Make Memories, Not War Games (by Susan Muska and Amy L. Dalton)

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"...My intent in going there was to save lives. A person may break the law to save lives." - Tom Lewis, quoted in Daniel Berrigan's The Trial of the Catonsville 9

On Saturday May 17, anti-war activists gathered in Maryland to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Catonsville draft card burning action, and to remember Tom Lewis, one of the "Catonsville 9," who died on April 4 of this year. Read more and watch video below.



In commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Catonsville 9 action, anti-war activists from across the mid-Atlantic states converged in Maryland on Saturday to protest at the Andrews Air Force Base Air Show. After being turned away due to their political" shirts, several dozen protesters held banners and played frisbee that read "War is Not A Game!" outside the Fed Ex Center where carloads of families and aficionados were gathering to park.

The anti-game was part of a month of public education and action in remembrance of the burning of draft cards undertaken by 9 Catholic peace activists, including two priests, on May 17, 1968. The "Catonsville 9" trial broke through the public consciousness and became a touchstone of anti-war sentiment for a generation.

After the protest, the group gathered at the Viva Catholic Worker Community for a memorial service for one of the 9, Thomas Patrick Lewis, who died on April 4. During his life, Lewis participated in many acts of civil disobedience against the Vietnam War, the nuclear arms race, and the current US War in Iraq. Lewis's commitment to justice and peace also flowed out of his love and art.

More on Tom:
Read Obituary: Tom Lewis: An Artist-Activist by Scott Schaeffer-Duffy |
Photo Gallery | | |
More on the Catonsville 9:
Schedule of
Events from Jonah House | "Fire & Faith": The Catonsville Nine
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