Golden Rule ship visit poster
On Sept. 1, a tall ship will dock in Milwaukee. OK, not nearly as tall as the Dennis Sullivan of fond memory and not actually a ship but a boat. The Golden Rule is a 30-foot ketch, compact, two-masted but able to sail long distances. Organizers of the event welcoming the ketch’s arrival in Milwaukee call it a “vessel of peace.”
The history behind the vessel forms a chapter in the campaign against nuclear weapons. In 1958 the Golden Rule, crewed by Quakers, sailed across the Pacific for the Marshall Islands to protest and interfere with a U.S. nuclear weapons test, one of those towering mushroom cloud exercises routinely conducted during the Cold War. The Quakers’ act of nautical disobedience formed a link in the chain of events leading to the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed by President Kennedy in 1963.
Twelve months ago, the Golden Rule embarked on a 10,000-mile journey “to remind people of the threat posed by nuclear weapons at a time of an escalating arms race and saber rattling in Ukraine,” said Bill Christofferson of Milwaukee Veterans for Peace. “These things do matter,” he added, speaking to the vessel of peace’s educational and political value.
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On Friday, Sept. 1, the Golden Rule will dock at Discovery World for a welcoming ceremony. On Saturday, Sept. 2, the ketch will move to a slip at Lakeshore State Park and will be open for tours and discussions with crew. The Golden Rule will depart for Racine on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
David H.B. Drake is organizing the musical party at the boat slip on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2-5 p.m. One of Milwaukee’s prominent singers of protest as well as maritime songs, Drake performed on several occasions with Pete Seeger. For the Golden Rule party, Drake recruited the Raging Grannies vocal chorus and a song circle of local folksingers: himself, Craig Siemson, Rick Fitzgerald and John Higgins. They will trade tunes, harmonize and sing of the possibility for a better world.
For more information, visit VFPGoldenRule.org.
