536 
32 
0 
1 
On the evening of March 28th, less than 24 hours after we put out a call to action and hundreds of supporters made countless phone calls to FCI Herlong, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Central Office and Congress, Tim was moved back to minimum security. In a tremendous outpouring of support, we proved that massively galvanized people power does make a difference.
However, vital questions still remain: Why was Congress involved in moving Tim into isolated confinement? Who ordered the investigation? How is a Congressperson privy to a personal email that Tim sent to one of his friends? Martin Luther King said, “An injustice to one is an injustice to all”, and this abuse of power must be exposed in its entirety if we are to safeguard our own personal liberties.
And clearly, we’re not the only ones asking the questions. The RT TV Network just put out a call to action, via one of their programs called…
…The Alyona Show. They’re specifically asking YOU to shed light on “a story that involves congressional overreach,” by getting in touch with your Congressperson and asking on the record whether or not they were the ones to contact the Bureau of Prisons about Tim.
Peaceful Uprising would like to express our most sincere gratitude to The Alyona Show for working with us in exposing this injustice and demanding transparency in this matter.
Watch their video and follow the instructions below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPm7TPzn6bc&feature=youtu.be
1.Get in touch with your Congressperson by calling his/her office. Identify yourself as a constituent (and please, actually be one!) then inform the staffer that you are calling in response to a television program. Say that you are inquiring whether or not the Congressman contacted the Bureau of Prisons about taking punitive action, including recommending isolation, in response to a letter he sent on March 5th.
2. You may not receive a response right away. Congressional staffers are quite busy. Be persistent. Explain to who you speak to that if you don’t receive a definitive “no” response, the lack of an answer could be construed as a passive admission. Most importantly, stress that you don’t want to hold the Congressman unfairly responsible for this. Eventually, you’ll speak to a staffer.
3. Once you finally speak to a staffer who works on the subcommittee issues, inquire who it is you’re talking to. Note who you are speaking to and the time of the conversation. Then ask them directly on the record: did your boss contact BOP about DeChristopher’s letter? Did he/she request that punitive measures be taken against Tim DeChristopher, including isolation?
5. If you don’t receive a definitive answer, ask the staffer to verify for you.
6. If the staffer actually says yes…don’t judge. Politely ask for an explanation.
536 32 0 1 
We must stand together to demand justice & build a healthy world. Join our Regional Action List.
I understand that the NDAA was the mechanism used to access Tim’s email. But it still should be determined (if possible) which member of Congress actually read it and decided that he needs to be punished further or that the other inmates need to be protected from his “radical” views.
It is disturbing that this happened but heartening that our swift response made a difference.
I agree that a petition needs to be started for the most effective results. MoveOn.org or the Care2 website, or any progressive website can run with this petition…
This sounds like a continuation of earlier stories about communication management units (CMUs) for environmental activists (“domestic terrorists”) and how prisoners could be sent there with no way of tracing or challenging the authority that put them there: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/06/08/bhopal-justice-sort-of/#comment-241562
The podcast link in that comment is dead now, but the Will Potter interview is at http://antiwar.com/radio/2010/05/16/will-potter-2/ and you can click into it from there.
DeChristopher would be a perfect candidate for a CMU because he meets the DOJ criteria of “inspirational significance.” http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=BOP-2010-0006-0001;oldLink=false
CONGRESS LOOKUP: http://congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt
“As reported in the media, a Congressman is responsible for Tim DeChristopher being placed in isolation in response to a letter he sent on March 5, 2012. As a leader in Congress that believes transparency in government is crucial to our Democracy, can you please identify the member responsible, did they contact the Bureau of Prisons directly and ask that punitive measures be taken including isolation? The only way I can know for certain that my elected officials are NOT involved is to know who was.”
Interesting questions raised about : How was Congress involved in moving Tim DeChristopher into isolated confinement, after being sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for challenging illegal oil company domestic land sales ? How is a Congressperson privy to a personal email that Tim sent to one of his friends regarding Tim’s aggressive “stance” against accepting money for his legal defense from a corporation that was involved in mass layoffs and outsourcing of employees jobs ?
These are very easy questions to answer. It was a little more than 3 months ago, that an almost unanimous US Congress, Republican & Democrats, enacted a “LAW” that was signed by President Obama on New Years Eve, that essentially REVOKES the Bill of Rights, and sanctions “Indefinite Detention Without Trial”, of “Terror Suspects” or people “SUSPECTED” of “supporting” terror “affiliated” groups.
This means that Congress and the US Government have taken a clear stance, essentially, of REVOKING constitutional rights of individuals, in favor of DETAINING people (indefinitely) without trial or access to legal rights, in the name of combatting “terrorists”, a term that can be APPLIED to anyone.
If Tim was “detained” and “isolated” under the Indefinite Detention Law ,and was on a TERROR SUSPECT LIST, because he wrote an email to a friend about waging a campaign against corporate anti-worker “outsourcing” policies… because the word “THREAT” was used in the email… a congressman could categorize Tim DeChristopher as a “TERRORIST”…claiming Tim made a “THREAT” against a corporation.
UTAH… is the State where Tim was found “guilty”, imprisoned for 2 years, for challenging illegal oil company land sales.
UTAH… has tracking “facilities” for storing and scrutinizing all emails sent or received in the USA, and is the State where a National Security Agency (NSA) Communications/ Population Tracking Facility is slated to be operational by Sept 2013.
Thus it is not difficult, in Tim DeChristopher’s case, to figure out “How was a Congressperson privy to a personal email that Tim sent to one of his friends ?”.
The “Bill of Rights” was REVOKED on New Years Eve.
There has been a near black out in the main stream media on this.
“Progressives” don’t seem to be overly concerned about this totalitarian direction the country is going. Most progressives have “faith” in President Obama’s “good will” regarding his statements about “not enforcing” the Indefinite Detention Without Trial “LAW”.
Problem…given this totalitarian direction of TRACKING emails, phone calls, all electronic communications of Americans, it appears that Tim DeChristopher will not be the only American put on a “SUSPECT LIST” and detained in “isolation” for standing up to powerful corporate interests.
If Americans don’t wake up to the fact that their most basic rights are being REVOKED, millions of Americans will wind up…
IN DETENTION….IN ISOLATION…BUT WITHOUT RIGHTS TO TRIAL OR LAWYER…INDEFINITELY…FOR AS LONG AS THE USA IS WAGING ITS “WAR” ON “TERROR”…I.E., ITS “WAR” ON “TERROR SUSPECTS”…WHICH COULD BE ANY ONE OF US !!!!
Maybe there should be a petition to Obama asking him to release the name of the congressman responsible for Tim DeChristopher’s placement in isolation per his law.