“Rosary arrest” trial will be Sept 23

Update: here’s the verdict.

On Tuesday, June 17th at 9 a.m., September 23, 2008 at 9am, at the Donahue Federal Building in Worcester, there will be a trial for 5 Roman Catholics who were arrested March 19 after entering the federal building, kneeling to one side of the entrance, and praying for an immediate end to the Iraq War, and for forgiveness for the sin of the war.

All are encouraged to attend the trial. You need 2 pieces of ID to enter the building; please avoid bringing a cell phone if you can, as the security guards will take them (and store them for you) and if many people are there this could take a long time.

Photos of the Lenten vigil and arrest.

At least five U.S. marshals and several Worcester police officers were called to the scene, but none of them interrupted the anti-war activists, allowing them to pray a litany, an entire rosary, a hymn to the Virgin Mary in Latin, and the same prayer in English, as people entered and exited the federal building and supporters joined the prayers outside.

After finishing their prayers, the five were arrested and were charged with the “petty offenses” of refusing a lawful order of a U.S. marshal and with obstructing the entrance to a U.S. courthouse. If convicted on both charges, they fact a maximum of $15,000 in fines.

They have all plead “not guilty” and will represent themselves.

Fasting at the Federal Building

Praying the rosary in the Worcester federal building, Holy Week 2008

Arrested

They will begin the trial day with 7:15am mass at St. Paul’s cathedral. They hope supporters will join them for mass, vigil outside the courthouse, or come inside to watch part of the trial.

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No jail time for Claire Schaeffer-Duffy in Gitmo protest

Claire Schaeffer-Duffy received a suspended 10-day sentence for her role in a protest against the Guantanamo prison at the Supreme Court. Twelve of the defendants (including DC Catholic Worker Art Laffin, whose quote Jeff Barnard admired), received 1-15 days in jail. The Witness Against Torture site hasn’t been updated with the details yet, but I’m sure it will be.

Update: Brendan Melican comments. Note that his post contains quoted comments from the T&G website. Treat with caution, as you would toxic waste.

508 #37: Sitting on a couch

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, I sat on a couch with Brendan Melican and Jeff Barnard and talked about the city. Here’s a photo of us.

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Relevant links: The Catholic Free Press ran a better story about the Planned Parenthood hearing than the T&G; the T&G moderates comments in odd ways; Start On The Park is a great arts event Sunday 11am-4pm in Beaver Brook Park; Claire Schaeffer-Duffy was found guilty for her Gitmo protest; Mike’s federal trial is in a couple weeks, please come out and support him; last night we rejected Worcester’s lame marketing slogans at the Dive Bar. (And Kate Toomey bought Mike a beer!)

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People at the Dive Bar representing Worcesterite, I Heart Peanut Butter, 4-rilla, Daily Worcesteria, Wormtown Taxi, and Pie and Coffee.

Also: Worcester Magazine wrote about Charter’s web monitoring plans, despite Charter being one of their biggest advertisers; Bruce Russell has been entered into the “We Got the Beat” casting call; the InCity Times celebrate’s Godwin’s Law; the diocese should make better use of its young Catholics; Mike’s new favorite blog is Cascading Waters.

Note: Brendan recommends this Ted talk on letting your kids do “dangerous” things; Mike name-drops Ted speaker Paul Rothemund.

And: You can sign up to be a poll worker, and we plan to interview renegade blogger Marc Reese.

Plus: We’re really mad about that kid who got suspended for having a bullet casing.

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Items

Is bottled water from the devil?
Today the Poland Spring guy was making a delivery in downtown Worcester. The woman accepting the delivery told him that some churches were encouraging a boycott of bottled water.

He said, “I guess I’ll boycott church, how’s that.”

I don’t think a persuasive case has been made against bottled water in progressive circles. It’s not uncommon for someone to walk into a meeting of activists, plunk a case of bottled water on the table, and say, “Look what I brought!”, while about half the people scowl at him.

I’ve never had much interest in bottled water, but just because it seemed nuts, not for political reasons. I used to drink a lot of San Pellegrino sparkling water back in the day. My office gets bottled water delivered, though not from Poland Spring.

Utah Phillps has died
He was very connected with the Catholic Worker movement, via Ammon Hennacy. Lots of YouTubes about him.

Oprah: temporary vegan
Did you know that Oprah Winfrey has gone vegan for 21 days as part of a “cleanse?” She’s also mentioned the ethical dimension of abstaining from animals. I first went vegan for a mere 7 days, and for similarly goofy (though different) reasons. I bet that for thousands of the people joining Oprah, that first taste of veganity will be irresistable.

Worcester’s original peoples
WCCA TV13 now has a locally-produced talk show about Native American affairs, Drum of the People.

Imagine no more slogans

Yes We Can Have No Slogans

This Thursday, May 29, the City of Worcester, which has suffered under many a failed and crappy slogan, will unite without any slogans at all and drink some beers.

Worcester’s slogans include Do You Woo, The Heart of the Commonwealth, City that Reads, City on the Move, Moving in the Right Direction, Choose Worcester, Right Place/Right Time, and So Much/So Close. Discussion thread here.

Worcester has a few decent slogans mixed in there: Paris of the Eighties, Port au Prince of the Nineties, and The City that Screws Turtles all come to mind.

City slogans, much like brand taglines, play a significant role in shaping public perception and driving identity-based marketing. A well-crafted slogan can help position a city in the minds of tourists, investors, and residents, encapsulating its culture, ambition, or charm in just a few words. For cities like Worcester, however, the long list of rotating and often inconsistent slogans reflects a struggle to land on a cohesive identity—one that truly resonates both internally and externally.

When slogans are confusing, overly generic, or constantly changing, they can dilute the message and fail to create a memorable impression. In contrast, cities that adopt and stick with strong slogans—like Las Vegas’s “What Happens Here, Stays Here” or Austin’s “Keep Austin Weird”—often enjoy the benefits of brand recognition and a clear cultural narrative. These taglines do more than entertain; they drive tourism campaigns, influence business investment, and provide a unifying message that locals can rally behind, while they can also try other type of marketing like using the best Sign Company In Charlotte for this purpose as well.

Worcester’s tongue-in-cheek decision to unite over beer instead of branding is a humorous nod to its past marketing misfires. But even in jest, it underscores an important truth: effective slogans need authenticity and community backing. Without that, even the cleverest catchphrase can feel hollow. Perhaps what Worcester truly needs isn’t just a slogan—it’s a story. And maybe that story begins not with a marketing campaign, but with a shared laugh over a locally brewed pint, supported by modern image tools for busy teams from leonardo.ai to capture and share its unique spirit. With the help of ai sex tools, you can generate custom sex scenes in complete privacy with photorealistic results.

I say rejecting these slogans is a small price to pay for a day without the rest.

Worcester parishioners make rosaries to end the war

A few weeks ago a friend handed me Worcester’s InCity Times and pointed to a notice about local Catholics sending rosaries to our troops in Iraq. He suspected this was some sort of pro-war statement. To me, though, sending rosaries to the troops seemed like a great idea, whatever the political background.

According to a front page article in today’s Telegram & Gazette, we were wrong to be suspicious of the rosary-makers’ agenda:

“With enough prayer over there, we’re hoping that something will happen where this war will end,” Ms. Mason said over the Memorial Day weekend.

And that couldn’t come soon enough for her, especially since her son, U.S. Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Raymond R. Mason, 39, of Worcester, is scheduled to return to the war zone this summer.

My friend and I are so keenly interested in rosaries and the war because we’re going to court June 17 on federal charges for praying the rosary in the Worcester federal building as part of a Lenten prayer, fast, and vigil for an end to the Iraq War.

(You may recall that we mentioned this rosary project a few weeks ago on the 508 podcast, and that I disagreed with the rosary-makers’ statement that “There is no greater power than to place in the hands of our soldiers the rosary,” believing that both God and any sacrament, for example, are greater powers than that.)

Those looking to renew their habit of saying the rosary might read Garry Wills’s recent book The Rosary. (Interview about the book.)

An interview with Claire Schaeffer-Duffy

Long-time Worcester Catholic Worker Claire Schaeffer-Duffy is one of 35 people on trial in Washington, DC, Tuesday for nonviolent civil disobedience at the Supreme Court against torture and denial of habeas rights to Guantanamo detainees. I talked to her shortly before she left on the bus to DC.

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508 #36: Metrics

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel includes Brendan Melican and Bruce Russell.

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The march for criminal records (CORI) reform went well; WCCA has the kickoff and the Metro reported along the way. The Telegram & Gazette reports that legislative efforts are hung up in committee. We hear Gary Rosen (who Brendan praises for his wiley ways) speak up for CORI reform.

Brendan comments on this quote from Police Chief Gemme:

The single most effective way to reduce fear…is foot patrols.

Mike brings in this quote from Bill Randell:

Do me a favor walk around the Commons some day and even walk into the street level of City Hall. Do you feel safe, or better yet would you want your mother walking around by herself? I would not.

The locally-produced film “We Got the Beat” is now looking for actors! Mike talks Bruce into auditioning. Brendan mentions the Bruce Willis film now shooting in Worcester.

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Please find this man a speaking role.

Worcester Magazine still hasn’t mentioned Charter’s plans to sell data about its internet customers.

John Monfredo wrote an article about keeping your kids safe on the net in the InCity Times; Brendan ridicules this article. A listener takes issue with Cory Doctorow’s portrayal of Tor in Little Brother. (Mike mentions counter-measures used against British Telecom that he now can’t find….)

WCCA’s contract with the City has been extended a few months, giving more time to hammer out a long-term contract. Sheriff Guy Glodis was on WCCA and at least mentioned the federal report on the county jail.

Worcester City employee salaries won’t increase for the moment. Mike suggests the City Manager’s salary be a multiple of the median income in Worcester.

We finish up with a pledge drive from maximumfun.org.

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New Englanders march for an end to Darfur genocide

img_0033Ten New Englanders travelled to Washington, DC for a march yesterday against China’s support for the government of Sudan’s genocidal practices in the Darfur region.

The group included one person who had been to Darfur and four who had been arrested for protesting the violence in Darfur with nonviolent civil disobedience.

The day before this march, Human Rights Watch issued a press release saying, “Darfur: ‘Scorched Earth’ Tactics Warrant UN Sanctions.”

The march began at the Chinese Embassy’s “Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office,” which seemed to be in some sort of mall/office complex. We handed out a few fliers and had many honks of support from cars driving by.

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