating our cities. That would plunge us into a dark nuclear winter as the earth would be shrouded for years by a thick blanket of soot in the upper atmosphere. Millions would be killed in the initial blasts and billions would be left to starve in an environment as hostile as the Ice Age of 10,000 years ago.”
Although Bannister Federal Complex was torn down in recent years, Ann says research indicates that PCB (polychlorinated byphenyl) and VOC (volatile organic compound) deadly contamination remains in a large underground water aquifer. Pump-and-treat wells are required, says Ann, to keep the PCB and VOC toxins out of nearby rivers that lead to our drinking water.
Ann gives this overview: “The US empire is a war-making machine run on our tax dollars. It’s self-destructive as we lag behind other industrialized nations in health care, housing, education, child care, and other provisions to meet our needs.” Ann refers to this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., about the potential destructiveness of modern weapons: “The choice today is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.”
The sites Ann will visit, typically with guided tours, include:
—Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park;
—World Friendship Center, a Japanese NGO, for a talk by Hibakusha Soh Horie;
—Honkawa School Museum, the closest school to the epicenter of the Hiroshima blast;
—Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Hypocenter/Peace Park;
—Oura Cathedral in Nagasaki, accompanied by Archbishop Emeritus Mitsuaki Takami; and
Timmon Wallis, co-founder and Executive Director of NuclearBan.us, discusses on Zoom his brand new book, Warheads to Windmills,1 January 14, 9:30 – 10:30 AM, at All Souls Forum, 4501 Walnut St., Kansas City, Missouri 64111. Or join the program via YouTube Live at AllSoulsKC.org, where you select UU Forum at All Souls Church Channel, and choose the second YouTube channel on that webpage.
Timmon explains how we need people with the skills currently making nuclear weapons instead working on green energy — solar and wind power. Instead we have people at the euphemistically named the Kansas City National Security Campus working to increase the threat of nuclear Armageddon. Rev. Jim Hannah has said that a more descriptive name is the “National Insecurity Campus”. Richard Ned Lebow, an expert on deterrence, has provided extensive documentation showing how deterrence strategies have in the past been as likely to provoke as prevent undesired behavior.2
A team of 10 experts in climatology, food production and economics published simulations in 2022 of a variety of nuclear war scenarios.3 A nuclear war between the US and Russia would most likely loft so much smoke to the stratosphere where it would linger for years depressing food production worldwide that 99% of the humans in the northern hemisphere — including the US, Russia, Europe and China — would starve to death if they did not die of something else sooner. Conditions in the global South would not be as grim, but over 80% of humans worldwide would starve to death if they did not die of something else sooner, and over 90% of those would be in countries not involved in the nuclear exchange.4
Pope Francis has said, “Nuclear weapons are immoral.”5
Worse, a substantial body of research since the 1950s has documented that expert intuition is learned from frequent, rapid, high-quality feedback. That means that the longer the world goes without a nuclear war, the more willing military and political leaders will be to take ever riskier actions, because their expert intuition tells them it’s safe. This contributes to a phenomenon known as “system accidents,” which says that it is humanly impossible to design, build and manage a complex system to ultra-high levels of reliability, because the expert intuition of people operating and managing that system tells them they can safely cut corners, defer maintenance on redundant systems needed to ensure safe operations, etc.6
A 4:08 m:ss video of a nuclear war between the US and Russia was created by the Future of Life Institute7 and discussed in a Time magazine article.8
Spencer Graves is Secretary of PeaceWorks Kansas City. He is a Vietnam era veteran, licensed since 1974-02-1 as a Professional Engineer in Missouri. He holds a PhD in statistics and has published numerous working papers on the long-term impact of alternative approaches to conflict.9 This essay is his personal opinion and is not an official position of PeaceWorks Kansas City.
I urge Kansas City to reconsider the atrocity that is Honeywell. It is not protecting but stealing our well-being, our security, our wealth, and our health.
"It is a spiritual pilgrimage," says Ann Suellentrop of her plans to visit Japan for two weeks. She will meet with hibakusha, survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings.
