MARTIN SHEEN PARDONS IRISH PEACE ACTIVISTS : Houston Indymedia

In Ireland today, the "Pit Stop Ploughshares Community" received a presidential pardon from Martin Sheen. Sheen who plays the U.S. President on the television series "West Wing" gathered with Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran and Ciaron O'Reilly in the Tipperary town of Borisokane in the Irish midlands delivering the following statement granting a presidential pardon to the five peace activists. The five await trial preceedings at Kilrush Circuit Court beginning June 24th on criminal damage charges carrying maximum ten year prison sentences.

The charges arose from their nonviolent disarmament of a U.S. Navy war plane at Shannon Airport on February 3rd. (see http://www.ploughsharesireland.org). 50,000 troops passed through the civilian airport on their way to the recent war on Iraq. Three U.S. airlines transporting U.S. troops and munitions withdrew from Ireland following the ploughshares disarmament action.

Statement by Martin Sheen as follows,

"The action of these brave and commited young people at Shannon sprang from the command of the prophet Isaiah to"beat swords into ploughshaeres and study war no more" in compliance with the gospel of the nonviolent Jesus as well as the Nuremburg Principles.

As Christians we are never asked to be successful. We are asked only to be faithful and although their action has clearly jeapordised their future, their moral courage in speaking out at this dark time is a powerful inspiration to peace loving, nonviolent people everywhere.

As a fellow Catholic peace activist I am compelled to support them in their struggle for peace and social justice and their efforts to gain a fair trial with a Necessity Defence which has thus far been thwarted.
For some time I have observed with growing alarm the current U.S. administration, whose legitimacy was questionable from the start, in it's darkly chartered course where every legitimate opposition has been met with condemnation or intimidation.

It appears now that the war on Iraq was a foregone conclusion. From September 2001 to September 2002, the U.S. government moved from legitimate protection to illegitmate paranoia when it declared a new first strike policy, including nuclear first strike, against any nation it percieved as a threat. Contrary to its stated intentions in Iraq this war has only served to further destabilise an already destabilised Middle East.

As a patriotic Irish-American, with a deep love for both of my countries, I urge the Irish Government which still enjoys the highest level of moral assendancy in the eyes of the world, to grant these brave young patriotic peace activists a fair trial by permitting their Necessity Defence on moral grounds supported by the Nuremburg Principles.

And if that doesn't fly, in accordance with the power stated in me as the "acting" President of the U.S. I hereby grant full pardon and amnesty to these so called "Pit Stop Ploughshares".

A press conference by Martin Sheen and the "Pit Stop Ploughshares" followed the statement.

More information, photographs, video footage
087 918 4552 (mobile/cell phone)

+353 87 918 4552 (mobile/cell phone, calling from outside of Ireland)

01 406 44 66 (landline)

+353 1 406 44 66 (landline calling from outside of Ireland)

http://www.ploughsharesireland.org

As much as Martin Sheen sounds pretty Irish, his birth name is Ramon Estevez and his dad's name is Francisco. I guess his mother is of Irish descent, since her maiden name is Phelan
He adopted the name of a famous Irish-American bishop, Fulton J. Sheen, as part of his screen name. His son Charlie took the screen name from him, but Emilio kept his patrilinear roots.

These people NEED to go to jail.

How irresponsible can you get?

Imagine if they had tampered with this aircraft and had not be caught. What if after taking off it had malfunctioned and crashed into an apartment building and burned dozens of people to death? Would you celebrate that as well?

Martin Sheen holds an Irish Passport.

The members of the Pit Stop Ploughshares were not trying to evade the authorities. It is common in ploughshares actions to have to wait quite sometime before being discovered. In some cases the activists have to find the guards themselves to turn themselves in.

Many ploughshares activists believe that much of their statement is lost if they do a "hit and split". They believe in being around to explain the actions to whoever askes. .. guards... lawyers... jugdges... juries.. fellow imates...