Statement to Federal Court
Hearing on April 14, 2004
Kaki Sjogren

I am a very complex being who is trying to find meaning in life. Like you I have a range of opinions and ideas. The following convictions are what led me to refuse to cooperate with the United States government the day we attacked Iraq with "shock and awe".

Basically, I believe it is wrong for my government:

To practice a double standard by prohibiting any country from possessing weapons of mass destruction while we maintain arsenal of WMD's to enforce it

To condemn any country & to sentence their people to tens of thousands of deaths without evidence that goes " beyond a reasonable doubt"

To exercise conflict of interest wherein officials personally benefit from the oil business that flows from the occupation of a country

Secondly I believe:

Pre-emptive strikes and unilateral action set a bad precedent for other countries.

and wins us more enemies than friends

Military siege leaves in its wake death, destruction, and cancer causing depleted uranium, land mines, and post traumatic stress, while fostering even more terrorism

Big spending for war may relieve our economic recession but will leave our children's children with huge debts

And fundamentally I believe in:

The teachings of Jesus, Martin Luther King, and Peace Pilgrim which point to these universal truths

Only love can overcome hate

Only goodness can overcome evil

Only light can overcome darkness.

Culture, class and religious strife will continue until people learn "love thine enemy."

And so it is for the sake of integrity that I abide by the highest ideals I know. They have kept me volunteering for 14 years in Alternatives to Violence ("AVP"), a project to help people stay out of prison. I respectfully request that the court find ways to fund my work instead of locking me away.