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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview Kathy Kelly
Aired August 17, 2003 - 07:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Now the after effects of the Iraqi war here on U.S. soil. A retired Florida school teacher, who was a human shield in Iraq, is being fined by the U.S. federal government.
Faith Fittinger (ph), is refusing to fork over the -- at least, $10,000, and she is not the only U.S. citizen who has been fined for going to Iraq. Kathy Kelly is the founder of Voices in The Wilderness, a national peace activist group. Her group has received a summons to pay fines in the mid-90's.
Now, CNN did invite the Treasury Department to take part in our interview, but calls were not returned.
Good morning, Miss Kelly, thanks for joining us.
KATHY KELLY, FOUNDER, VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS: Good morning, thank you.
CALLEBS: Now you have been to Iraq some 20 times since 1996, tell us about your finds and what you plan on doing.
KELLY: Well, I was in Iraq during the most recent bombing, and I, and others, have felt very strongly that we ought not to be paying fines that might contribute toward more United States military activity in Iraq, but rather that the Justice Department should take the money that's being invested in trying to pursue fines against those of us who have been to Iraq and instead use that to try to help the rehabilitate the situation in Iraq in a more humanitarian way.
CALLEBS: But to the point, you do not plan on paying the fines?
KELLY: That's right.
CALLEBS: And what are the fines right now?
KELLY: Well, we're being sued because of the so-called crime of having brought medicine and toys to children and families in Iraq. Voice in the Wilderness sent 70 delegations over to Iraq since 1996 and we wanted to dramatize our confrontation with policies that we believed were cruel and unjust. They were not discernibly affecting Saddam Hussein at all.
But you know the economic sanctions caused the deaths of hundreds and thousands of children under the age five. Those children committed no crime. CALLEBS: I guess, to be specific, you are in violation of those sanctions, I guess is what the government is saying. And looking back on it, what did you accomplish by doing this all those years?
KELLY: You know in 1991 I think that many people in the United States didn't know much abut ordinary people in Iraq, or about political issues regarding Iraq. But I think that as the United States went into this most recent shock and awe campaign, they anti-war movement came closer to the critical mass that could stop a war before it starts than it ever had before.
And I think that's because there was terrific education that went on all across this country. And that happened in large part, because so many people went over to Iraq and they go to know ordinary Iraqi people. And they said, look, this is what we've seen and heard. These people mean us no harm. They don't intend any harm to people in the United States.
And that always had been the case, in our own experience, and now, things have changed, I think substantially.
CALLEBS: Well, tell us, looking back on it over the years, do you think you could have spent your time and your money and your efforts in a better way, rather than simply going over there and incurring the wrath of U.S. government?
KELLY: We didn't just incur the wrath of the U.S. government, we had a chance to build real relationships with families, with people just like ourselves, teachers and plumbers, and drivers and people who then began to help us educate people in the United States.
And, you know, democracy is based on information. We came back with needed information. And we still want to be part of that process.
CALLEBS: What's your thoughts now, as you see the picture to continue to unfold in Iraq? You hear about the oil fires, the disruption of water service and a lot of armed forces individuals seem to be saying that they seem to be bogged down?
KELLY: Well, I think, just in one day of the bombing $1 billion was spent on explosives to destroy homes and families in Iraq. And I think that now is a time to stop and pause and rethink the United States policy. It seems to me that it would be far better to have a neutral third party source in Iraq to help them move toward a transition. A more democratic form of government would be welcome by people in that country. They could achieve it.
But I think that it's not a time to be maintaining an occupation that involves people shooting at families and children. It will cause resentment and rage.
CALLEBS: Miss Kelly, one final question about your fines, what happens next? Are you going to go to court? Is there a chance that you could be fined, sent to prison?
KELLY: Well, we certainly will want to encourage people all across the United States, in fact across the world to join us. The government has defined us as a loose association of individuals. So, we're encouraging people to sign a petition and say, Yes, there are many, many voices that want to oppose warfare as a means of solving problems in Iraq.
And we've always said, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time," but we don't anticipate prison and we won't be paying any fines.
CALLEBS: OK, the group is Voices in the Wilderness, Kathy Kelly, thanks so much for joining us from Chicago this morning.
KELLY: Thank you, Sean.
CALLEBS: We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 17, 2003 - 07:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Now the after effects of the Iraqi war here on U.S. soil. A retired Florida school teacher, who was a human shield in Iraq, is being fined by the U.S. federal government.
Faith Fittinger (ph), is refusing to fork over the -- at least, $10,000, and she is not the only U.S. citizen who has been fined for going to Iraq. Kathy Kelly is the founder of Voices in The Wilderness, a national peace activist group. Her group has received a summons to pay fines in the mid-90's.
Now, CNN did invite the Treasury Department to take part in our interview, but calls were not returned.
Good morning, Miss Kelly, thanks for joining us.
KATHY KELLY, FOUNDER, VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS: Good morning, thank you.
CALLEBS: Now you have been to Iraq some 20 times since 1996, tell us about your finds and what you plan on doing.
KELLY: Well, I was in Iraq during the most recent bombing, and I, and others, have felt very strongly that we ought not to be paying fines that might contribute toward more United States military activity in Iraq, but rather that the Justice Department should take the money that's being invested in trying to pursue fines against those of us who have been to Iraq and instead use that to try to help the rehabilitate the situation in Iraq in a more humanitarian way.
CALLEBS: But to the point, you do not plan on paying the fines?
KELLY: That's right.
CALLEBS: And what are the fines right now?
KELLY: Well, we're being sued because of the so-called crime of having brought medicine and toys to children and families in Iraq. Voice in the Wilderness sent 70 delegations over to Iraq since 1996 and we wanted to dramatize our confrontation with policies that we believed were cruel and unjust. They were not discernibly affecting Saddam Hussein at all.
But you know the economic sanctions caused the deaths of hundreds and thousands of children under the age five. Those children committed no crime. CALLEBS: I guess, to be specific, you are in violation of those sanctions, I guess is what the government is saying. And looking back on it, what did you accomplish by doing this all those years?
KELLY: You know in 1991 I think that many people in the United States didn't know much abut ordinary people in Iraq, or about political issues regarding Iraq. But I think that as the United States went into this most recent shock and awe campaign, they anti-war movement came closer to the critical mass that could stop a war before it starts than it ever had before.
And I think that's because there was terrific education that went on all across this country. And that happened in large part, because so many people went over to Iraq and they go to know ordinary Iraqi people. And they said, look, this is what we've seen and heard. These people mean us no harm. They don't intend any harm to people in the United States.
And that always had been the case, in our own experience, and now, things have changed, I think substantially.
CALLEBS: Well, tell us, looking back on it over the years, do you think you could have spent your time and your money and your efforts in a better way, rather than simply going over there and incurring the wrath of U.S. government?
KELLY: We didn't just incur the wrath of the U.S. government, we had a chance to build real relationships with families, with people just like ourselves, teachers and plumbers, and drivers and people who then began to help us educate people in the United States.
And, you know, democracy is based on information. We came back with needed information. And we still want to be part of that process.
CALLEBS: What's your thoughts now, as you see the picture to continue to unfold in Iraq? You hear about the oil fires, the disruption of water service and a lot of armed forces individuals seem to be saying that they seem to be bogged down?
KELLY: Well, I think, just in one day of the bombing $1 billion was spent on explosives to destroy homes and families in Iraq. And I think that now is a time to stop and pause and rethink the United States policy. It seems to me that it would be far better to have a neutral third party source in Iraq to help them move toward a transition. A more democratic form of government would be welcome by people in that country. They could achieve it.
But I think that it's not a time to be maintaining an occupation that involves people shooting at families and children. It will cause resentment and rage.
CALLEBS: Miss Kelly, one final question about your fines, what happens next? Are you going to go to court? Is there a chance that you could be fined, sent to prison?
KELLY: Well, we certainly will want to encourage people all across the United States, in fact across the world to join us. The government has defined us as a loose association of individuals. So, we're encouraging people to sign a petition and say, Yes, there are many, many voices that want to oppose warfare as a means of solving problems in Iraq.
And we've always said, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time," but we don't anticipate prison and we won't be paying any fines.
CALLEBS: OK, the group is Voices in the Wilderness, Kathy Kelly, thanks so much for joining us from Chicago this morning.
KELLY: Thank you, Sean.
CALLEBS: We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
