I reported to Sea-Tac Federal Detention Center on Thursday, April 3rd. My husband and I flew to Seattle the day before. We were able to have a restful night and a beautiful, warm, sunny morning visiting a park and small lake. I just sat there and enjoyed being outside. That indeed was a gift.
The most difficult part of jail is getting in. Processing took a long time and getting to my unit late was tiring and somewhat frightening. I've been in a week already and my time is finally settling into a routine. It is a confusing system to get used to. My unit consists of 60 cells with about 110 women.
The cells surround a large dayroom. TV's, a walking track and exercise equipment are available. But it is a jail. We have counts and shut-downs. Our lives are controlled. We are told when to eat and sleep. There are few options. We can't go outside. My slit of a window faces another building so I can't see but a tiny patch of the sky. Some women stay here three years. I don't know how they tolerate not going outside.
In spite of this restrictive environment, the women here have forged a community of people who help each other, work, have fun and welcome new inmates. I marvel at their ability to focus on the now. Few of them dwell on the past or the future. They don't know for sure where they will end up or how long they will stay.
I have only three weeks left. It's been an interesting journey. Will I be changed when I get out? You bet. Pax Tecum
This post was received with a letter from my mom today. I promised to update her blog and help spread the word. My dad spoke with her since the letter was written and said that the other inmates are calling her "Grandma". There is a certain irony that she had to go to prison to be called that.
Tara Anderson
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
FINALLY
The waiting has been almost unbearable at times. Nov. 18, 2007 seems so long ago. I crossed the line at Fort Benning in protest of SOA/WHINSEC on that date. The trial was in Columbus on Jan. 28th, and the order to report finally arrived.
I am on my way to Seattle on Wed. April 2nd, and will report to SeaTac Detention Center on Thurs. April 3rd for a 30 day stay. I am so happy about entering into the final phase of this non-violent action. I know my reality will change, I think prison does that to you, but I will also feel good about what I set out to accomplish. To take a stand, to bring SOA/WHINSEC more in the open and to continue to try to make this school HISTORY. We can do it, and we will do it.
I am including my address in prison. I will enjoy hearing from anyone that wants to write. I will try to answer all the mail I receive. Until my release, I will say Happy Trails. My daughter, Tara, will update this blog while I am in prison.
Take care, all of you out there, and remember that we all can make a difference. Just don't stop trying. Pax Tecum.
Joan Anderson, #93649-020
FDC SeaTac
Federal Detention Center
PO Box 13900
Seattle, Washington 98198
I am on my way to Seattle on Wed. April 2nd, and will report to SeaTac Detention Center on Thurs. April 3rd for a 30 day stay. I am so happy about entering into the final phase of this non-violent action. I know my reality will change, I think prison does that to you, but I will also feel good about what I set out to accomplish. To take a stand, to bring SOA/WHINSEC more in the open and to continue to try to make this school HISTORY. We can do it, and we will do it.
I am including my address in prison. I will enjoy hearing from anyone that wants to write. I will try to answer all the mail I receive. Until my release, I will say Happy Trails. My daughter, Tara, will update this blog while I am in prison.
Take care, all of you out there, and remember that we all can make a difference. Just don't stop trying. Pax Tecum.
Joan Anderson, #93649-020
FDC SeaTac
Federal Detention Center
PO Box 13900
Seattle, Washington 98198
Thursday, March 6, 2008
MARCH RELIEF
February was a very long month, and there was a very large elephant in the room. But on Monday, March 3, the telephone call from the Feds finally arrived.
I am to report on April 3 at the Sea-Tac Federal Detention Center in Seattle. I felt instant relief. Now I have a date and a place to complete the last phase of my action for justice. I will be in for 30 days. I will spend Easter on the outside and march toward Pentacost on the inside. I plan to participate in the SOAW fast for 3 days in late April and I would encourage you to do likewises. You can get more information from the SOAW website (SOAW.org).
Thanks to all for your interest, and prayers. I will be remembering you in all my prayers in prison. I ask that you remember the poor and powerless in Latin America and to encourage your U.S. Reps to stop the funding for WHINSEC. The Establishment never moves unless they are pushed by the people. And the people are us!
Pax Tecum
I am to report on April 3 at the Sea-Tac Federal Detention Center in Seattle. I felt instant relief. Now I have a date and a place to complete the last phase of my action for justice. I will be in for 30 days. I will spend Easter on the outside and march toward Pentacost on the inside. I plan to participate in the SOAW fast for 3 days in late April and I would encourage you to do likewises. You can get more information from the SOAW website (SOAW.org).
Thanks to all for your interest, and prayers. I will be remembering you in all my prayers in prison. I ask that you remember the poor and powerless in Latin America and to encourage your U.S. Reps to stop the funding for WHINSEC. The Establishment never moves unless they are pushed by the people. And the people are us!
Pax Tecum
Sunday, February 3, 2008
TRIAL STATEMENT... JANUARY 28,2008
TRIAL STATEMENT by Joan C. Anderson January 28, 2008
My name is Joan Anderson. My husband is Tom, and we have three daughters, Tara, Katie, and Lisa. I was born and raised in Wyoming. I can go a few miles from my home, turn around in a circle and see the horizon where the land meets the sky in every direction. As a native Wyomingite, space and freedom are very important to me. I love this country.
I’ve had a difficult time writing this statement. The reasons for committing an act of nonviolent civil disobedience that becomes an action for justice are highly personal. The reasons lie deep within my heart and in my gut. It’s greatly about acknowledging the Spirit of God within me.
I have been a public health nurse for 40 years. I am well aware of my rights and responsibilities. I plead GUILTY to “crossing the line” and trespassing on the grounds of Fort Benning on Nov. 18th. It is one of the most important things I have ever done in my life. I have never been arrested before nor do I plan on being arrested again. I will honor the Ban and Bar Letter. I am a care-giver for my 88 year old mother and both she and I would prefer that I get probation.
I join the ranks of those who have been here before me and those who are with me today to denounce the well documented atrocities performed by graduates of the SOA/WHINSEC. I am concerned that my taxes and your taxes are keeping this school operational. IT’S TIME TO STOP THE FUNDING NOW! Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that an individual is expressing the very highest respect for law if he breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and accepts the penalty in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice.I come from the same city as the Vice President of the United States. In fact, I was a year behind him in high school. And also living there is a former United States Ambassador to Guatemala in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I find it interesting that they have never been in a courtroom like the one I am in today to answer for the tortures that happened during their watch. I crossed the line nonviolently opposing that torture and I face prison time. And so injustice continues. I am proud and honored to stand in solidarity with the poor and powerless in Latin America who have been and are victims of this flawed U.S. foreign policy. I pray that one day human rights will become a priority in this country. GOD BLESS US
My name is Joan Anderson. My husband is Tom, and we have three daughters, Tara, Katie, and Lisa. I was born and raised in Wyoming. I can go a few miles from my home, turn around in a circle and see the horizon where the land meets the sky in every direction. As a native Wyomingite, space and freedom are very important to me. I love this country.
I’ve had a difficult time writing this statement. The reasons for committing an act of nonviolent civil disobedience that becomes an action for justice are highly personal. The reasons lie deep within my heart and in my gut. It’s greatly about acknowledging the Spirit of God within me.
I have been a public health nurse for 40 years. I am well aware of my rights and responsibilities. I plead GUILTY to “crossing the line” and trespassing on the grounds of Fort Benning on Nov. 18th. It is one of the most important things I have ever done in my life. I have never been arrested before nor do I plan on being arrested again. I will honor the Ban and Bar Letter. I am a care-giver for my 88 year old mother and both she and I would prefer that I get probation.
I join the ranks of those who have been here before me and those who are with me today to denounce the well documented atrocities performed by graduates of the SOA/WHINSEC. I am concerned that my taxes and your taxes are keeping this school operational. IT’S TIME TO STOP THE FUNDING NOW! Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that an individual is expressing the very highest respect for law if he breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and accepts the penalty in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice.I come from the same city as the Vice President of the United States. In fact, I was a year behind him in high school. And also living there is a former United States Ambassador to Guatemala in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I find it interesting that they have never been in a courtroom like the one I am in today to answer for the tortures that happened during their watch. I crossed the line nonviolently opposing that torture and I face prison time. And so injustice continues. I am proud and honored to stand in solidarity with the poor and powerless in Latin America who have been and are victims of this flawed U.S. foreign policy. I pray that one day human rights will become a priority in this country. GOD BLESS US
ON TRIAL
It was 71 days from November 18th to January 28th. Some days it was much longer and other days the time seemed to fly by. But it finally came, as most things do. It was worth waiting for, despite moments of extreme anxiety and down right fear.
I went on trial in federal district court in Columbus, Georgia along with ten other defendants, charged with trespassing onto the grounds of a military installation. The site was Fort Benning, the purpose: to non-violently oppose the School of the Americas, also known as the Western Institute of Security Cooperation. It has a well documented record of training Latin American security personnel in methods of torture. They, in turn, return to their respective countries and many of them make the school proud. We were all charged with a misdemeanor.
We knew, from past experiences with the Judge (G. Mellan Faircloth) that the trial and sentences would be pretty much cut and dried. Some of us pleaded guilty, some non-guilty with stipulations, and one went to trial. I pleaded guilty, because I was guilty and said so. I was allowed to give a statement which I will post on this blog. My sentence was a $500.00 fine and 30 days in prison. As a care-giver for my elderly mother I requested probation. The Judge didn't care much about my situatuion. The other defendants received similar sentences.
To be truthful, I'm glad I got prison time. It's about the only way I can show how strongly I feel about human rights abuses practiced by our government. It's time that regular, normal people like myself stand up to the big powers that be and say, ENOUGH!!!! And my time is now.
And so the waiting begins again. Actually, I'm becoming pretty good at it... Just to let everyone know that I will be back in Columbus in November, to continue demonstrating and working to stop the funding for this school. Please think of me in prison by writing to your congress-person demanding that their vote will be to eliminate this "teaching torture" institution.
Pax Tecum
I went on trial in federal district court in Columbus, Georgia along with ten other defendants, charged with trespassing onto the grounds of a military installation. The site was Fort Benning, the purpose: to non-violently oppose the School of the Americas, also known as the Western Institute of Security Cooperation. It has a well documented record of training Latin American security personnel in methods of torture. They, in turn, return to their respective countries and many of them make the school proud. We were all charged with a misdemeanor.
We knew, from past experiences with the Judge (G. Mellan Faircloth) that the trial and sentences would be pretty much cut and dried. Some of us pleaded guilty, some non-guilty with stipulations, and one went to trial. I pleaded guilty, because I was guilty and said so. I was allowed to give a statement which I will post on this blog. My sentence was a $500.00 fine and 30 days in prison. As a care-giver for my elderly mother I requested probation. The Judge didn't care much about my situatuion. The other defendants received similar sentences.
To be truthful, I'm glad I got prison time. It's about the only way I can show how strongly I feel about human rights abuses practiced by our government. It's time that regular, normal people like myself stand up to the big powers that be and say, ENOUGH!!!! And my time is now.
And so the waiting begins again. Actually, I'm becoming pretty good at it... Just to let everyone know that I will be back in Columbus in November, to continue demonstrating and working to stop the funding for this school. Please think of me in prison by writing to your congress-person demanding that their vote will be to eliminate this "teaching torture" institution.
Pax Tecum
Friday, December 28, 2007
WAITING
It has been over a month since my arrest at Fort Benning. I had lots to do with the busyness of Christmas, but still moments of anxiety and sheer fear about going to prison hit me. Nagging doubts about my strength to see this through, and the waiting, waiting, waiting.
Christmas was wonderful. All the family and friends together. I had Christmas greetings from old friends who remain so supportive after all these years. My new friend, Diane, who was arrested with me and my mentor, Sister Sheila in Florida, who was arrested last year have been a big positive part of this waiting time. Both have added depth and perspective to the act and action I am now a part of. Besides trying to make this time a learning experience about SOA/WHINSEC for people around me, I am constantly more aware of the joy of freedom, in making choices, of options, of movement, and of living the moment my way.
Even though I feel weak and frightened, and look at myself as "scared as a chicken", I remember the poem by Teddy Roosevelt, and I feel better.
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena
whose face is marred by dust and threat and blood
who strived valiantly, however errs and comes short again and again.
Who knows great enthusiasm, great devotions,
the triumph of high achievement and who, at worst, if he fails
at least fails while bearing greatly, so that his place shall never be
with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
And with those thoughts in my head, I continue to wait. My trial will be on Jan. 28, 2008 in Columbus, Georgia. Pax Tecum
Christmas was wonderful. All the family and friends together. I had Christmas greetings from old friends who remain so supportive after all these years. My new friend, Diane, who was arrested with me and my mentor, Sister Sheila in Florida, who was arrested last year have been a big positive part of this waiting time. Both have added depth and perspective to the act and action I am now a part of. Besides trying to make this time a learning experience about SOA/WHINSEC for people around me, I am constantly more aware of the joy of freedom, in making choices, of options, of movement, and of living the moment my way.
Even though I feel weak and frightened, and look at myself as "scared as a chicken", I remember the poem by Teddy Roosevelt, and I feel better.
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena
whose face is marred by dust and threat and blood
who strived valiantly, however errs and comes short again and again.
Who knows great enthusiasm, great devotions,
the triumph of high achievement and who, at worst, if he fails
at least fails while bearing greatly, so that his place shall never be
with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
And with those thoughts in my head, I continue to wait. My trial will be on Jan. 28, 2008 in Columbus, Georgia. Pax Tecum
Friday, November 23, 2007
CROSSING THE LINE
While attending the demonstration to close the SOA at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia the week-end before Thanksgiving, after a year of prayer and discernment, I joined ten other activists and "crossed the line".
We were arrested and charged with federal criminal trespass on a military reservation in connection with an act of nonviolent civil disobedience. Since 1990, 226 activists have spent 95 years in prison as a result of nonviolent direct action to close the SOA/WHINSEC. They have put their bodies and freedom at risk in an act of solidarity toward victims and survivors of human rights abuses and those who are forced to live under SOA/WHINSEC sponsored violence on a day to day basis.
My trial will be on Jan. 28, 2008 in Columbus, Georgia. I will be sentenced to federal prison time. I ask for your prayers.
You can read about the School of the America's/WHINSEC in detail on the SOAW website. Their link is on this blogsite. They are a school the Pentagon funds with taxes we pay. They train soldiers from Latin American countries to torture, kill, and victimize their own people in an attempt to keep their countries unstable, allowing the U.S. and their corporate partners to control valuable resources such as the oil rich areas of South America.
Ugly? You bet. The government likes to keep the program as quiet as possible, and that's why you have probably never heard of it. But the word is getting around. There have been thousands of demonstrators at Fort Benning since 1990 demanding the school's closure, and one of these days, it will happen. If I can help make that happen, it will be well worth the fact that I'm soon to become a "prisoner of conscience".
Pax Tecum
We were arrested and charged with federal criminal trespass on a military reservation in connection with an act of nonviolent civil disobedience. Since 1990, 226 activists have spent 95 years in prison as a result of nonviolent direct action to close the SOA/WHINSEC. They have put their bodies and freedom at risk in an act of solidarity toward victims and survivors of human rights abuses and those who are forced to live under SOA/WHINSEC sponsored violence on a day to day basis.
My trial will be on Jan. 28, 2008 in Columbus, Georgia. I will be sentenced to federal prison time. I ask for your prayers.
You can read about the School of the America's/WHINSEC in detail on the SOAW website. Their link is on this blogsite. They are a school the Pentagon funds with taxes we pay. They train soldiers from Latin American countries to torture, kill, and victimize their own people in an attempt to keep their countries unstable, allowing the U.S. and their corporate partners to control valuable resources such as the oil rich areas of South America.
Ugly? You bet. The government likes to keep the program as quiet as possible, and that's why you have probably never heard of it. But the word is getting around. There have been thousands of demonstrators at Fort Benning since 1990 demanding the school's closure, and one of these days, it will happen. If I can help make that happen, it will be well worth the fact that I'm soon to become a "prisoner of conscience".
Pax Tecum
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