We received a letter from Rev. Jerry Zawada, OFM today. Jerry is in prison for crossing the line at the E.L.F. installation in northern Wisconsin, and for crossing the line at WHISC/SOA this past November

for more information regarding ELF: nukewatch.com
for more information regarding SOA Watch: soaw.org

April 10, 2004

Happy Easter, Dear Ones

New beginnings! new Hope! Not always easy to sense it happening with so much to worry about these days. “In my Easter bonnet…” sparkling new clothes.. colored eggs and bunny rabbits, a new rising from the gloom, nature taking on new life, chirping of birds, crocuses already in bloom . dusting off the old.. Hope for a dying world. Another new born baby. And how we long for the good old days when Easter brought the beautiful ethnic customs and everybody you loved was there to share your corny jokes and eat blessed kielbasa and horseradish. Gosh, am I getting old!

I am now back in prison with other friends-an opportunity to lament my sins and mistakes but not the acts of protest that my companions and I have become part of and for which we have earned time in jail. These acts were too sacred to regret. Their meaningfulness has taken root out of our witnessing of innocent people-including babies and children being subjected to violence, torture and death on account of weaponry and warfare. ..a shameful indictment, for sure, against our government policies and my own insatiable consumption of commodities that rightfully belong to God’s destitute poor… people at home and people of other nations… my suffering sisters and brothers… What a privilege to be able to spend this time reflecting upon this and asking for Light as to how to move on… how to join you and others in issuing hope to a worn-out violated world. New Life, New Direction… the Jesus message. Easter!

On March 29th, Brother Michael Kulan accompanied me to the federal courtroom in Madison, WI. Bro. Mike is not exactly a federal marshal (although he sometimes puts on an act like one). He’s a great friend and among my best support persons in the Franciscan Community. Eight of us were re-sentenced to one month for crossing the line at the E.L.F. installation in northern Wisconsin. (E.L.F. stands for “Extremely Low Frequency” an installation that sends signals to all our submarines to surface and launch their deadly payload; nuclear missiles, and other weapons of mass destruction. E.L.F. is hidden in the deep woods ..too bad not in the Chicago Loop where everyone would immediately get out there in protest and yell: “not in my back yard!” But to whose back yard do we want to send this death and destruction?) Our sentence was one month which for Kathy and myself increases our time to seven months for me and four months for Kathy.

On Tuesday of this Holy Week, seventeen of us, including Kathy Kelly who provides inspiration and untiring dedication to all under threat of bomb, abuse and warfare, reported to the respective prisons in which each of us will “do our time”. With Kathy and with so many others.. hundreds, maybe thousands, perhaps You, I feel really strengthened to go on this strange journey. For me, it will be 7 months at this Federal Camp in Oxford Wisconsin. Mary Lou Pedersen is another very special friend who is dedicated to support. She makes possible my contact with you and has done so ever since our Missouri Peace Planting back in 1988. Thank you, Mary Lou.

I want to make this message short. Not sure if it’s possible for a big mouth like me. I do want to mention that a great companion at the Oxford Camp will be David Corcoran. We met at the WHISC/SOA this past November -but I’ll save that story for a following letter. David and his family have become really dear friends. There’s much I long to learn from such a spiritual man-hopefully a bit of patience. Going to prison is not the worst thing to happen, not always the most comfortable, to be sure, but I have to acknowledge that the three and a half years spent behind bars (more or less) has always been meaningful as an opportunity to grow in awareness of how blest my life has become.

Someday I’d like to share with you about the impact that so many heroes/martyrs/saints/victims have had on my life in recent years. Some of the holiest people I know are behind bars for much longer times than I’ll eve be. May we work together, you and I and thousands who share our dreams and hopes for the future. It’s going to happen… The youth today ..many that I’ve gotten to know and cherish are afire… Now isn’t that a great Easter message! Jesus lives!

A big Easter hug!

Jerry