OIAC Part VII
I was in Legistlative Committee A and we were dealing with Proposition H-9, entitled END ILLEGAL DETAINMENT, IMPRISONMENT, TORTURE, AND DEATH. We passed a vastly ammended version. Here is the committee text:
"We call upon the US government to discontinue immediately detainment of foreign nationals and combatants and US citizens without legal recourse and provide detainees with legal representation, speedy adjudication and access by humanitarian aid organizations in accord with international and US law; to restore the Constitutional rights of all US citizens and the respectful treatment of non-citizens; to discontinue the policy of ‘outsourcing torture’; and to begin the practice suggested by President Bush in his first term of having a ‘humble’ foreign policy."
We passed it 25-1.
Then we had a wonderful Commissioning Service in the evening. Rev. Dr. Peter Storey from South Africa. It was a terrific service. He talked about the wind of God and how it is continually moving us to knock down more barriers.
Then we started a 9:00pm Plenary for the Connectional Ministries report from Scott Harkness.
We discussed our impressions of institutional racism in small groups. Racism is our unfinished adgenda.
We heard a not-so-brief report from Campus Ministries. it was good, though.
We had a report about the Liberia project.
We heard about a Salem Area food drive.
I'm sure that these reports are important, but it's getting really close to 10:00 pm and I'm not really in to this any more. It's really a little ridiculous. This is not promoting wellness at all. Breakfast is going to be at 7:00. It's just some informational stuff about various things going on throughout the conference. It's not really going as fast as it might, even though everyone says that they're trying to keep it short. They're going to keep on reporting for a while, I'm sure, but I'm signing off now.
Peace.
"We call upon the US government to discontinue immediately detainment of foreign nationals and combatants and US citizens without legal recourse and provide detainees with legal representation, speedy adjudication and access by humanitarian aid organizations in accord with international and US law; to restore the Constitutional rights of all US citizens and the respectful treatment of non-citizens; to discontinue the policy of ‘outsourcing torture’; and to begin the practice suggested by President Bush in his first term of having a ‘humble’ foreign policy."
We passed it 25-1.
Then we had a wonderful Commissioning Service in the evening. Rev. Dr. Peter Storey from South Africa. It was a terrific service. He talked about the wind of God and how it is continually moving us to knock down more barriers.
Then we started a 9:00pm Plenary for the Connectional Ministries report from Scott Harkness.
We discussed our impressions of institutional racism in small groups. Racism is our unfinished adgenda.
We heard a not-so-brief report from Campus Ministries. it was good, though.
We had a report about the Liberia project.
We heard about a Salem Area food drive.
I'm sure that these reports are important, but it's getting really close to 10:00 pm and I'm not really in to this any more. It's really a little ridiculous. This is not promoting wellness at all. Breakfast is going to be at 7:00. It's just some informational stuff about various things going on throughout the conference. It's not really going as fast as it might, even though everyone says that they're trying to keep it short. They're going to keep on reporting for a while, I'm sure, but I'm signing off now.
Peace.
posted by david at 4:12 PM
4 Comments:
Great about the anti-torture resolution-- and about how handily passed. I hope you got (are getting) enough sleep, though!
Mary Ann
We call upon the US government to discontinue immediately detainment of foreign nationals and combatants and US citizens without legal recourse and provide detainees with legal representation, speedy adjudication and access by humanitarian aid organizations in accord with international and US law
What on earth do such political issues have to do with the business of the UMC? Should the Church take a stand on every passing (and congregationally divisive) political issue appearing in the headlines? I support what's going on at Gitmo, but I wouldn't bring it up at Annual Conference.
I think that those who voted for the resolution felt that these sorts of measures are not only un-American, but a direct afront to God's call for us to treat all persons with respect (and love for that matter) that to do anything less than to speak out against such injustices would be to collaborate with them.
Appreciate this blog ppost
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