Run, Chris, Run

4 July 2011

Dear Anne,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,

“Do you love me?” and he said to him,

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” –John’s Gospel, Chapter 21

Time is up! This Independence Day freedom means more to me than ever. Now I know the privilege of everyday ordinary citizenship in a whole new way. Unlike most ex-offenders with whom I have served time in federal custody, I resume my status as a full fledged citizen. I retain my access to the mainstream of the American work-force and with my right to vote intact may still effectively influence elected officials. Meanwhile ex-offenders with felonies have no such privileges.

For my birthday I completed a ten-month certificate program to become a Pace e Bene agent for non-violent change. The final workshop was based on Bill Moyer’s Doing Democracy introducing his eight-stage model of social movements. I learned that in every movement people are called to participate in four key roles: the rebel, the citizen, the reformer, and the change agent. As we use are gifts and talents to chose the role that’s right for each of us, we’re called to make effective contributions. Finally, all roles are welcome!

His analysis explains my transition within the movement to close the U.S. Army School of the Americas. My role as a rebel has come to an end. Next I reclaim the responsibilities of an active citizen. I am grateful to my extended community for helping me through prayer to be an effective rebel or prisoner of conscience. The protection God has given me as I’ve served my time is only explained by such community prayer.

As a citizen deeply concerned about the SOA/WHINSEC I am choosing to support the movement as a fundraiser.

I’m really nervous! But Anne, I value the tradition of Christian almsgiving and I want to inspire that Christian virtue in others. So, now as I transition from the prophetic role to active member of the Church, I still get to be a leaven for the common good.

How? By running a marathon! Since I arrived at the Salvation Army Correction halfway house, I received church passes to attend Old St. Patrick’s Church. There I accepted an invitation to get involved on the Chicago marathon charity team. Friends know this is my third marathon, and my first fundraising effort. To be honest I just wanted to run the marathon for fun. I know, God has given me the gift of doing the strangest things for fun: Civil Disobedience and marathons, some idea of fun.

Chris

Write to Chris!

Hello friends!

I had the pleasure of speaking to Chris by phone several days ago. He is doing well. He has his own room in the halfway house in Chicago and he feels he has adjusted to life there. He does not have work yet and seems to be doing some creative things to make money. It's different from the prison of course -- he is able to get out and about once a week, stealing away to the library or to Mass. He also says that he really supports what the halfway house is all about -- that it is in fact "part of the solution." They do a great deal in the way of job prep and emotional support for the guys who are transitioning back into society.

It seems though, by talking with him, Chris is lonely. He gets along with everyone well but because everyone has there own rooms, he doesn't seem to have as much quality interaction with people. So, if you have time, send him a card or a letter at:

Chris Spicer #94642-020
105 S. Ashland Ave
Chicago,Ill 60607

It would mean a great deal to him!

Blessings,
anne

Update from SOA Watch

Watch Prisoners of Conscience released from federal prisons.
Pedro Guzmán released from the Stewart Detention Center!

We are so excited to tell you that Father Louis, David Omondi and Pedro Guzman have been released from prison!

Last Friday David was met by friends and family at Yazoo City, Mississippi, and Father Louie at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution, California. After serving six months in prison for crossing the line onto Fort Benning during the 2010 November Vigil, they are glad to see loved ones and open space. They've sacrificed a lot to help transform this culture of militarism into one of justice and peace.

Can you join them in taking a stand? If you haven’t already, contact your representative today and urge them to sign on to the congressional letter calling for the closure of the SOA/WHINSEC by executive order.

Following 19 months of incarceration at the Stewart Detention Center (one of the largest immigrant prisons in the U.S.), Pedro Guzman has been released! Pedro's unjust incarceration was the focus of a protest and civil disobedience action in the lead-up to the 2010 November Vigil.

As Father Louis, David and Pedro head home, and while the SOA Watch Prisoners of conscience Nancy and Chris remain locked up, we have been stepping up efforts in the halls of the Capitol to build support for two important Congressional sign on letters. If you take action today, it will help strengthen our case and bring us even closer to shutting down the SOA and archiving justice in Honduras.

Charges against SOA Watch activists still pending in Columbus, Georgia and Washington, DC
All charges against Kaelyn Forde and Jon Conway, two of the journalists who were among those indiscriminately arrested by the Columbus police during the 2010 November Vigil, were dropped on Thursday, May 19, 2010. Nineteen of those who were arrested in Georgia last November still have pending charges of "unlawful assembly," "demonstration without a permit" and "picketing" against them. The SOA Watch Legal Collective is working with them on their legal defense.

Fifteen SOA Watch activists are scheduled to go to court in Washington, DC on September 12. The 15 were part of the die-in on the White House sidewalk during the SOA Watch Days of Action in April 2011. They engaged in the nonviolent direct action to call for an end to U.S. militarization in the Americas and on President Obama to sign an executive order to shut down the School of the Americas.

Thank you for all that you do in this movement! Let us keep everyone who is being targeted by the criminal (in)justice system and Nancy and Chris in our thoughts, write to them in prison and help magnify the courageous actions of all the prisoners of conscience by turning up the heat in Congress to close the SOA/WHINSEC for good.

Yours in struggle,

SOA Watch

P.S. Already taken action? You can help spread the word about this vital work by sharing this action with your friends and family here.

Help SOA Watch accompany Honduran community leaders whose lives are being threatened.

Thank you so much to everyone who’s already given to our new Honduras Accompaniment Program. Since the 2009 coup led by SOA graduates, over 80 political assassinations have taken place in Honduras. As a recent SOA Watch delegation substantiated, the numbers of murders, detentions and death threats to community leaders and human rights activists have spiraled in recent weeks. Our partners in Honduras have asked that we send Spanish-speaking international accompaniers to vulnerable communities. The mere presence of international observers can literally save lives of those struggling for justice in Honduras.

Thanks to your generosity, we have already raised $4283. There is still time to help us reach our goal of $5,000 to allow us to launch this program in June. If you haven't already done so, please give today! www.soaw.org

Chris' new address

HI folks!

Here's another update from moms!

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Chris called and said he had a safe trip and a precious furlough of 24 hours flying to Chicago and getting to stop and visit in the wee hours with his friends and community members of White Rose Catholic Worker of Chicago before he presented himself at the downtown correctional institution which may be his "home" til July 3. His address is: 105 S. Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60607

He was able to get a pass to walk to St Pat's Cathedral yesterday for Mass, but will need to stay on the grounds for the rest of the week getting 25 credits of classes toward "reentry". He has a SINGLE room and a job there of washing showers at 9PM. Then the next week he must be looking for work.

Blessings,
Marti

Reflection from Mom

Below Marti reflects on her visit with Chris today as he awaited his plane transfer to Chicago. It's very touching, please read!
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Dear Anne, Family and friends,

Chris' Dad and I were able to pick him up at FDC Seatac and spend some precious time with him before he flew to Chicago to serve the last 6 weeks of his sentence at a Salvation Army halfway house. It was a joy to be able to be with him during this transition. He actually got out a few minutes early and had a chance to just sit quietly in the sun and contemplate the building, the blue sky and red azaleas...Then we picked him up and took him 1 block down the hill to a park with hiking trails, trees, birds singing. After a little time he picked a spot and we had time for a family prayer along with the Eucharist we had brought (his #1 request). Then we had coffee with Dad before he had to drop us at the airport and head back to work. Chris and I had a lovely visit over a nice meal -- he chose veggie pasta and we got salad, a fruit plate and some other things he had had little of...

He expressed appreciation for all the support of prayers,books, letters and visits (and the prayer and SOA/US prisons information night that was co-hosted by the St Joseph's Sister Parish El Salvador Committee and the Spicer Family. That night May 13th, we had the co-leaders of the PacNW SOAWATCH sharing, a video about the SOA and prayers of fifty attendees).

Chris said that the letters have been deeply moving but he is overwhelmed knowing he can not respond to them all and is hopeful that people have referred to the jailhousegenesis blog for information and updates. For the next week, he will have no or limited ability to leave the facility and probably limited phone and e-mail capability. We don't even have an address yet.
Folks in Chicago can only visit when they have applied and been approved through the BOP system.

So a new phase of his prison experience begins! Thank you for prayers for his continued journey. He has been safe and learned and given along the way.

Anne, THANK YOU so much for all your work on Chris' letters and blog!!! It has really lightened his load! I will try to send a picture of Chris as he was picked up today when I get it back from developing.

Marti

Fresh Air!

Well, the day has arrived. Tomorrow, Thursday, May 19th, Chris will be released early to finish his sentence in Chicago at a halfway house! I haven't been able to talk with him since my visit, so unfortunately I cannot report on how he is doing. Please continue to pray for him as he makes his transition. He'll be in the halfway house until the completion of his sentence, July 3. After that, he is free.

It is likely that Chris will want to post himself on this blog once he gets out, to share directly with all of you. Please stay tuned for several more weeks. Chris and his family have greatly appreciated your prayers, support, encouragement, books, letters ...everything!

Blessings,
anne

The Tumult of Visitors Day

30 April 2011

Dear Anne,

"There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.... She said, 'If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.'" Mk 5:28

After our visitors left, Desmond said to me: "My son...he keeps asking when I am coming home so I can make pancakes. He tells his mom she doesn't make them right..." Anne, you say there's something hard about me. You looked around the visitors room and said "Some of these men look scary." If only you knew our own fear, how hard it is to enter that visiting room... Cole on Friday night was clean-shaven and studded out with slicked hair to greet his lover. Afterward, when there were only remnants of the neighborhood late night snack he had prepared, he sat sullen in his room with Don, who, hyper as ever, after failing to cheer Cole up was probably desperate when he fetched a peanut butter wafer for me. Cole said, "Part of it was my fault. I had left my ID in the kitchen and couldn't find it." That slip ate ten minutes away of the visit. his friend came at 6:55 but because of the delay Cole arrived at 7:35, meaning only an hour and twenty-five minutes remained for a visit. "They should punish us, not them," Cole said. "They shouldn't treat our guests like that Greg agreed. But always a visit is bittersweet. Today I felt numb trying to believe your presence in the blueness of the veins in your hands, how you flip your hair back, and the silver hoop swings from your ear.

Chris

My visit to see Chris

I am a changed woman after visiting Chris. Frankly, I'm still not sure what to make of it all. The visit was absolutely drenched in the Holy Spirit and I feel very blessed to be Chris' friend. This experience of being his advocate has opened my eyes to a world that has always been far, far out of my line of vision. My life and the lives of those in my family have been untouched by this kind of hardship. I haven't prayed through it all yet but here is the brief letter that I wrote to Chris with a few reflections on the experience.

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May 2, 2011

Dear Chris,

It was SO GOOD to see you, to wrap you up in a big bear hug! Our two hours went so fast, they are a blur. I can still see you as I walked out the door, standing by the window, gazing through its frosted glass as you imagine the trees swaying in the breeze. I got teared up leaving you behind.

It was a very moving scene for me – the whole thing. The other inmates in all their shapes and sizes, with loved ones leaning in to talk close across the invisible “no touch” barrier delineated by language. There was so much life in that visitors room. Children, wives, girlfriends, siblings. The image of the Latino inmate rocking his sleeping 2 month old in his arms as he caught up with his special lady is burned into my mind. I swear my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Even just pulling into the parking lot of the looming concrete prison I started to well up. “There are people in there,” I whispered to my radio. People. Caged. Cut away from the body of Christ like a cancer threatening the life of us. I know that they screwed up but I also know that things just aren’t that simple. Everything is reduced to black and white inside the gray walls so we can pretend that life is fair, clear cut, able to be controlled.

It struck me hard too how many faces were of color. There were a couple white guys, but so many more of Latino and African American descent, shouting volumes about the breakdown in the ideals of the country I love so much, our beloved Land of the Free.

And you. The last I saw you, you had just left the Jesuits. When you came from around the post, I was caught off guard by the hardened edge of your gait and for a moment I was taken aback. This is not the same Chris. And why should it be? You have scaled mountains since we last saw each other, and so of course the story of your sacrifice is being written into your body.

And then we talked, and underneath the hardened exterior it was still you. Still you. Still your bright eyed, gentle, compassionate, fiery, driven, Jesuit self. Thank God. Thank God. Maybe you are even more yourself since the last time I saw you.

It was SO GOOD to see you, to wrap you up in a big bear hug. I can still see you standing by the window, gazing through its frosted glass as you imagine the trees swaying in the breeze.

Love

anne

Hopeward Bound

The following is a letter from Louie Vitale, another prison of conscience in protest of the SOA. Chris' legal advocate Bob forwarded it to me. It's very touching so I am going to print it and send it to Chris and also post it here for all of you.
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To Louie's Family and Friends: We just received this letter from Louie, who will complete his six month prison sentence at Lompoc on Friday, May 20, 2011. He'll return to the Bay Area that weekend.

'Hopeward' Bound (May 1, 2011)

When I came here last year it was time for the U.S. Census. They instructed us to write in for home address "Lompoc Prison." Quite a number of inmates balked at this: "This is not my home." It has given me some thought. Yes, we must put on our return label "Federal Prison" and all phone calls insert messages to the callee that this call is from a Federal Prison.

But in many ways it is a home when we are here. We may not think of it with the familiarity of home. In fact I do find a lot of life here. There are times when I feel a conviviality that is welcome and even enjoyable. There is a lot of humor. Further there are a great number of times we see inmates pushing wheel chairs for others or in many ways assisting the infirmed, handicapped and aging. Residents make friendships and partners in various activities, meals, music, sports, games, even work projects. I shall miss these friends, companions, neighbors (bunkies).

For me the Chapel is a second home. I feel close to God there, participate enthusiastically in religious services, Bible Study, the sharing of our lives, a place to go for quiet, peace, prayer or to direct others who might need toiletries, shower shoes and such on arrival and most of all a warm welcome. We often give special attention to prayers for the inmates or members of their families in sickness or even in death. For most of us this locates our Faith community, perhaps for many the first they have had in many years.

In addition I am able to continue sharing our concerns about the School of the Americas, Nuclear weapons, especially from the adjacent Vandenberg Air Force Base. We witness the test launches of I.C.B.M. missiles, and most recently of gigantic "classified reconnaissance satellites" into space, which some see as an initial step in Space War.

These observances, as well as CNN news of Japan, Libya, etc., are shared together and offered as concern for prayer. At the same time we note a searching eye for HOPE. As Pope Benedict expressed in his encyclical on Hope...we need a reference beyond the immediate time and place...We need to base our hope on a benign creation that goes on long beyond our earthly struggle...

Jesus noted that this "kingdom" is already in our midst. We experience daily the compassionate love of our creator in our daily lives. For me this is almost palpable here, both in life with others, at the Chapel and in prayer. Our Gospel message challenges us to look beyond these fences and see the goodness, even of our neighbors, the beauty around us, esp. in the universe, to know there is still love, life, beauty available to us in this world and "the next."

I am happy sharing this journey with my companions here, and with those who have been offering me support in love and prayers. I am happy and most grateful. Please keep praying for my "home mates" even after my departure.....

With much Love and many Blessings.

I'M HOPEWARD BOUND,

LOUIE

Update from Mom Marti

Hey all,

I got this email from Marti a few days back. Chris had protested the low wages of his job as a justice issue and ended up in solitary confinement for 6 days! He is doing okay and will still be eligible for early work release if he continues to behave. Check out what Marti has to say.
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Dear White Rose Community,

Blessings to you this passion week!

When we visited Chris this Sat. he was well and feeling good about the ministry of presence he is involved in in the jail. For the last 2 weeks he had not been reassigned a work duty. Due to budget cuts in WA State, the education program has been cut so he can't do ESL for his job(He continues to work with one man on ESL informally.). He said that since it is getting closer to the May 16th date they might just let him slide...The other inmates respect him for his stance. After the 6 days in solitary they decided that for now they will still aim for the early release but took all but personal hygiene and health items of the commissary list as punishment for 90 days. Then when he bought toothpaste and exchanged it for candy bars and "boasted"of it in a letter out, which they read, they took his e-mail privilege away for 45 days (which he hasn't been using anyway).

He said that he can only be released to an "institutional" half way house"so he cannot stay in White Rose in mid-May. They are looking at somewhere in South Chicago.

Also, we are having a prayer vigil for Chris, POC's, SOA and prisoners in general at our church on May 13th. In the meantime there was a partial prison message on the phone from yesterday which means he tried to call, which he hasn't been doing since we have been visiting weekly. Don't know what that means but a friend is visiting today so we'll see.

We will see Chris for Easter, I am making cards for him and a prisoner he asked us to write to as he so wishes to have some mail...I WISH I could sneak some Easter candy in but we'll be there with hugs and prayers.

Easter blessings to you all
Marti Spicer

Read these Factoids about our US Prison System!

13 March 2011

Dear Anne,

"A stray sheep was Israel that Lions pursued; formerly the King of Assyria devoured her, no Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gnaws her bones." Jeremiah 50:17

When it costs $0.30 for Ramen soup, the basic wage [in the prison] of $0.12 an hour doesn't do much good. "It's like I just read in Grapes of Wrath," Greg says. In one month's work, dorm orderly Greg makes $5.25. "That's forced labor." Indeed, we will be sent to the hole if we don't work.

Sunday concludes with some lessons from Greg:

• Rates of recidivism for probation violations -- 85%
• Double jeopardy is a myth. If you've done time on a state charge, you'll get brought in for a federal charge.
• Prison gives housing to third world refugees.
• Prosecutors force guilt with no proof theories. They have no evidence, just a witness who lays the blame in exchange for a reduced sentence.
• The basic cost of housing a federal inmate before medical is calculated by the Bureau of Prisons at $21,000 per year.
• 2.3 million people incarcerated, 200,000 in federal prison
• 25% more people per capita in prison in the US than anywhere else...per capita!
• Felons are no longer afforded the basic moral rights due Americans.
  

My homework is to compare the definitions of kidnapping, extortion, and blackmail to the ordinary injustice of the system.

Chris

Possibility of Early Work Release

Hi folks,

I spoke to Marti, Chris' mom, today. She saw Chris over yesterday and apparently there is a real possibility that Chris might be able to get an early work release, possibly as early as May 16th. That would be about 6 weeks early. If he were released, he would have to go to a halfway house and work at least part-time. It turns out that there is a possibility that the Catholic Worker White Rose community in Chicago could be his halfway house, which would be ideal. So please pray that this may come about, if it is God's will for Chris!

Blessings,
anne

Workin for THE MAN

Hi folks,

I got this update from Chris' dad Dave on March 28.

Hi Anne,
I had a great meeting with Chris tonight. He is doing very well and has adjusted to his new environment. He even has a paying job working in the kitchen handling sanitation related who-knows-what. Chris even manages a crew all for the hourly rate of 50 cents/hour. High pay since the lowest entry level starts at 12 cents. How do they get away with those wages???

Dave

Hmmm, that's a really good question. How do they get away with that? Does anyone know if SeaTac Federal Detention Center is run by a for-profit company? If so, they are making out pretty darn good. They get the cheapest labor around to work for their business, barely having to pay a buck for the labor it takes to run a prison. And on top of it, the money pay out really just goes back into their own pocket since the guys mostly use it for commissary where everything is marked way up. What a brilliant system they have orchestrated! Looks like Wall Street has been giving them lessons!

Questioning our direction of this blog

In the letter below, Chris writes to me, struggling with what we are doing. I too am trying to find a way to help Chris at the same time keeping up my obligations in my life. We haven't yet even spoken on the phone, though that is the plan next week. Here, to be transparent, I am posting what we are both struggling with though we are not able to efficiently communicate. At least not yet. This is why my visit to Seattle in April is important to us both.

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9 March 11

Dear Anne,

I'm going to procrastinate saying this for just a minute. I'm not sure if I slept through lunch, so I'm going to take a lap and on the other side of the triangle I'll see the clock on the pillar. We need to talk about the direction of the blog more directly and more firmly agree on where it's going. I'm dissatisfied with it and am disconnecting. My intention has been to produce a short work. I do not want every unpolished word published, in thinking aloud, because like song artists who get robbed for putting up their tunes, so I will defeat the purpose I secretly had. So I'm surfacing it and expressing my inner conflict at the same time.

I need you. I care for you but the truth is, I don't know a wink about you. We have forged a pseudo loving relationship on the pretext of my witness to close the SOA. Because you know they world in a different way I have not written you much about the science of nonviolence or the minutiae of wrong about the SOA. Our common ground seemed to me to stem from the shared experience of the Lenten prayer group, and more profoundly from knowing God personally through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Now, my dissatisfaction organically stems from my restlessness as a person without health insurance or more than $200 in my bank account, a BA and a Catholic worker house to hang my little hopes on of selling some writings in hopes of aiding souls.

Yet also, here, now, away from daily Mass my relationship with God has continued to develop. I just keep writing for the sake of our commitment even though I don't know what that means. I'll try not to keep secret my experience here. For your partner here wants you to be empowered in this relationship. I trust you to find with me the nuggets for wider consumption. I fear not knowing how much p9ower you have and I'm anxious to be able to look over your shoulder.

Chris

Visiting Chris in Seattle

Hey guys!

Here's the story on visitors: visiting days are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Of those days, Chris is allowed to have visitors on the even days of the month. So for example, the first weekend of April Chris could have visitors on Saturday, April 2 or Monday, April 4. But there are some things about it:

1. You have to fill out a form and provide 2 or 3 forms of ID. It takes maybe 7 - 10 days to process. Once you submit the form and it is processed, you receive an approval letter from the prison.
   
   
2. Chris can only receive 1 visitor a day so you have to be sure that no one else is scheduled to see Chris.
   
   
3. You must MUST be on time to a visit....not even one minute late.

If you want to go visit him, the best thing to do would be to write him a letter telling him that you would like to visit. He will then send you a form. You two also can work out via the mail when the best time to visit is.

If you do go visit, please keep me in the loop so I can post an update to the community!

Thank you, blessings,
anne

Sending Books to Chris in SeaTac FDC

Hey all,

One of Chris' friends Jim did us all a favor and called the prison to find out about sending books to Chris. Jim reported that "the man who answered said the prison will accept a book if it comes from a bookstore with the bookstore's return address on the envelope and as long as it is not hardcover." Thanks for the update, Jim!

So, you can send books from smaller booksellers. I would still be safe and send one to Chris to make sure it gets thru before sending a whole bunch. From others I have heard that sometimes a particular prison might not be consistent with it's policy.

See a list of books Chris would like at the very bottom of the blog.

Peace
anne

Update from Mom

Well, Chris' parents Marti and Dave finally got to visit with Chris for the first time since he was incarcerated in January. They drove to Seattle Federal Detention Center on Sunday and had a lovely 2 and 1/2 hour visit with Chris. His mom says that she was able to actually hug Chris --there was no glass between them. They were able to sit down together and a have an uninterrupted very quality visit.

Marti said that Chris looks quite healthy and that he feels safe. He is eating veg food and is able to get a little exercise, but he is never able to get any fresh air and the windows are frosted over so he cannot even look out side. Also, he has a very different situation in SeaTac FDC. Where in Georgia he was in a room with many, here he has one roommate, who he refers to as a celly. I guess it's working out pretty well, they seem to get along okay. He has also been assessed for a job: apparently many of the inmates work jobs within the detention center. He was hoping to get a groundskeeper job just so he could feel the air on his face, but no luck on that one. We stayed tuned to find out where he lands.

As for his time inside, he is feeling a shift in his ministry too. While those couple months in Georgia he really got involved in ministering to his fellow inmates as a ESL teacher and advocate, now he is feeling a drive to really focus on his writing. In fact, he really wants to kick this blog into high gear and he is eager to talk with me about where to go next.

We plan to talk on the telephone soon and I do hope to go visit Chris at the end of April, too, to get my own hug!

Blessings on the road from Atlanta, GA
anne

Exchange among jailmates

March 2, 2011

Dear Anne:

It felt like 7:30 when in fact it was 10pm lockdown and I had procrastinated from calling. The day went fast, Crow was right: "This is easy time." I sat with him and Buddy to watch Moose and Stan play stratego, since both had beaten me. Buddy and Moose both arrived with me yesterday to the Seattle Federal Transfer Center. Crow and Buddy were talking of Spokane and I asked if, like Buddy, Crow was also from there. No, they knew each other from the Spokane County jail. Each had for their public defender Katie. "If she at least said something [during the trial] I would have felt better," said Crow. He got caught again for re-entry from Canada and this is his first charge. "You're the first person I've met her with re-entry," I said. In fact, he was the first white person I had met, let alone conceived of, who had a re-entry charge. "I know...all the cops were like, 'what?' and the Federal Marshalls, too." Before he had gotten off with warnings but the judge at the trial seemed out to get him. "The recommended sentence [by the prosecuting attorney] was 0-6 months. The judge didn't care. He wanted to give me more until I got on my knees and said 'I've got a family and I'm self-employed. It will never happen again.'"

"After you left," said Buddy, "we got out for a total of three hours in three weeks" and those recreation breaks were fifteen minute bites. "They said the elevators were broken." "There's such a thing as stairs." "They said they couldn't cover them in case fights broke out." "Not that they could do anything to stop them anyway, remember that one?" "Yeah it was over and done with by the time they came," said Buddy. "I don't know how anyone could not learn their lesson. Jail sucks," said Crow.

Chris

The Man Named Steve

The following is an excerpt from a recent letter of Chris' to me. The names have been changed.
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Steve has one month to go before he spends the final sixth measure of his sentence in a halfway house. Already he served 17 months here in echo-Charlie. Once he moved to room 26, now to the corner room, otherwise only out to his work detail or down for a visit, but never once outdoors. "I'm losing it, man," he confessed. He has seen some men leave and later come back. Yes, "for a violation," he said, pausing for effect. "Now we've got some real looneys in here."

He recounted that he had self-surrendered, giving me a hint of the minor weight of his crime, at least an indication that the judge respected his character enough to allow Steve to report to prison of his own volition. In fact, the judge said he wanted to send Steve to Sheridan, OR for participation in a program that would subtract a year from his sentence pursuant completion of 500 hours worked. Unfortunately when he opened his letter of destination, Mike read Seattle Federal Detention Center.

"Hey man, I'm in room 36 if you ever need to blow smoke." That goes without saying for y'all, anne.

love
Chris

Mom's update on Chris

Chris called last night and sounded very good!!! He says he is now assigned to a cell with one roommate (rather than bunk area for 60) and his "cellmate, Kevin is very nice,well-educated fellow! He says the food portions are more generous and people give him vegies -he's applied for vegie meals. He has gained some welcomed weight.

He says he thinks he's going to stay at FDC Seatac the balance of the time. He doesn't expect to see the sky for 4 more months. The work out area is about the size of 1/2 BB court-60 laps+1 mile but there a few low tech exercise machines so he was able to do a 30 min aerobic ex.He will welcome books and is filling out visitor application forms. Dave and I have sent ours in and hope to be able to see him in 1 week plus! I even got something e-mailed today about an e-mail service to Chris that I registered for and may start soon.

Thanks for your prayers and continued support and communication!

Marti Spicer

Chris is Headed to WA!

I got this exciting note from Chris' parents this morning!


Dear Family and friends,

This initial e-mail goes out to you as we heard from Chris finally last night (it had been 2 weeks). He called from Nevada where he is in transit and he says he has been told he is heading to Federal Detention Center in Seatac, WA on Tues! I will let you know when he confirms that he is actually there! We spoke to sister Casey and she is hoping to come home and visit during her Spring break at the beginning of April!

the address is:

Chris Spicer 94642-020

Federal Detention Center in Seatac
2425 So 200th St

Seattle, WA 98198

Dave and Marti

A response that makes sense

So after I posted "Don't Hold Your Breath" and raised some questions about why the prison doesn't communicate the transport of prisoners ahead of time, I got an enlightening response from someone in our community who used to work in the prison system. Check it out:

Hello--

Having worked in the prison system, transportation is always an issue. They can't notify as to when a person will be moved due to security issues (somebody could and probably has intercepted their transportation before and sprung a prisoner). Also, basically when someone is moving depends on when a van is available and may happen overnight. So be prepared not to know that Chris has been moved when it does happen. One day he might be in one facility and the next another.

We actually had to wait for months for transportation to come in some instances. The prison system is so ridiculously upside down. . .and the people that survive there don't do so because they are nice. There is inherently an us vs. them mentality fostered by every rule in prison society. I gave up trying to make change from within because the pressure is so insane. The men definitely need mental health services and other services but they are often attended by people who have the same characterisics of criminals and lack in humanity themselves.

Hope this helps.

Moving Letter From Chris

Dear (Mom and Dad) Anne,

“My soul is among lions and I lie even among them that are set
on fire; even the sons of men whose teeth are spears an arrows
and their tongue a sharp sword.” Ps 57:4

8:09 Tues morning; its all wrong. Today at 7:30 I expected the guard to get me for transit. (The door opens: enter Glen. Disappointment.) Had just dozed briefly after the spike of syrup from the pancakes for breakfast. Discreetly I held myself, miserable, disconsolate, as the conclusion of (playwright) Athol Fugard’s “Statements after an Arrest Under the Immorality Act” told me in whispers this was the course I chose, that separation had some good purpose and that it would be okay not to say goodbye to Clyde. We each have hidden in our texts knowing how ideas matter. I whispered to myself that the new strangers would become familiar. Then Jackson swept the floor and said to somebody “Just as long as you keep your mind right, you’ll be fine.”

9 February, 2011
Dear Mom and Dad,
Your unfathomable support signifies God’s ever bounding deepening love.
Please, please type the writing to Anne at her e-mail. Thanks


A Poem by Alan Seeger Found pg 225-226

I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue dogs and fair.

It may be that he will take me by the hand
And lead me to his dark land and close my eyes to his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath-
I may pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill
When Spring comes round again this year
And first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows ‘twere better to be deep a
Pillowed in silk and scented down
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep.
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath.

Where hushed awakenings are dear…
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death
At Midnight in some flaming town
When Spring trips north again this year
And I to my pledged word am true,/
I shall not fail that rendezvous.

Go see Fr. Roy Bourgeois in Seattle!

FR. Roy is the founder of SOA Watch and champion of the cause to
close down the School of Americas. If you want to
learn more about this important cause,
check him out at the following events in Seattle.


Confronting Militarism in the Americas
The Truth behind the School of the Americas & U.S Foreign Policy
Fr. Roy Bourgeois

Thursday, March 10th, 2011
7 P.M.
Wallingford United Methodist Church
2115 N 42nd St. Seattle

For more info visit www.soaw.org!

Don't Hold Your Breath

Well, folks, as it turns out, our main man Chris was never moved last week. It's been frustrating: the prison told him over 2 weeks ago to expect to be moved "any day now." So, he's been thinking he's going to be moved, and he's been telling his parents and advocates he's going to be moved, and I've been telling you he's going to be moved, BUT in fact... no dice. So, we have come to realize quite clearly that we simply cannot trust what the Irwin County Detention Center staff says because frankly they just don't keep their word. When someone or an organization doesn't keep their word, it becomes impossible to deal with them. You never know what to expect, you are left in the dark, unsure of what move to make next. I don't think this is a coincidence.

What's even worse though is that no one knows where Chris will be going either. No when, and not where. And not Chris, his parents, or even his legal advocate. Basically the prison will decide to transfer him out of the holding facility to a federal prison at some point. That's all we know. He could end up staying in Georgia where he actually practiced civil disobedience, or in Illinois where he lived right before the civil disobedience, or in Washington State where his last official residence is. Or maybe even somewhere else if none of those locations have room. It's frightening really: at some point Chris will be transferred and NO ONE in his family or support network will know where he is. They will simply have to wait who knows how long before they find out.

So, again, I just have to raise the question: is this really fair? Is it ethical? Why isn't the federal prison system -- private or not -- required by law to notify the prisoner and his family before he is moved? Is this just another aspect of human dignity we strip away from prisoners when they commit a crime, that is, the right to even be told where they are being taken?

You tell me because I don't know. What I do know is that Chris is still in Irwin County so please continue to write him there. When he is moved I'll be sure to let you know, but until then, don't hold your breath.

Check in from our friend Fr. Bob

Dear Friends of our SOAW Prisoners of Conscience:

Monday, Feb 7, 2011

I wanted to report on my visits last week with our dear friends Nancy Smith and Chris Spicer at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, GA. We were blessed to have around 90 minutes of visiting time both with Chris on Thursday morning Feb 3 and Nancy on Friday afternoon, Feb 4. Both expected to have been moved and were surprised to be there still. Maybe it was the winter storms around the country that slowed down their transfer, but who knows? Both visits were full and satisfying, and we suspect it will be the last time we will see each other for awhile, with the strong likelihood of their being moved most imminent.

Chris looked relaxed and content. Maybe it was the cotton long johns he had on underneath the prison jumpsuit or maybe it was my imagination, but he looked like there was more weight on him than the last time I saw him. My mental memory images are usually pretty good. We reviewed many of the usual topics which we spoke of before. I understood more clearly that he has been receiving mail more consistently with "mail call" as an event that only happens 2-4 days a week anyway. I was chagrined that Captain Paulk [at the prison] had NOT given him the Catholic Missalette which he had promised, and that Chris had missed keeping up with his Catholic roots through the readings.

We spoke about letter writing and how he likes to write down what's happening just a fast as he can to gather perspective. He desires more confidentiality for his prison companions out of respect for their privacy so that might require some editing, which we strategized about. We spoke of favorite poems and books, what inspires and sustains us. Chris is still pleased to be able to focus his ministry of presence with his fellow inmates. He feels greatly supported by the mail he gets and the solidarity of the White Rose CW Community in Chicago, his parents, and the network/blog that Anne is working for him.

Although disappointed that there is no opportunity for Catholic Eucharist, he feels content with the prayer and bible study group that he participates in with his dorm-mates. Teaching English as a second language, writing complaint letters for others, and serving in many "interpretive services" keep him busy. He mentioned that he tried to keep his personal profile uncomplicated and out of sight in many ways so that he could focus on serving others. So it wasn't until just the day before we spoke that he disclosed to some of them the real reasons for his being there in prison and what was going on at SOA in Columbus. His conclusion was that this was not at all problematic but rather helpful, so it seems that a new level of personal sharing was opening for him with the other inmates there. This is a good development, he feels, because he would like to focus more on what is happening at places like Ft. Benning and was wondering how to get around to it.

Of course, Nancy Smith had taken the opposite approach in her ministry of presence with her fellow inmates. She was aware that their attention span was limited, as to how much information they could hold about the SOA, so she would focus on stories that they would remember, e.g. about the massacres in El Salvador of families and the killing of the innocent babies: "Wow!" they would say and they would be more apt to remember. But because their literacy, education, and world view were so undeveloped she would have to do often what Chris was doing, just trying to accompany them in their own world conflicts and dramas.

Nancy said: "How tiny their lives are! Such a little village that they live in, of guns, pills and drugs. But it is all they know! Overwhelmingly poor, black and white. Mothers and daughters are in it together, whole families (in this little way of war making). They have huge screaming fights and then someone will tone it down and pray with the individual who is so upset. They are so VERY religious! The strong fundamentalist Baptist style of prayer in their prayer circle, loquacious and ever-so articulate about their needs and emotions to God. On the one hand so very abstemious in one minute and then guilty of petty theft in the next. Their emotional hair-triggers can go off at any time. ... "

When I told Nancy that she looked noticeable more tired this time, with the darkness around her eyes, she smiled humbly and acknowledged that when the word came around midnight that 5 of them would be leaving in two hours' time, there was a great deal of screaming and shouting as they emotionally were sorting themselves out in preparation for the move. And there was little way to get any rest while all that was going on. Until long after they departed, there was still quite a rumble. Nancy continues her disciplined manner of ministry of presence, her "open bowl" Buddhist approach of chosen "indigent status" so that she can be more simple and supple in attending to the needs of others. She practices a rare mindfulness which is a well-integrated presence, balancing her own vegetarian diet, inner-prayer, disciplined body exercise ("to get my heart rate up and sustained for a while"), quick wit and joyful self-knowledge in being "an oddity here." She was glad to hear that I gave her Quaker booklet manual and copy of the Sutras [which her granddaughter, Kirsten, had sent me] to Captain Paulk so that she might enjoy them, but immediately plotted with me as how to get them "out" when she left because "We can take nothing with us."
She was stunned at how little concern her fellow inmates could muster for the situation in Egypt. We shared about our travels in the middle east and her former work with Oxfam and other agencies there. She had made the pilgrimage of Santijago de Compostella and shared about the magnificent old churches she had visited, as well as the dying religious communities. How difficult to sustain faith without a true on-going encounter with the world and the need for justice everywhere! We shared a common hunger for the Eucharist that would go beyond the bounds of denominationalism. She hopes that "Kavita" is on her e-mail list [can someone follow up on this?]. Then we enjoyed "gasho" [bowing 3 times with palms together in reverence for the other] and departed.

So that's the report about Ocilla. Hopefully I can get through the lack of hospitality at McRae and tell you something next week about Michael David Ormondi. Blessings of peace to all in our network of support for these beloved prisoners of conscience.

Fr. Bob

The beauty of friendship

When I write to Chris, I always include an updated list of all of your names. In response one day, Chris started going down the list sharing about you. Check it out...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Prayer Community,

Greetings to you all from C-2 housing unit! I’ve just had some fun conjuring you each to mind as I did laps. What if I wrote a blurb about each of you just so you have a starting point. My hope is this can prime the pump by creating a more comfortable space to share with one another.

Amy Nee is the gal I recently fell for while living in Chicago. I hope this gives her a hard time. She’s a gem, originally from Florida, raised by two rad parents. They took the Bible to heart having their babies at home and rearing them home schooled. She does an angelic version of Hallelujah singing/playing guitar and makes the best brussel spouts ever. Her writing voice is soft, delicate and she has a bookshelf to drool over. Some say they see Dorothy in her-I disagree- I’ve never heard a crass word from her. But if you have the Long Loneliness, look at the photo of young author Ms. Day.

Andrew Rodriguez hails from the California Province. His most sincere affection before departing still moves my heart. He also just shared a clear exposition of Kierkiegaardian study on the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. Much like his gentle manner, his thesis is that the dilemma is resolved by an image of a loving God who does not ask sacrifice. I would go with he and Francis Nugyven to get bubble tea as a scholastic at Loyola University of Chicago or as a group with Sean Salai or to a film like The Visitor.

Ann Kukak serves Gonzaga Prep as a counselor and we worked closely to best meet the GPrep standards of excellent learning and teaching. With her gift to mediate and speak a tongue any party can hear, I made discoveries of my strengths and weaknesses without feeling I sat with an adversary but with a team player. She is a picture of wisdom with her shock white hair, crows peak, high forehead smooth of wrinkles, clear frame glasses, blue eyes with smile creases and pearly teeth. She could speak a prophet’s correction with a smile.

Ben Gaven nearly got hitched our freshman year at Santa Clara to a feisty dentist’s daughter who, like him, was quite a cherub in spite of all the bluster. When we first ran together in anticipation of joining the Bronco XC squad, he demanded an average of 6:00 miles pace for the easy runs. No wonder he went on to be an inspiration and captain of the squad. He’ll never let me forget Sunriti’s jungle, nor will “slick Rick” Ricky Bracket or “Balls” Michael Wall. To them I’m a man of many names; Slider, Slide F, Slide FFN, and Snort F. Ben, I’m wearing Asics 1140. By the way, he and I once had a snowball fight on Monserrat, scampered a top an Elephant-shaped peak for lunch, and took looksies at ancient hermitage sites. I think fondly of this now even as I make my own Ignatian pilgrimage of sorts, laying down my privilege & having a Manresa-esque schooling in prayer.

Bernie Herberholt is my best friend. Consider a famous painting of the apostle John and Peter. See how the painter has focused the frame to the head and shoulders to portray the intense emotion of the men as they race to the tomb upon hearing Magdalene give testimony of Jesus' resurrection appearance. Peter has eyes of amazement and worry, his brow furrowed in concern. On the other hand, John is ahead with wide, joyful surprise radiating. When Bernie last wrote me, just before my trial he said "I hope you get what's coming to you." We've been friends since first grade and we need only eight words to express a lifetime shared.

Bob Graf and I share a common experience of leaving the Jesuits. In a letter he assured me that I can trust in the skill of discernment, that such is the wealth my Jesuit formation has given me. For decades Bob's activism to resist militarism has complemented a lifestyle centered in loving family and in performing simple acts of mercy with great love. While a claim to fame is his part in the 1968 "Milwaukee-14" draft card burning, I know his role as father is the one he most cherished. I continue to grieve the loss of his son. From Bob's ceaseless hounding of ROTC programs to his ministry as taxi man for the poor - I recognize in him an ardent love of Christ whom he has devoted himself to take down from the cross.

Bonnie Masiello is hands down the most amazing gal I ever kissed, but that's a secret. It was on an air-conditioned deluxe bus ride returning to San Salvador after a week of language study in Antigua. After the kiss she said (you slobber) "That didn't feel quite right. Let's not talk about this." So began a course of self restraint, a necessary pre-req for a life of celibacy. To know Bonnie you have to remember she's the eldest of three daughters born and raised in a well-off Boston family. Hell, she's worked for the CIA, quit, returned to work in El Salvador, and now pursues an MA in Education from Columbia. If she keeps up her French and Yoga they will be further assets for when she is the future President or wife of, but then Stephanie Valencia or Rahima Kamela Laird may beat her to the post. I would say Bonnie is like God's scalpel but I'll never forget she and Emily Chesterton singing, "I'll walk 5,000 miles", their heads sticking out of a makeshift table on talent night at the Gsa, voices high like cabbage patch kids babies.

Carolyn Quartier could conduct lessons in hosting to new executive wives, and has. She puts her charm to the service of a pair of non-profits, one I volunteered for in Portland called Northwest Children's Outreach, the other to serve survivors of human sex trafficking, called Grace Ministries. In my many relationships, there are those like mine with Carollyn in which I feel the consolation of having another mother to look after me. Yet she let me be a faith sharing friend. What's more, she's a mentor. "What you need to do" she says, "is write a book". I laugh. "Seriously, then you can go around giving talks and sell the book." We all need conspirators like Carolyn.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris loves and needs you all. Thank you for your support of him.

anne

Purging the Demon

So, last Friday I spoke with Fr. Bob. In the process of telling me about an experience he had, he said, "We have to avoid demonizing the system because we're peacemakers." As soon as he said it, I felt my stomach lurch: I have indeed been demonizing the system... and of course you can hear it in the sarcastic tone of my reflections.

Why am I demonizing the prison system? On an intellectual level I do understand why the system is the way it is, how it developed the way it did. As Fr. Bob says, "The system is designed to isolate, and on top of it, it dysfunctions." Yet, still, I find myself getting angry when I am listening to Chris' experiences, the trials of the other inmates, what his parents and advocates go through to support Chris. All the energy and time and emotion and money...and for what? To just put up with a system that could instead be far better designed and actually WORK to rehabilitate people and improve communities?

See, there I go again, getting ticked. Forgive me! I need to pray for God's grace to have compassion, patience, and love for the leadership who are making the decisions that create and perpetuate this system -- and for all of us who deal with its consequences. Only coming from this place of peace can God shine through us to transform darkness into light.

*Exhale*

Okay, so, you'll have to stay on me about this. Call me out when I am demonizing, and call up the Holy Spirit to give me grace. That's the only way I stand a chance folks.

Battle for Sanity

Here too, you can see how the guards keep control by wearing out the prisoners. How much does a prisoner deserve? Think of yourself...how much do you desire or dread routine? How much do you want people to do what they say they will do when they say they will do it? How much of this does a prisoner deserved to be stripped of? What is truly just in treating a prisoner? You can feel Chris' frustration not just for himself but for all of the men he is with.

----------------------------------------------------------

28 January 2011

Dear Anne: "God who comforteth us in all our tribulation." 2 Cor 1:4
"We had the sentence of death in ourselves." 2 Cor 1: 9
"Our rejoicing is testimony of our conscience." 2 Cor 1: 12

Green (constructive) a thought experiment based on learnings

1) The television set attracts viewers regardless of the language using rapid cutting, sexy physical appeal and the themes of competition revenge and covetous desire. Alternatively - through beauty and the pursuit of excellence, achievement, acceptance.

2) Guards receive ire for inconsistency only. Inmates with expectation fulfillment have gratification in predicting their future.But fake-out announcements such as "prepare for chow", then it taking 45 minutes before "chow call" - this upsets us. The exception to this is "the unexpected gift at an unexpected time." Thus some change that promises or fulfills an expectation, and this too is the corollary, namely that the inconsistency still meet the pattern. For example, by bringing the commissary orders to us at 8:15 AM. We expected commissary today but not until the late morning or early afternoon.

We expected it to require us to go to another room, where we must cope with the tedious count, the waiting for our turn and waiting for others - with constant bothering to keep quiet. Instead, we could stay in our comfort zone and be called one at a time. It helped to have an on deck "stand by" call.

Battle for Food

This letter from Chris disturbs me. You can see how the guards continue to jerk the inmates around, holding power over them to break them down. Chris sounds really tried at this point in his writing. Pray for him, please.

-----------------------------------------

January 28, 2011

Dear Anne:

“I was naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and you came unto me.” Matthew 25:36

It seems that only by writing can I expire, only by waiting can I transform this place for naught into something for good. Back from chow hall where the staff had no special tray for me. I get a vegetarian diet per the medical profile. I have long wrangled for the staff tried to serve me a regular tray of grits (1 cup), I sausage patty – which they removed and gave to someone else, and two biscuits with jelly packet. My pleading went ignored and my religious belief scorned. The officer in charge would not call the kitchen to have prepared the special tray which would have a substitute protein/caloric equivalent (such as two eggs). He sent me back to the dorm haunting me that I didn’t accept what they gave me – literal to the fact there was no meat on the tray. The orderlies were spiteful to me under the auspices.

Again & again & again. Thank God for support from my dorm. Jackson has filed a grievance form also, witnessing in his own way, he accepted the offered dish, receiving a second helping of grits & biscuit. His approach is not to get on the officer’s bad side. And yet it’s Jackson’s example that taught me to make no compromises, to wait until they bring the special tray.

“I was hungry and ye gave me meat.” Matthew 25:35

7:08 AM Officer Gentry reports that he has received confirmation from the kitchen that they are preparing something for me.

Dearly Beloved

A note from our own Chris

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Dearly Beloved friends, SOA watchers,

Your dedication pierces through these gray cement walls, and in the delivery of letters I bathe with such a remedy for the confinement, you protect me from melancholic, that malady for which St Thomas Aquinas recommended a good cleanse. Oh the news you bring startles me out of self consciousness; that filth washes down the drain as I soak in the message. “It is not about you!” I rub my skin pink with the news of the Ohio death row inmates on hunger strike since Jan 3^rd. When you attend to me this way, I experience not the host of a single body, but the blessed guest of suffering humanity. Now my soul arises. No stone can suffocate my inspiration from your fasting in solidarity with Guantanamo detainees. Here I too render a-piece the fear that birds, turn from images of prison, the stereotypes of a prisoner, and encounter myself surrounded by whole men. I admire the ceaseless echo of laughter in this dorm chamber. Truly spoke the reverend Dr King when he spoke of judging by the content of one’s character, not by the color of his skin or whether he wears the get up of a gulag class. I want you to meet these men, to come tell jokes with us, share a baloney sandwich or play chess, dominoes or cards; cheer with us the victory of the Seahawks to victory over the former champs; hop to your feet at a Hassleback touchdown pass, bellow with joy, clap hands & slap back with us; know the camaraderie of a company of men grateful to be alive, together whose every laugh mocks the mercilessness of our prosecutors. Would that you could attend Tuesday night church with us, just to hear the honey pop voices stand out for solo after solo with simple refrains like “Thank you Lord” crooning after God with every note of praise. –Behold listen to the earnest questions of these men who gather nightly for prayer call. Their affection for God sparkles, polished by assiduous reading of the work of God. Take your place in our circle, link, and make chorus the prayer Jesus taught us. “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In the strident soldierly intones, hear the militant conviction of hearts emblazoned in hope. Taste our fortified spirits and become one in the body of Christ. We are 56 meek men prodding to the mess hall in our Jackie eher slippers. Lest we forget a guard reminds us “Hands behind your backs, Shoulders flush to the wall.” Laughter, muttering we march in single file with heads bent but not bowed. One restores our dignity by holding open the door, thereby reclaiming his own. Another will share his biscuit with his neighbor. A third will surreptitiously slip hot dog into a baggy and wedge it into his underwear, while a fourth has surrendered his right to a meal, remaining in bed. He dreams of his three year old. My neighbor voluntarily offers me his watered down PowerAde and I am deeply satisfied that my fast allows so many an extra portion. I have sat with these men purposefully. ICE immigration and customs enforcement detainees, transfer from another dorm, their hygiene & food stocks that they had purchased on commissary were stolen. Argument ensued the discovery; none confessed, the guards who offered no protection were blamed. They laughed through the night unbowed.

I sat beside Roberto who now serves three years for a repeated attempt to immigrate clandestinely. He previously lived in the US for eight years. After he serves the time, then the government will deport him once more to Honduras. He describes the repression he witnessed in the summer of 2009. In the wake of a military coup, the acting President criminalized anyone with a tattoo. In the draconian commanders all with visible tattoo were lined up and subject to his fusillade. Roberto lifted his shirt sleeve to reveal his brush with death; since it all took place without trial he knew many innocents had perished. Oddly he expressed relief not just for himself but for the circumstances in jail.

It turns out that in October of 2009 he suffered an imprisonment far worse than I could possibly imagine. In order to reenter the states members of the Zetas kidnapped he and three companions including a mother, a friend and female cousin. I was familiar with the nefarious reputation of the gang from accounts of warfare in Northern Mexico. The tales of indiscriminate murder of civilians in street side cafes, or the delivery to a doorstep of a severed head decapitated or a threat forced into a forehead. How had he survived? By ransom. Fortunately, another brother ransomed the four by salvaging $22,000 from savings and rushed sale of property. Meanwhile, the waiting for rescue was made less likely than the five of those who were stampeded to a riverside for execution. To the Zetas all were chattel, either to make profit with or else exercise the psychological terror techniques many Zetas acquired while serving with the military in training from United States facilities including SOA/WHINSEL. Roberto recounted what they would do with rats, pulverizing the kidnapped to the brink of extinction. His was a grizzly tale of fetid cramped quarters not the size of our dorm. It was through the garage he and others were herded into a two story house trap for 120 held for ransom. To have heard his story is to know he would not let the terror deter him.

I am proud to know in him the gumption that the poet William E. Henley called Invictus His unconquerable soul, the fell clutch of circumstances and “Horror of the shade, He the master of his fate, the captain of his soul; for him have I been called to witness the glorious compassion of God, in this time in this place."

Thankfully yours

Christopher

Oh, I had thought to write you of my trial but as yet I have had none to speak of. Even my legal team expressed surprise when the US Marshalls at first would not allow reading material into the court, never mind it was the Bible. My testimony before the Judge could have careened into the harangue of two words, but light shone in the darkness, and the Word became flesh. I listened to the prosecutor Captain Gladding with pity and with self restraint thought along the lines of St Augustine who meditated on the mystery of Christ’s birth: “Unspeakably wise, he is wisely speechless.” My advocate made a motion that the government had failed to give evidence of my guilt and the judge ignored him. Still it was self-evident that my case was allowing the judge not to protect the military interests. I therefore kept my inflammatory thoughts to myself and uttered not a word of solidarity. Not surprisingly, I received the maximum sentence. Yet the judge convicted me of an enigmatic charge for which I seek appeal and a precedent!

Keep the Vigil, dear SOA Watch

Sincerely in Admiration

Below is a beautiful letter to Chris from his friend Jim McAteer. (posted with permission)

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January 12, 2011

Dear Chris,

You are my hero. Life is full of opportunities to do what is right. But too often people like me do not have the guts to cross the line. “Follow me”. I remember when I was at Ft Benning for 12 weeks of officer training at the infantry school during the Korean war aftermath (1955) commanding troops in combat required leadership. I wasn’t a good soldier -- in fact one of my efficiency reports went something like this:

“Lt. McAteer is a reluctant officer who performs his duty in a marginal manner.” But I was a pretty good lawyer having won several acquittals in court martial cases at Ft. Lewis.

The School for the Americas is a hellhole that trains Latin American soldiers to be the enemy of the people. Another of my heroes is Archbishop Romero. After returning to Seattle in 1997 after being a delegate on the visitation to Arcatao I purchased through Amazon a collection of Romero’s pastoral letters and other writings. Wow!! What a great man and saint. Last Sunday after the 9AM Mass Fr John W. gave a slide show of his trip to El Salvador, Arcatao, and UCA. He showed pictures of the rose garden where the 6 Jesuits were martyred and the church where Romero was slain. It brought back all my memories of the very memorable trip.

At our Friday 7AM prayer meeting, all present prayed for you and for your mom and dad. To me your courage is a great inspiration. May God bless you.

Sincerely in admiration, Peace

Jim McAteer

The Shakedown

As of January 26th, Chris still had not received his meds, 3 weeks after his entrance into Irwin County Jail. Chris' Dad Dave stands up for Chris and shakes down the warden. As of yesterday, Chris has finally received his meds and though they are not the ones he wanted to continue on, we are grateful!

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January 26, 2011
RE. Chris Spicer #7060

Dear Warden Walrath and Captain Paulk

I am writing on behalf of my son Chris Spicer. After several days, I understand he was finally able to make a call this evening to his legal counsel Robert Phares. Mr. Phares called me to provide certain information. My wife and I have not been able to hear from Chris since January 18. And I can tell you I am very unhappy to hear this news from Phares.

Despite making repeated requests that Chris be administered his medication and being informed by Captain Paulk that he was in fact finally getting these meds as of last Friday, January 21, our son now informs Mr. Phares that he is still NOT receiving these meds or any meds that might be generic and has NEVER received any meds..

This is outrageous, against the law and I want this corrected immediately. You have on file a letter from his treating psychiatrist Dr. Francis Alouf that Chris Spicer needs to be on this medication on a daily basis. There is absolutely no justification for your actions and the actions of your staff.

I am once again contacting my US Senator Patty Murray today. As you know, her offices have already contacted Irwin (last week on January 18) to lodge a complaint. If necessary, I will contact both of Georgia’s US Senators and making immediate request that they also conduct an investigation into your operations and find out how many other inmates besides my son are not receiving their medications. If necessary, I will file a formal complaint with the Bureau of Prisons and also have a US Department of Justice conduct a formal probe into your prison and its operations.

My son is serving time for engaging in a single act of civil disobedience and received the maximum sentence possible of six months for protesting the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning. This is a crime of trespass and represents a simple misdemeanor and he is a first time offender. The treatment he is receiving at your detention center is outrageous. And I suspect there are countless others in your prison who are treated likewise.

I expect to hear from Captain Paulk today along with my son on the phone to me confirming TODAY that he is receiving his medications.

I hope you understand I am dead serious about taking action if this is not immediately resolved.

Sincerely,

Dave Spicer

Cc: Senator Patty Murray, State of Washington

Cc: Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, State of Georgia