WEBVTT 00:00:13.620 --> 00:00:16.579 Hi, and welcome back to Tell Me What Happened, 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:19.120 the podcast that features folks from all walks 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:22.019 of life talking about childhood experiences that 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:25.460 they've had. I'm your host, Jay Rehack, and like 00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:28.320 you, I've had my share of childhood experiences, 00:00:28.780 --> 00:00:32.369 some of them great, some of them... Not so great, 00:00:32.530 --> 00:00:34.490 but I'd like to think that whatever happened 00:00:34.490 --> 00:00:37.149 to me as a child has impacted who I am today, 00:00:37.189 --> 00:00:40.189 and hopefully made me a better person. Tell Me 00:00:40.189 --> 00:00:44.689 What Happened is sponsored by Sideline Ink Publishing, 00:00:44.969 --> 00:00:46.969 publishers of quality books, including Susan 00:00:46.969 --> 00:00:50.490 Salador's classic One Little Act of Kindness, 00:00:50.869 --> 00:00:54.590 and I've Got Peace in My Fingers, both available 00:00:54.590 --> 00:00:58.750 now at any quality bookstore or even amazon .com. 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.719 Tell me what happened is also sponsored by laughsaver 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:05.680 .com. Visit laughsaver .com and record your laughter. 00:01:06.099 --> 00:01:08.980 We'll keep it for you now and forever. It's free 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:12.519 and your children and your grandchildren and 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:14.659 your great grandchildren will appreciate it. 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:17.500 So go to laughsaver .com today and record your 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:21.659 laughter. Today I have as my guest, one of my 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:24.219 favorite people in the world and an old friend 00:01:24.219 --> 00:01:27.879 of mine, Cathy Kelly. Cathy Kelly is a peace 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:31.459 activist. whose efforts have at times led her 00:01:31.459 --> 00:01:35.799 into war zones and prisons. She now coordinates 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:39.980 the Ban Killer Drones campaign. Welcome to Tell 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:42.659 Me What Happened, Kathy. Well, thank you, Jay. 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:45.879 Thank you very much for the invitation. Kathy, 00:01:46.140 --> 00:01:49.560 are you ready to tell your story? Sure. All right. 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.500 I'm going to get out of the way, Kathy. I'm going 00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:53.500 to mute myself. At the end, I'm going to come 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:56.000 back and ask you one question. And that one question 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:59.010 is, How has that childhood experience impacted 00:01:59.010 --> 00:02:02.230 who you are today? So take it away, Cathy Kelly. 00:02:03.010 --> 00:02:06.769 But Jay, on the southwest side of Chicago, where 00:02:06.769 --> 00:02:11.610 I grew up, an area that Saul Bellow once characterized 00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:15.430 as rows and rows of bungalows and scrawny little 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:20.849 parks, we were a pretty secure... outfit in my 00:02:20.849 --> 00:02:23.870 family. We were all pretty sure that mom, dad, 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:26.349 officer friendly, the parish nuns, the parish 00:02:26.349 --> 00:02:28.650 priests all wanted to keep us happy and, you 00:02:28.650 --> 00:02:31.669 know, kind of give us pats on the head. And I 00:02:31.669 --> 00:02:36.650 was a very pious child. I was in love with these 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:39.849 young nuns that wafted through my life. I thought 00:02:39.849 --> 00:02:42.949 they were quite beautiful in their long black 00:02:42.949 --> 00:02:47.080 flowing gowns. And I always wanted to gain their 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:50.039 approval or please them. And I was pretty sure 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:54.919 I'd one day be one of them. But it happened that 00:02:54.919 --> 00:03:01.199 in first grade, I met Bobby Alberts, Bobby Alberts 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:06.000 with big blue eyes and blonde hair and thin as 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:10.340 a rail. And he was actually just as interesting 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:15.780 as the nuns. Well, in childhood, I continued 00:03:15.780 --> 00:03:19.120 to be pretty fascinated by Bobby Alberts. And 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.639 at one point, we were in fourth grade, and he 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:26.120 said he'd like to see me outside of the drugstore. 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:28.120 You know, we went to the library, we went to 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:30.219 the drugstore after school, these were places 00:03:30.219 --> 00:03:33.419 we could go to. And I was very nervous about 00:03:33.419 --> 00:03:35.439 that. In fact, I said, Well, I think my sister 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:40.020 must come with me. And he had a small box and 00:03:40.020 --> 00:03:44.389 in it was a ring. And I immediately said, oh 00:03:44.389 --> 00:03:49.490 no, I can't take that. No. And I was stammering 00:03:49.490 --> 00:03:54.229 and blushing. And my sister was pretty confused 00:03:54.229 --> 00:03:58.530 also. And then I don't think Bobby Alberts liked 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:01.650 me very much anymore. That was my feeling. And 00:04:01.650 --> 00:04:04.110 I felt very, very, very sad about that because 00:04:04.110 --> 00:04:09.490 I always had. in my thoughts, a very, very fond 00:04:09.490 --> 00:04:13.349 feeling for Bobby Albertson. There was some competition. 00:04:14.129 --> 00:04:16.730 Sometimes he was number one in the class, and 00:04:16.730 --> 00:04:19.670 sometimes I was number one in the class. Well, 00:04:19.949 --> 00:04:22.670 off we went our separate ways after we graduated. 00:04:23.449 --> 00:04:27.069 So that's my childhood story, and I'll be very 00:04:27.069 --> 00:04:29.810 happy to tell you how it has impacted my life. 00:04:30.430 --> 00:04:33.509 Oh man, Bobby Alberts, he had his chance. He 00:04:33.509 --> 00:04:35.250 gave you, he tried to give you a ring, but you 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:37.629 turned them down. You had your escort, you know, 00:04:37.670 --> 00:04:40.170 your sister was your protector at that moment. 00:04:41.269 --> 00:04:45.189 Well, and in fact, I do remember that at one 00:04:45.189 --> 00:04:47.389 point there was this kind of a thud in the middle 00:04:47.389 --> 00:04:50.509 of my back and that Bobby Alberts had packed 00:04:50.509 --> 00:04:54.069 a pretty strong snowball and threw it at me. 00:04:54.389 --> 00:04:56.990 I think that was when I was in seventh grade. 00:04:57.629 --> 00:05:02.449 Oh boy, he carried that grudge, man. Well, Kathy, 00:05:02.509 --> 00:05:05.350 I know you was a peace activist and a good friend 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:09.050 over the years. And I'm not sure that Bobby Albert's 00:05:09.050 --> 00:05:11.610 impacted you as a peace activist, but I am very 00:05:11.610 --> 00:05:15.870 interested in hearing how that childhood experience 00:05:15.870 --> 00:05:18.230 impacted you as an adult. So I'm going to mute 00:05:18.230 --> 00:05:21.970 myself and hear that part of it. Well, I believe 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:26.470 very, very strongly that we are all accountable. 00:05:28.089 --> 00:05:31.050 for wrongful things that our governments do. 00:05:31.470 --> 00:05:35.449 We're not each of us guilty, but we all are accountable. 00:05:36.410 --> 00:05:39.410 And we have a legislative and an executive and 00:05:39.410 --> 00:05:44.009 a judicial branch, and we ought to work to connect 00:05:44.009 --> 00:05:46.949 with those branches of government and try to 00:05:46.949 --> 00:05:50.649 change things that are wrong, right the wrongs, 00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:54.360 and try to do what's right. And so, I believe 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:57.259 very, very strongly that war is always wrong. 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:02.139 And particularly in recent years, I've been deeply 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:05.879 troubled by the ways in which usage of what are 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:09.379 called unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, can 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:11.720 make it easier to go to war. You don't have to 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:14.879 have boots on the ground. You really practically 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:17.920 don't have to involve the US public much at all 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:20.560 because it's happening very, very far away and 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:23.560 there aren't body bags. You know, it's often 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:27.100 people don't really care very much. And I will 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:29.899 say I haven't been a stranger to going to prison 00:06:29.899 --> 00:06:33.680 when I felt very strongly about an issue. Jay, 00:06:33.779 --> 00:06:36.319 you and I would have known each other quite well 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.579 back in the day when some of us went out and 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:42.160 planted corn on top of nuclear missile silo sites. 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:45.079 And I did a year in prison for that action. And 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:47.620 it was the most educational year of my life since 00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:49.720 when I was five years old and learned how to 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:53.610 read. So anyway, I did go to prison again because 00:06:53.610 --> 00:06:56.189 of the School of the Americas, and your listeners 00:06:56.189 --> 00:07:00.110 could Google that. It's a terrible place that 00:07:00.110 --> 00:07:05.649 has coached people to be involved in assassinations 00:07:05.649 --> 00:07:08.930 and tortures and massacres and disappearances. 00:07:09.230 --> 00:07:11.850 And I did three months in prison for crossing 00:07:11.850 --> 00:07:15.509 the line at that particular military base. That 00:07:15.509 --> 00:07:22.439 was maybe 2005, I think. Well, By 2015, I had 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:26.920 been not only in Iraq and Gaza where wars were 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:31.379 going on, but also in Afghanistan and the drones 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:35.939 were being used over Afghan villages and against 00:07:35.939 --> 00:07:38.459 civilians again and again. And it just wasn't 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:41.579 getting coverage. It wasn't something that the 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:46.240 drone operators themselves seemed to be. allowed 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:48.439 to think about, you know, what if they wanted 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:50.920 to quit that work? What if they needed a manual 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:53.779 to help them distinguish between competence and 00:07:53.779 --> 00:07:56.399 non -competence? And so all these what -ifs were 00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:58.699 kind of placed in a letter and I had a loaf of 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:01.959 bread and I went to Whiteman Air Force Base to 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:04.459 cross the line and deliver my loaf of bread and 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:07.120 my letter and I was arrested and I was sentenced 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:09.519 ultimately to three months in prison. So I was 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:14.180 in the Lexington Federal Prison. And Bobby Alberts, 00:08:14.430 --> 00:08:19.310 had a friend who was from Vermont and was a peace 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:22.910 activist, or knew of peace activism anyway. And 00:08:22.910 --> 00:08:26.410 he said, hey, isn't that person you once knew, 00:08:26.610 --> 00:08:29.569 Cathy Kelly, did you know she's in prison again? 00:08:30.350 --> 00:08:33.049 And Bob Alberts hadn't seen me for many, many, 00:08:33.049 --> 00:08:35.929 many years, but he was kind of surprised by that. 00:08:35.929 --> 00:08:38.909 And he wrote to me. He wrote to me in the prison 00:08:38.909 --> 00:08:42.250 and he said, could I come and visit you? And 00:08:42.250 --> 00:08:45.960 I said, oh. Yes, you know, and now you can actually 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:48.860 communicate by email from prison. So I emailed 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.559 them and said, sure. Well, the prison did not 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.399 make it easy. They told him he had to get a passport 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:56.460 renewed, that he had to go through a background 00:08:56.460 --> 00:09:00.919 check. But well, it happened that the gospel 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:04.620 choir inside the prison had needed a soprano. 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:08.779 And so I used to go to the rehearsals just because 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:12.159 I like to listen. And the gospel choir director 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:14.960 said, hey, Senor Lalas, let me hear you. And 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:19.179 I did. And so all of a sudden I'm in the prison's 00:09:19.179 --> 00:09:22.620 gospel choir. And I, because of that, was kind 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:26.240 of standing near a window and could look outside. 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:30.039 And I thought to myself, that's Bobby Alberts. 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:34.259 And it was indeed Bobby Alberts had come to see 00:09:34.259 --> 00:09:38.539 me in the Lexington prison, not once, but twice. 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:43.809 And After that, when I was released, he agreed 00:09:43.809 --> 00:09:47.029 at one point to go with one of our peace delegations. 00:09:47.870 --> 00:09:50.850 We went to many places, really, Jay. We had gone 00:09:50.850 --> 00:09:54.110 to Iraq. Gosh, I guess I went there 27 times 00:09:54.110 --> 00:09:57.129 to break the economic sanctions. And we've gotten 00:09:57.129 --> 00:10:00.450 to know many people who were displaced by wars 00:10:00.450 --> 00:10:04.730 and who had suffered a great deal. And in one 00:10:04.730 --> 00:10:08.649 case, somebody and our friend Walid and his son 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:13.360 AUS had made it to Finland after a grueling, 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:17.700 horrific journey as refugees. And so we wanted 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:22.179 to go and see if we could help him navigate through 00:10:22.179 --> 00:10:26.240 the UNHCR and other processes, hoping to get 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.840 refuge status and maybe eventually even get his 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:31.419 family to Finland. And we knew that we needed 00:10:31.419 --> 00:10:33.600 somebody to handle the logistics. It certainly 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:38.159 couldn't be me. So Bob Alberts went along and 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:41.360 I guess it was in the course of that trip I realized 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.820 there's something there between the two of us 00:10:43.820 --> 00:10:47.440 that stems right back to the day that he offered 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.720 me that ring and I said, oh, I can't take that. 00:10:51.179 --> 00:10:53.879 And now I've changed my mind and I live with 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:57.620 Bob Alberts. We're quite happy. We actually right 00:10:57.620 --> 00:11:01.080 now are both full -time caregivers for his older 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:03.919 brother who has pancreatic cancer. So we're a 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:08.039 bit tethered to the home. And I'm very happy 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:14.580 that on Christmas Eve, we'll put out the luminaria, 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:18.320 the candles inside the plastic bags. And I think 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:22.000 in my childhood piety, I really did love the 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:26.340 idea that the light shines in the darkness and 00:11:26.340 --> 00:11:29.820 the darkness shall not overcome it. And this 00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:33.029 has been a light. that shines really with a great 00:11:33.029 --> 00:11:35.809 deal of beauty and grace in my life. So I'm so 00:11:35.809 --> 00:11:38.809 happy and fortunate and pleased. And I still 00:11:38.809 --> 00:11:43.789 want to put an end to every war. That was fantastic. 00:11:44.090 --> 00:11:46.289 That's great. That's a great Christmas story. 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:48.889 I mean, in the sense that it's a love story. 00:11:49.149 --> 00:11:52.769 I mean, Cathy, I know you're a lover of all humanity. 00:11:52.769 --> 00:11:55.750 I mean, genuinely. I mean, that's not hyperbolic. 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:59.720 That's true. Everybody matters. I'm so glad that 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:01.879 it's circled back to Bobby in the sense that 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:03.740 I feel bad for the kid when you're telling me 00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:05.419 this story because he gives you the ring and 00:12:05.419 --> 00:12:07.139 you can't take it. But I mean, it's a little 00:12:07.139 --> 00:12:08.860 early to be getting a ring in fourth grade, I'm 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:11.919 saying. But I'm so happy that, you know, in the 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:14.799 full circle of time that he was able to reconnect 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:19.080 with you. It's a beautiful, beautiful Christmas 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:22.909 and love story. So thank you for that. really 00:12:22.909 --> 00:12:25.529 does connect beautifully. I do appreciate all 00:12:25.529 --> 00:12:27.429 of the piecework that you do. I think you know 00:12:27.429 --> 00:12:31.009 that. Susan and I, my wife and I, we both appreciate 00:12:31.009 --> 00:12:34.970 it very much. But I'm also of a mind, always 00:12:34.970 --> 00:12:39.210 have been of a mind, that it's important that 00:12:39.210 --> 00:12:41.210 the world, that you work to make the world a 00:12:41.210 --> 00:12:43.289 better place, but also that you have the opportunity 00:12:43.289 --> 00:12:45.629 to be loved on an intimate level with somebody. 00:12:45.730 --> 00:12:47.889 So I'm so happy that Bobby came back into your 00:12:47.889 --> 00:12:49.470 life. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:57.659 Well, thank you. It is a true happiness. I do 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:02.200 feel that there's a kind of an artificial shortage 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:06.059 of love in our world. And it's curious to me 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:09.919 that sometimes we create that shortage of love 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:13.220 in our world. And I don't think any individual 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:18.320 particularly wants to do that. There's a real 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.659 call, a real pull, I think, in our world right 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:24.620 now to say, you know, we need to shift gears. 00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:30.059 And the catastrophe that could befall the planet 00:13:30.059 --> 00:13:33.700 if we don't find ourselves to be resilient and 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:36.620 very, very committed to recognizing that we're 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:40.059 all part of one another is quite huge. So it's 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:43.480 good to sense a partnership. going forward, and 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:47.399 I know that many, many people in our lives, Jay, 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:51.120 have manifested that kind of partnership, and 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:54.240 I like to see that. It's great when you see it 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.159 amongst families and amongst friends, and it's 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.779 almost hard to imagine a greater blessing. Amen 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:05.759 to that. Again, I think what you do, what you 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:11.039 have done, is and calculably beautiful and powerful 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:16.059 and courageous. And yeah, I mean, I've always 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:18.840 thought over the years, I just, you know, you 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:21.620 people who like you will have the courage to 00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:24.600 face jail and other things. It's like, I just, 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.960 I want you to also feel fortunate enough to be 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:31.000 with somebody too, because you give so much to 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:34.159 the community. But now I'm going off track here, 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:36.789 so I'm going to stop. And just say thank you. 00:14:36.789 --> 00:14:39.629 Thank you, Jay, for inviting me. And it's a great 00:14:39.629 --> 00:14:42.570 idea for a podcast. Well, I've heard so many 00:14:42.570 --> 00:14:45.950 great stories, but yours is the perfect Christmas 00:14:45.950 --> 00:14:49.429 story because you speak of peace, which is what 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:51.570 the holiday season should be about. Our holiday 00:14:51.570 --> 00:14:54.529 season should be about everybody, but also of 00:14:54.529 --> 00:14:57.750 love. And that's a perfect story. So thank you 00:14:57.750 --> 00:15:01.669 so much, Kathy. All right. Thank you, Jay. All 00:15:01.669 --> 00:15:04.220 right. Well, I'd like to thank Cathy Kelly, my 00:15:04.220 --> 00:15:07.440 good friend, for being on the show. I'd also 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:10.820 like to thank my sponsors, Sideline Ink Publishing, 00:15:11.080 --> 00:15:14.320 publishers of quality books, as well as laughsaver 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:17.879 .com. Visit laughsaver .com and record your laughter. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.879 We'll keep it for you now and forever. It's free 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.700 and your children and your grandchildren and 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:25.940 your great grandchildren will appreciate it. 00:15:25.940 --> 00:15:28.559 That's laughsaver .com. Now I'm going to end 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:33.139 this show as I almost always do. with Susan Salador's 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:36.740 classic, One Little Act of Kindness. So until 00:15:36.740 --> 00:15:40.220 next time, this is Jay Rehack asking you all 00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:43.080 to stay safe out there and try not to hurt anybody. 00:16:01.649 --> 00:16:07.830 Three little acts of kindness can make a beautiful 00:16:07.830 --> 00:16:14.889 sound. Many acts of kindness help the world go 00:16:14.889 --> 00:16:22.830 round. One little loving word can go a long, 00:16:22.950 --> 00:16:29.289 long way. Two little loving words can brighten 00:16:29.289 --> 00:16:36.070 anyone's day. Three little loving words Can make 00:16:36.070 --> 00:16:43.350 a beautiful sound Many loving words Help the 00:16:43.350 --> 00:16:52.049 world go round One little seed sown Can go a 00:16:52.049 --> 00:16:58.929 long, long way Two little seeds sown Can brighten 00:16:58.929 --> 00:17:21.430 an evening One little child's laughter can go 00:17:21.430 --> 00:17:27.289 a long, long way Two little children's laughter 00:17:27.289 --> 00:17:36.509 can brighten anyone's day Can make a beautiful 00:17:36.509 --> 00:17:43.529 sound Many children laughing Help the world go 00:17:43.529 --> 00:17:50.529 round And many see its own Help the world go 00:17:50.529 --> 00:17:58.470 round Many loving words Help the world go round 00:17:58.470 --> 00:18:04.740 And many acts of kindness Help the world Go run!