An interview with prison warden George Petsock and activists Molly Rush and John Schuchardt about their civil disobedience for the documentary The Pursuit of Happiness, directed by Julie Gustafson and John Reilly.
00:17Copy video clip URL Rush discusses the terrifying possibilities of massive nuclear war, comparing the buildup of even more powerful weapons to the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She points out the logical problems with the country’s philosophy towards nuclear war.
04:50Copy video clip URL Petsock likens nuclear war to other fears that do not prevent us from living our lives: sharks in the ocean, the damages to one’s health of cigarettes and alcohol, etc.
06:13Copy video clip URL A consideration of the experience of being in prison. He praises the administrators and facilities while saying that he does feel sorry for the people having to spend time in jail.
08:00Copy video clip URL Rush discusses the devastation a single nuclear bomb could cause. Because armor plating used in weaponry is produced just outside of Pittsburgh in Homestead, the area would be a prime target in a nuclear attack and it could completely destroy the city.
10:06Copy video clip URL Petsock points out that there’s also a possibility that nuclear war will never happen. Rush tries to persuade him that it is a possibility.
13:23Copy video clip URL Petsock likens nuclear war to people drinking or smoking too much. Rush points out that those are individual choices that don’t affect other people.
14:04Copy video clip URL Rush says that she hopes that the consequences of not dealing with the bomb are devastating. Petsock argues that there are many threats to people and societies.
15:20Copy video clip URL Petsock returns to the idea of the conscience of individuals as a governing principle in society, which Rush observes is inadequate.
16:33Copy video clip URL Petsock re-affirms that he believes that the Ploughshares 8 are people with strong convictions and that he understands why they did what they did.
18:08Copy video clip URL He understands why the activists would have been happy after their act of sabotage but questions the number of people they actually convinced.
19:08Copy video clip URL Happiness, Petsock says, is following one’s own convictions, having a good family life. There are so many things that Americans have to be thankful for, he asserts.
20:11Copy video clip URL Petsock clarifies that any personal beliefs he may have shared have nothing to do with his administrative capacity.
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