Day of Action - Janice G. Leaving Chicago State University at 9:00 AM on June 25, we made slow progress to Washington, D.C., stopping frequently, but finally arriving at our motel about midnight. At 9:30 AM on June 26 we were transported by bus to Union Station and the rally site. I found a smoke free, shaded place under a huge tree, among a group of teenagers from “Jersey.” They were great company as the rally speakers each repeated what the previous one had said, and the heat increased. A volunteer approached the teens and spoke to them about the Patriot Act. She explained their right to opt out of the provision which requires school personnel to provide military recruiters the name and contact information of high school students. The obvious student leader among these teens listened intently. In the meantime, I shooed away all smokers who seemed to gravitate toward me. For this I became a hero to the kids. After the rally, we all gathered around volunteers holding a sign for each state. The Illinois contingent walked en masse to the Hart Office Building, to meet with our senators. First stop was the 3rd floor, Senator Obama’s office. His legislative counsel Rachana Bhomik listened to us as a group out in the hallway, as Obama’s office apparently was not big enough to accommodate us. We explained to her that we wished the senator to co-sponsor S185 (HR 1416), the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act, which would end unlawful infinite detention at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Ms. Bhomik’s response explained the delicate dance which legislators do to get their colleagues to back legislation they want. It can be summarized as “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” It also explains the vast amount of earmarks attached to appropriations. They are traded like baseball cards. We also stated that we want the senator to vote for S576 (HR 1415), Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, and S 1469, the Close Guantanamo Bill. We want all these bills to pass in order to obviate the Military Commissions Act that was signed into law last December. This Act allows the president to determine who is an enemy combatant and throw said enemy into a secret prison, never to be heard of again. Obama’s legislative counsel let us know that the senator’s attention was currently on the Immigration Bill (now dead). She did explain though, that because there was little likelihood of the aforementioned bills passing the Senate, that they would be attached to Defense Reauthorization Act, which the President wants to fund the war; Let him veto that. We next made our way to the seventh floor and Senator Durbin’s office. A long time member of Congress, Durbin’s office is quite spacious. We were ushered into a conference room with comfortable seats and an audience with Durbin’s legislative aid Tom Ferrone. This young man is a recent college graduate and wrote down all the legislation we want the senator to sponsor. We talked, and he wrote down notes. He suggested that we log onto Thomas.loc.gov in order to follow our legislation through the Congress. It was all very nice, but I personally felt powerless in that office. I think that Durbin is philosophically on the same page as we are, but let’s all write to him, urging that he sponsor the Close Guantanamo Bill, the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act, and the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. I did not walk over to Representative Bobby Rush’s office, but I will pay a visit to him this holiday week, while he is in town. Having been arrested and imprisoned himself for “terrorist” activity, I think he will support our legislation.