Demonstrating in Washington DC

If one person does not have the right to challenge his detention, then no one does. After all, if you are mistakenly taken as that person, you would not have the right to challenge that mistake in court. Further, we have been using torture and extreme rendition on people who have never been tried or perhaps even know why they were arrested. This is why I (Jamie) answered an announcement from the Maine council of Churches to go to DC for a rally and lobbying to restore basic civil rights lost in a hastily crafted Millitary Commissions Act last year.

I got on the bus in Portland on Monday night. Tuesday morning we arrived in DC, took some training and then attended an energetic rally. I was surprised to find that the Christian speaker at this event was my own theology professor from Asbury Seminary, Prof. Chuck Gutenson. There were a variety of conservative and liberal speakers including Sister Diana Ortiz who had suffered torture and sexual abuse in a prison in Guatamala. All new that involvement in permanent detention and torture was completely abhorent to our nations’s basic principals. Further, it is abhorant for us to practice such sin in the name of fear.

Following the rally, we went to speak to our congressional delegation. Because of my past political activity, I was asked to lead of the delegation introducing our cause to Senator Snow’s office and then Senator Collins herself. Each of them were considering restoring these rights and it was well worth our time to speak with them as they were not yet looking at a full restoration. We then walked across to the House offices where we met with Representatives Allen and Michaud. They were already signed on to the bills we were pushing, though we further encouraged them not to compromise and to keep the process as transparent as possible.
We had almost no time for dinner before hopping back on the bus for Portland where we arrived at about 6am Wednesday. It was an exciting trip and felt I had shared the gospel in both our political action as well as through one on one conversations. I hope to do more of this work, perhaps bringing a full team from Peoples next time.