Poetry & Prose

                                                          The Play- "The Trial of the Catonsville 9" 

9/17/9- play is given at University of MD…panel before hand. Actor’s Gang out of Culver City, Calif.. A review in the Wash. Post of 9/12 confirms what I have long thought about the play all along- that it is staid, preachy, etc. etc. G tells me no one ever told him the play was boring- and I can imagine why! The play is fine as a teachable moment, a let’s have a discussion afterwards w the audience type of play. It’s a documentary. A good play has to be exciting- hold interest, have narrative, have interesting persons. I mean- a sermon is one thing: I heard plenty of sermons in my youth and they put me asleep. They drove me from the church and I promised not to come back. And, I agree w what the 9 say in the play completely!

But,  I see the Actor’s Gang version on 9/17/9. They have actually brought the play to life! Of course- it is not a play- it is a documentary. You know  what the end is going to be. I was going to say character should develop in a play- but one of the actors tells me- but we do see how the characters of the 9 develop- from Guatamala to the US, for example. I tell the actors about the C-9 production at the Community College at Catonsville which had a lot of bells and whiles and how I thought- well it can be brought to life. But the Actor’s Gang version comes EVEN MORE to life- and why? : the intense acting most of all; also,  the music, the pacing;  Judge Thompson played by a woman and made to be quite human- she WANTS TO KEEP HER JOB!  The 9 know they’re losing their jobs. I find myself hearing the words for the first time and finding them extremely poignant. The recitation of the Lord’s Prayer almost brings me to tears- so simple. There are even moments of humor (although not many). This is the best production I have seen.

 John Kellam, the Direct or speaks of a strong Commedia del Arte influence. He has a theory of projection that is a very physical method- it has a name- samurai? suzuki? what? Makes the acting very intense. We go out after the 9/18 performance and I get to talking w  Patti Tippo, who plays the clerk and Marjorie Melville. She talks of getting the mannerisms of Marjorie down, or even the accents of the clerk- who refers to the trash baskets as “tresh” baskets (supposedly a Baltimore accent).. I get to thinking- but imitating the exact mannerisms of the person you’re playing may not be so important. The intensity of the acting carries the show regardless of the person being nailed- as George would say- referring to the many actors who have played him. Who cares if they “nail” it- unless the person played is that famous?

I joke w Adele Robbins (Tim Robbins sister- herself arrested for civil disobedience in ‘72) who plays Judge Thompson- “you said a lot of wrong things Judge” and also, “I think I’m going to run away and join an acting troupe”. O the life of an actor- these people HAVE to be open- they have to be creative (they enjoy being on the road because they get paid- in Hollywood- it’s a labor of love). It is so exciting being around them and hearing about their craft, their lives in Hollywood. Not well paid, not glamorous….not at all.

 High points of the play: Ms Robbins makes Judge Thompson almost seem sympathetic, play shows Sachs and Thompson  most articulate adversaries-Darst makes the quip which brings laughter from the audience: “How could I burn slum properties symbolically?”- to this, one of Sachs better probes,. Darst might better have answered the question- “Do you think slum properties have no right to exist?” of Sachs by saying- “Under capitalism, slum properties are a bad thing. But they do belong to the slum lord- are his bread and butter. Besides, there are people living in them. Ideally, you might consider burning them- they certainly burned them in the ’68 riots.” One has to think fast on one’s feet in a trial (one of the reasons I dropped out, or rather was never in- I wasn’t invited). Tom Lewis tells the prosecutor- “I’ve got 6 years to think about it”.

Chris Schultz (Tom Lewis),  George Ketsios (Tom Melville), Helene and George Mische, Adele Robbins (Judge Thomson),  Scott Harris (Phil Berrigan), Dave Eberhardt, Corey Lovett (George Mische), Jon Kellam, Director, either Ethan Kogan (John Hogan) or, I'm not sure, Colin Golden (David Darst)missing the actors for Mary Moylan and Marjorie Melville

  Panel of 9/14/9 at U of Md- "Planning the Action"   JoeTropea, filmmaker, Brendan Walsh, Dean Pappas, Willa Walsh, George Mische  

  Over the years I learned more and more of the details of the Catonsville 9  action- as I attended many reunions, and watched the play and discussed same: Brendan Walsh's rold as driver although an impatient Phil took the keys and drove- at least on the way out (Phil rode back in a paddy wagon!); Dean Pappas' role as phone liason, Willa Walsh and Marilyn O'Connor's role as press release distributors, why George's pants ripped, how Mary Moylan held the phone button down so that the clerks could not call out, how Dave Darst was look out, how Dan B filled the baskets, the fact that it took a long time for the police to come- they could have all walked away, easily! The 9 were actually tried by the state as well as the feds- although any sentences (were there any?)  were run concurrent.                                                            

                                                  Karl Rove at Goucher, 9/16/9

9/16—Karl Rove speaks at Goucher College. Wine and cheese liberal President Sanford Ungar introduces him- probably under pressure from wealthy alums to bring a conservative to the campus. My friend, activist, Max Obuszewski and several others get up to read an inditement of Rove before he speaks. M is ushered out (although, thankfully, not arrested). A contingent of right wingers boos him and cheers as he is led out. They are Rove’s goon/ thug guard. Ungar remarks in ref to Max that Goucher believes in free speech. Tell that to civilians and American soldiers killed in Iraq. Disgusting stuff at a place of “higher learning”. Ungar responds to my letter- lists reasons for inviting Rove.

" I have received your email and voice mail.  I am quite surprised you would speak so definitively on this issue, without having attended the event last night.  To be honest, I don’t have a lot of time for knee-jerk critics like you, but let me establish a few facts:

1.       As I explained last night, the cost of Mr. Rove’s visit was paid from a fund established by an anonymous donor who wants to assure that we have a broad range of speakers on campus; not a penny of college funds were spent to bring him.

2.       We do not have a list of “acceptable” and “unacceptable” speakers.  If you do, I wonder how you arrived at the consensus and whether you’ve persuaded any institution to endorse your lists.  Goucher College does not have an ideology; it is committed to free speech.  Standing up and shouting and trying to prevent someone from speaking is disruption, not speech.  Yes, I had the disruptive people removed, and our students – none of whom were among them – were very pleased that I did so, because they wanted to ask questions, not shout.

3.       You can easily get a list of people who have spoken at Goucher in my eight+ years as president, and I think you’ll find many progressives among them.

4.       We are under no pressure whatsoever from conservatives – what a naïve and foolish suggestion.  You clearly know nothing about the college.

5.       You dropped my friend Marc Steiner’s name in your voice mail.  Although I have not spoken with Marc about this, I feel sure that he shares my understanding of free speech and would have thought it was a very interesting idea to have Karl Rove on campus for a conversation and dialogue.Yours,  Sanford Ungar" 

You can imagine my response.                                           

                              9/28/9-   Letter from Joe Tropea, making a film on the draft and other peace activists

(I had asked Bill Ayers (of Weatherman fame)  about reconciling Christian pacifism with Marxist revolutionary ideals at the Baltimore Book Festival, on 9/27/9- Hoe and Skzz were there filming) i"I heard your question and knew it was you yesterday, but i never saw you. what did you think of his talk?
i had a great interview with him before the talk and then rode and filmed in a cab with him to reagan intrnl. airport.
the most shocking thing he said to me was that he considered you guys (specifically he named mary and dan (note by de-  Mary Moylan and Dan Berrigan who went underground as did George, Phil and myself) as part of the weather underground when you were underground. i took it as he meant there was no sanctioning body, carving divisions up: you were all underground and united against the same cause. pretty cool.
he also said that he saw mary a few times when she was underground. that surprised me too.

Joe Tropea

                      Visit by George Mische (G)  from 9/12-18/09 -in connection w play at Univ. of Md, College Park, Md.)

G tries me to rewrite what I put into Wikipedia on the C- 9 because I added a bit on the Plowshares action which G doen’t approve of; I tell him –no-I'm not going to change it- it’s something I believe. He yells- you’re not a part of the C-9. No, I retort- but I consider myself part of that movement. I tell him rewrite Wikipedia yourself if you don’t like what I said.

 An honest debate about tactics- that I could see. G mentions people taking one step at a time- good- he mentions participation in electoral politics-good;building a large movement is good; that doesn’t mean Plowshares actions are to be demeaned, in my opinion,  and dismissed out of hand. G says they’re not part of “our legacy”. I tell him that the Plowshares actions make him look good- that is- a movement he helped start continues!

 I begin to see how major disagreements and misunderstandings occur in history and how old friends end up enemies. G gets things twisted, as in telling me that my Cathy had been given the impression by me that I was in the Catonsville 9- where did he get that from? Or, that Nicole of the U of Md told me I couldn’t be a part of the panel- when I never asked her if I could.

 Maybe 250 + raids by some one’s (who?) count- this needs verifying. 

He speaks of 5 who did not join the Balto 4- was that true? who were they, besides Dean and Bill O'C- I ask- he doesn't know- then he tells me he saw in in a news article that I had in my basement- sounds like idle chatter. Dean agrees, he didn’t know of people who dropped out of the four- he certainly wasn’t one- he tells me on 9/17. I don't think the 4 action wouldn’t have gone on without me.  He also tells me I always feel “left out”! Who doesn’t? I DID feel left out at the time of the C-9- I don’t believe I had been asked to join- but probably wouldn’t anyhow. My problem with feeling left out is that I tended- because of my disposition to depression- to get stuck in a self blaming rut- the needle stuck on a record- it happened to me several times in my life- completely immobilizing me. So what- I’m happy now- I got through it. 

George thinks that I have drunk the poison kool aide of the cult (Dan and Phil’s)- he likens them to Jim Jones or David Koresh- which is just plain silly. 

He tells me that people he knows on the Catholic left agrees w Plowshares- I remind him that Phil., Tom and Dan were part of the Plowshares-  (Dan and Phil were in the first Plowshares group- the King of Prussia action) that he should be proud that the actions continue in that way- he says they don't represent us at all- that Jonah House is a bunch of hucksters- it's ridiculous! 

Hearing G talk about the various actions- they all seem to have very differing “camps” within them as in the Camden 28 divided into 2 camps- meaning? Re Giacchino’s (sp)  film- would it be fair or not- would it give too much play to Father Mc? Mick Doyle- you’ve got to remember these are strong minded people. The Chicago 15- or some there in came to the conclusion that Linda Quint was an agent- because she went undergraund and then surfaced and never had to to do time- sounds sworth investigating. 

Generally G says people have been generous with their archives. 

Panel at UMD of 9/14 very interesting…discussion of bombing of math lab in Madison by Rev. Wimberly- one of the panelists- George is a brilliant presenter- he has given his spiel so often he has it down- highpts. Being:  Nuremburg principles- 3 components-citizens must stand up,  no blind following orders, no nation knows best, no…, what civil disobedience must have to be successful. 

Film maker  (of “Hit and Stay”- I need to talk to him about this weak title- Maybe "Hit or Split"?) , Joe Tropea,  rides with us- we discuss how is he going to make it exciting. I watch a segment on the demo at Fed Ex field- it’s darn good. 

Helene gives me the best description of the genesis of the C- 9- of all- of course she was there in DC- she says G came up with the idea- that he didn’t brow beat any one- that people voted to be in- that Tom and Phil were shocked at first. G says he came up to Phil at our trial and mentioned this. 

I think of what I wld say if called upon- which I may well b- first of all that I like talking the prison lingo w  G- "Mr. Raconteur"- I gravitate to what I like: humor and the imagination- I’m a poet- g’s story abt the bulb going off in his head when the lawyer- says- you mean if these files were burned, they’re no duplicates?  The imagination to make connections, the education to make them…fact that c-9 play is rather a documentary- it is slow- like the long  French documentary movie, “Shoah”- not dramatically resistance like the exciting and action packed  movie about the  2 Jewish brothers who become partisans in the Polish forest; an exciting trial film would be the wonderful  animated movie on the Trial of the Chicago 7 one or the Camden 28  documentary by Giacchino. Actually I am on stage for the post play discussion. I get applause when I wish every one a Happy Rashoshonah. Also laughter when I tell them I am a Christian pacifist revolutionary Marxist!

Everyone loves a story: we have so many- story of G saving me from homosexual rape; Phil falling for Boyd Douglas, anger of Harrisburg 8 people at Phil for writing all these letters out of the joint that made the case against them; at the Univ. of Md. panel on 9/14- some one asks G why they took, the resisters to Lewisburg- and G tells a story about the FBI taking him on a round about way, so that- of all things- none of his comrades would spring him- which I doubt- also that they sent us to Lewisburg because they had a snitch- Boyd Douglas there waiting to set us up. Sounds good, but, in my opinion, doubtful. G is finding too much meaning in some happenings. I guess it’s possible and G would say I’m naïf/ naieve?

The higher law? It’s simple- build it around the sanctity of life- how many activist fundamentalist/ conservative anti abortionists have we had join us- working to end war?- they would, using the life is sacred mantra: become Marxists and fight poverty and want wealth distributed, they would join the Earth Liberation Front and work to conserve the planet, they would distribute condoms all over the place and endorse birth control, they would be for gun control and against capital punishment.?  

I learn about and order Jerry Elmer’s book- Felon for Peace,  G says a Betty Metzger is working on one re the Media, Pa FBI raid,  also, there is a documentary “The War at Home”- about the student situation in Madison, Wisc. One of the panelists at U Md on 9/14- was going to school there and says at one point when the police were attacking an area where radicals lived,  the students were on the roofs with rifles. He also speaks of the bombing of the math lab, where one person was killed. This gentleman- Mr. Wimberly-  now a Presbyterian minister in foggy bottom, says that is when he decided to drop out and become a meat packer- his life had been changed.  

        On 10/6/'09- I read the following- one of Phil's last statements- on Wikipedia Phil Berrigan-  sounds like him: sounds good!!!

"The American people are, more and more, making their voices heard against Bush and his warrior clones. Bush and his minions slip out of control, determined to go to war, determined to go it alone, determined to endanger the Palestinians further, determined to control Iraqi oil, determined to ravage further a suffering people and their shattered society. The American people can stop Bush, can yank his feet closer to the fire, can banish the war makers from Washington D.C., can turn this society around and restore it to faith and sanity."

note by DE- Phil had a real sense of poetry!!  note  "warrior clones", "shattered society" and, "yank his feet"    

                               Molly Rush (of Plowshares 8-now w the Thomas Merton Center)  writes from Pittsburg re G-20 protests in Sept., 2009 - naturally note of this was in the mainstream media- mainstream sux

"The Merton Center Anti-War Committee sponsored a legal, totally peaceful march & rally on Friday the 25th with many, many groups and 8000 participants. There were any educational programs, workshops, speakers, including international and Joseph Stiglitz, 2 tent cities protesting bailouts and refugees created y U.S. policies.

The anarchists did their thing on the 24th. On the evening of the 25th the police surrounded & arrested at least 80 people, including over 50 students & others who were totally uninvolved & trying to disperse as ordered. The police wore riot gear, pepper-sprayed the crowd, shot rubber bullets & injured others. Lawsuits will be filed. We are supporting these violations of civil rights.

We [the TMC] were not part of their unpermitted protest on the 24th in which a man from California broke windows and damaged ATMs. I suspect he may have been a provocateur, although I don't know that. I do know the group - only about 200, a number of whom were local, made themselves, probably naively, vulerable to infiltration.

The city was locked down, businesses closed, 4000 police & military from all over."

Letter to Indypendent Reader (7/17/'09) - a newsletter (from New York?) w articles one issue by young anarchists of Red Emmas and Baltimore

10/15/'09- This weekend will mark the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry- with many events to commemorate it in that West Va town so close to us.

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