Catholic Worker News: Carl Kabat Arrested Following Action at Nuke Construction Site

Fr. Carl Kabat has been arrested and is being held at a downtown Kansas City jail after an action at the construction site of a new nuclear weapons plant. He was charged with illegal entry and released early Tuesday morning. July 5, 2011

Kabat entered the construction site of the new nuclear bomb factory in Kansas City, Missouri at approximately 10:00 p.m. on July 3. At dawn on July 4 he had broken the windows of a number of the large cranes present there. We are awaiting more information, such as the circumstances of his arrest, but do know that Carl is currently being held at the downtown Kansas City, Missouri jail.

Kabat had phoned friends early on July 4, 2011, after disrupting construction of the at the site. In those calls he told friends what he had done and that he was looking for someone to whom to “confess” his action, but had found no one. His plan at that point was to leave the site and go home, but he has not been seen since.

Kabat was on the site of the new nuclear weapons site being constructed south of Kansas City. The site was also the focus of resistance and direct action nearly a year ago.

Kabat left the following statement before traveling to the site.

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Crane Pruning Hook

I, Fr. Carl Kabat, omi, have been pondering an appropriate way to celebrate the fourth of July, commonly called Independence Day. Today it would be more appropriate to call it Interdependence Day since all of us live on this small planet Earth.

To show my patriotism and love for my country and the good of my country, I have decided on a pruning hook action in Kansas City, Missouri.

Nuclear site construction crane.

The opinion of the 1995 World Court is that weapons of mass destruction are a crime against humanity. Christian churches have said that it is a sin to build a nuclear weapon. Churches have declared that nuclear weapons are a crime against The Holy One and humanity and are to be condemned unreservedly! Some have further stated that the manufacturing, deployment or use of nuclear must be condemned unreservedly. The Nazis during WWII killed and burned 6 million of our Jewish sisters and brothers and 5 million sisters and brothers (who were communists, priests, Gypsies, enemy combatants, homosexuals, people with disabilities, etc).

Now four of our Minuteman IIIs could, in thirty minutes, travel half way around the world and kill twelve million of our sisters and brothers. We have become very sophisticated and efficient in our killing and burning. We have more nuclear weapons than all the rest of the world combined and at one time could kill everyone on this planet fifteen times over.

Eighty five percent (85%) of the parts for nuclear bombs are made by the people of Kansas City. May The Holy One have mercy on us all! By my action I wish to en-flesh the reversal of our insane actions and hope that we will start to celebrate interdependence and rid ourselves of nuclear weapons.

Peace, Fr. Carl Kabat, omi

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