Uncommon Martyrs
“Between the war in the Persian Gulf and the War in Vietnam like nearly two decades of complacency, moral confusion—and unprecedented weapons procurement. “Throughout this time, a small group of people, led by radical priests Daniel and Philip Bererigan, have offered consistent opposition to American militarism, urging that the nation instead beat its swords into plowshares. “These activists, members of the Plowshares Movement, have spoken up by symbolic acts such as breaking into missile installations to pound on warheads with hammers; they have ‘paid up by receiving stiffer prison sentences than many rapists and murderers. Risking being shot on sight by military police, they accept eight-year sentences for what many would call pointless gestures, then hug the jurors who send them to prison…. “Uncommon Martyrspulls us into the moral world and personal motivations of such seemingly ordinary individuals as Jean and Joe Gump, grandparents from the Midwest who, after much prayer and consideration, put their affairs I order, say farewell to their children, and ten follow their consciences onto military bases, knowing full well that it will mean trading comfortable retirement for prison cells, and spending perhaps the rest of their lives separated and confined” “Carefully written and researched, this book will be useful to readers interested in the peace movement in the United States and provides excellent background material for group discussion. Recommended.” -Library Journal “Wilcox believes that these men and women [Plowshare activists] are like past heroes, ‘greatly loved and passionately hated while they live, a fate reserved for all uncommon martyrs.’ True or not, they server serious attention.” -Murray Polner, author of No Victory Parades: The Return of the Vietnam Veteran. “In these pages careful reporting and philosophical reflection are skillfully woven together in a gallery of colorful word pictures. Warning: it is very had to put down.” -The New People |
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