On May 3 2010 the War Resisters League held a protest action for nuclear abolition in Grand Central Terminal. Twenty two people were arrested in the event but only two were prosecuted – Carol Husten and Bev Rice. On Friday, October 29 Carol was tried on disorderly conduct charges for allegedly blocking pedestrian traffic in the Terminal.
Carol Husten’s Statement to the Court:
I have been charged with Disorderly Conduct by this officer. I do not see my actions as disorderly. As a matter of fact, I see them in a very small way of creating a more orderly and peaceful world. I was arrested for being part of a group that were trying to make the public aware of the dangers of nuclear weapons. My specific role was to assist two other people in hanging three signs stating NUCLEAR WEAPONS = TERRORISM.
Let me state up front I Love My Country. It has given me an opportunity to have a great life. That doesn’t mean I agree with what my government is doing all the time. I make the comparison “I love My Children, but I don’t agree with them all the time, at what they are doing. It is my job to tell them how I feel…BUT it is also my job to tell my gov’t how I feel…. Now as for my grandchildren they are another story. They are perfect.
For their sake and future generations we must try to abolish nuclear weapons. The public has put this potential horror in the back of their minds. If we could bring it to the forefront and convince our gov’t as Pres. Obama stated when he received the Nobel Peace Prize and I quote
“The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but PROLIFERATION may increase the risk of catastrophes. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.”
What more do I need to say except for the well known phrase:
Democracy is not a Spectator Sport.
Carol Husten for the Granny Peace Brigade
Photo – Eva-Lee Baird
