Three peace activists who infiltrated a nuclear weapons site have
been freed from prison after their convictions were overturned. In
2012, the self-described Transform Now Plowshares broke into the Y-12
nuclear facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Known as the "Fort Knox of
Uranium," the complex holds enough uranium to make 10,000 nuclear bombs.
The activists cut holes in the fence to paint peace slogans and threw
blood on the wall, revealing major security flaws at the facility, which
processes uranium for hydrogen bombs. The break-in sparked a series of
congressional hearings, with The New York Times describing it as "the
biggest security breach in the history of the nation’s atomic complex."
The three were convicted of damaging a national defense site. After two
years behind bars, a federal appeals court recently vacated their
convictions, saying the prosecution failed to prove the three intended
to "injure the national defense." All three were released this weekend
until their resentencing on a remaining charge of damaging government
property. They have likely already served more time than they are set to
receive under their new sentencing. We are joined by two of the
activists — Sister Megan Rice, an 85-year-old Catholic nun, and Michael
Walli — as well as their attorney, Bill Quigley.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN:
Three peace activists, one an 85-year-old nun, who infiltrated a
nuclear weapons site have been freed from prison after their convictions
were overturned, after two years in prison. In the early morning of
July 28th, 2012, Sister Megan Rice, Vietnam War veteran Mike Walli and
carpenter Greg Boertje-Obed broke into the Y-12 nuclear facility in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee. Known as the "Fort Knox of Uranium," the complex holds
enough uranium to make 10,000 nuclear bombs. Armed with a Bible,
flowers, bread, flashlights, binoculars, bolt cutters and several
hammers, the activists managed to enter deep inside the facility,
cutting through four security fences. It took guards an hour to realize
security had been breached. By then, the activists had splashed human
blood on the walls of the nuclear facility and spray-painted messages
reading "Woe to an Empire of Blood," "Disarm Transform," "The Fruit of
Justice is Peace" and "Plowshares Please Isaiah." The New York Times
described the action as the, quote, "biggest security breach in the
history of the nation’s atomic complex." The break-in sparked a series
of congressional hearings. This is Texas Republican Congressman Joe
Barton at one hearing in September of 2012.REP. JOE BARTON: When an 82-year-old pacifist nun gets to the inner sanctum of our weapons complex, you cannot say, "Job well done." She’s in the audience. Would you please stand up, ma’am? We want to thank you for pointing out some of the problems in our security. While I don’t totally agree with your platform that you were espousing, I do thank you for bringing out the inadequacies of our security system. And thank you for being here today. Mr. Chairman, that young lady there brought a Holy Bible. If she had been a terrorist, the lord only knows what could have happened.
