Catholic Worker Patrick O'Neill And The "Kings Bay Plowshares" Felony Court Case

 

Friend Patrick O'Neill is pictured second from the left. 
Patrick is about to go on trial (with other Plowshares protesters) who did symbolic (and real) damage 
to the Trident submarine base in Kings Bay Georgia. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Submarine_Base_Kings_Bay

"Love Not War" Column By Pacifist Patrick O'Neill
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/07/love-not-war-column-by-pacifist-friend.html

 Pax on both houses: Friend Patrick O'Neill's "Insanity Defense" For ...

Patrick O'Neill | National Catholic Reporter

N.C. TRIAL CONJURES UP ANTIWAR ERA - The Washington Post

"Do Wars Really Defend America's Freedom?"

(Homage To Marine Commandant, Major General Smedley Butler)

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/11/major-general-smedley-butler-do-wars.html

Point Of View: "Dorothy Day And Thomas Merton," Patrick O'Neill
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/09/point-of-view-dorothy-day-and-thomas.html



Dorothy Day
Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

Thomas Merton: Adolf Eichmann, Sanity And Normality
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/07/thomas-merton-adolf-eichmann-sanity-and.html



The Sane Are More Dangerous Than The Insane

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/01/thomas-merton-it-is-sane-ones-well.html

Patrick's Life

Two questions assigned by Matt: 

1)  Some notes / background on your lives + work beyond acts of civil resistance:

I am the father of 8 children. Once I was asked by a friend, "How's your tribe?" and I decided to fully answer it by mentioning the 10 of us in short biographies. (Now we have two sons-in-law and two grand-babies on the way so there are 14 of us!!

Patrick's "TRIBE"

Brianna 39  Presbyterian deacon, runs a free-standing birthing
center in Chapel Hill, NC, ultra-marathon runner, yoga instructor, vegan, a
beauty and an over-achiever, cared lovingly for her late grandparents
who had Alzheimer's. Two degrees from East Carolina University. Married May 13, 2016 to Ricky Bennett, who is an engineer, dog-lover and graduate of North Carolina State University.

Bernadette 30  2016 graduate of Emory University's Candler
School of Theology (Atlanta, GA) master of divinity. Sat on Pax Christi USA
national council, runner, bilingual, vegetarian, many gifts including
Grace. Married April 29, 2016 to Jeff Naro, an engineer who was on the UNC-Wilmington track team with Bernadette. Their relationship blossomed when Jeff was earning his masters degree at Georgia Tech.

Moira 24  2016 graduate of Guilford College (Quaker school in Greensboro, NC) Bonner Scholar, rebel, funniest child, late-nighter (child most like me except in appearance), vegetarian. Working in "Food Justice" at the Food Bank in Tucson, AZ, and "Food Not Bombs" while caring for many others as a compassionate friend.

Veronica 21 Guilford College student (Bonner Scholar) YMCA cafe
barista and nanny (prefers both to school), very artistic,
(most like my late redheaded mother in almost every way including
beauty), empathetic, vegetarian and very loving (to her cat, Oliver, too.)

Timmy 19 rising sophomore at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill musician, runner, philosopher, soft, gentle man (greatest intellect of us all), (mostly) vegetarian

Annie 17  getting ready to start freshman year at UNC-Wilmington a child you like the moment you meet her, sweet, kind, thoughtful, wisdom beyond her years; could be a Missionaries of Charity sister, vegetarian

Michael 15 rising junior Raleigh Charter High School  sweet
boy;  anxious (loves to be in physical contact with his mother
whenever possible), successful, semi-professional artist, loves electronics (too much), passionate, runner, ultimate disc player and vegetarian

Mary Evelyn 13 rising 6th grader at The Exploris School free-spirited, wild redhead with Down's syndrome, great reader, giver of many hugs, shoplifter and meat-eater (especially chicken nuggets)

Mary Rider 58 master of social work (UNC-CH), a Goddess and Renaissance Woman. I worship her. Loves to cook and eat "freegan" meat, but makes lots of fresh (Dumpstered) veggies for her meatless children. A great listener, she attracts crowds of strangers. Hospital Eucharistic Minister to Latinos. Responsible oldest of 7 siblings all of whom are engaged in often-painful process of dealing with the estate of her late parents, Suzanne and James Rider; Pray for her.

Me 62 Runner, Dumpster Diver, Eucharistic Minister, Seeker of
Justice and Peace. Getting ready for yet another federal prison term. Very proud and happy and fortunate to be part of this family that I love ...

One-liners:

Brianna: You would enjoy talking nutrition or birthing center
management (among many other topics) with her. All of us are very excited to share motherhood with her. She will be a loving mother

Ricky: Fun to be around, humorous, kind to God's creatures and a loving partner to his new bride; will be a great father

Bernadette: Well-rounded with lots of knowledge and opinions, yet very humble; will be a wonderful mother

Jeff: Has a depth of warmth and great people skills; will also be a great father

New Grandchildren: Perfect in every way -- just like their mothers.

Moira: She is perceptive and will keep you laughing; deep compassion

Veronica: Engaging, serious and loving; likes people -- all
people

Timmy: Self-taught composer who loves talking about/playing
music and a million other things

Annie: The person you would most want as a "best friend"

Michael: The person you would most like to hug. He's genuine

Mary Evelyn: Give her an ice cream cone and Sprite and she's your friend
forever

Mary: People like to hang out and drink beer with her (except
me. I am a teetotaler so I just drink coffee with her)

Me: Glad you asked about my tribe. I do love them all so very much

As you can see I am surrounded by a family that loves me and encourages me. 

NARRATIVE:

I have lived a rich and loving life. I enjoy drinking coffee while eating something sweet and reading the newspaper. I try to run every day, and I am still pretty fast for an old guy. I like golf, but never play because I am too poor. I just watch it on TV. I am a hitchhiker (more than 100,000 miles in my lifetime), which I enjoy as a way to save energy and meet other risk-taking people like myself. My parents -- Ann Cecilia and Terence Joseph are both dead. My father died in a Manhattan construction accident when I was 3. I miss my mother a lot; she died in 1998. I have a brother named Timothy (retired NYPD cop) who has one son, Eamon. I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and I have interviewed scores of interesting people (Jesse Jackson, Michael Jordan,  Wynton Marsalis, Joan Didion, Stanley Hauerwas, Coretta Scott King, Betty Williams (1976 Nobel Peace Prize)  and Ralph Nader among many. I wrote obituaries for Daniel and Philip Berrigan for The National Catholic Reporter.) I enjoy writing about religion, track and field and politics. I ran a youth program at my church (St. Anastasia RCC in Douglaston, Queens) and for a field trip I took the kids to Manhattan and we climbed the stairs of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. I met Muhammad Ali in a Philadelphia coffee shop in the early 1970s. I co-founded the Fr. Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker House in Garner, NC in 1991. We do hospitality for the needy; often immigrants. I am a "consistent life pacifist," which means I oppose killing in all circumstances. I try to make few demands on my children. I require them to love each other and go to mass with me on Sundays (or during the week). I was exposed to corporal punishment as a child, and I do not spank my children. I don't drink alcohol (not even the Blood of Christ). I have never smoked pot (but I tell people I am not ruling it out.) I don't like the cold, snow, ice skating, swimming or boating (I did enjoy going on a cruise, however, when my wife won two free tickets.) I Dumpster almost all of the Catholic Worker House's food, and I don't buy much of anything new. 

2)    3-5 points that you each think are the most important things that they want to communicate to a jury / the court.

My greatest hope is all the people exposed to the Kings Bay Plowshares will experience some sort of transformation. I would like Judge Lisa Wood and others to realize that our actions were sensible and reasonable (and necessary) in light of the unchecked madness of the Trident II D-5 missiles.

I would like the jurors to have the courage to stand with us if their hearts lead them to such a conclusion. I would also like to get people to see the seven of us as rational beings, and I hope the folks we encounter are nudged to consider an anti-Trident viewpoint after we expose the truth to them about Trident's WMDs.

I hope we can "wear down" the U.S. attorney and his minions with our relentless drive to challenge the court's in limine/gag order. (And not be held in contempt.)

I want jurors and others to realize that our motivations are basically pure and simple -- to follow the nonviolent Jesus, and to abolish nuclear weapons and war. I hope thousands of people, who have never given much thought to Trident, will change their views regarding WMDs. 

I hope everyone prays and provides loving support for my wife, Mary, while I am incarcerated.