MCLU honors Patriot Act rebels

BANGOR – One year after small groups of Maine residents began convincing local officials to oppose the USA Patriot Act, organizers will be honored today by the Maine Civil Liberties Union.

The state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union at its annual meeting in Portland will present the Roger Baldwin Award to seven people from throughout the state who spearheaded efforts to get anti-Patriot Act resolutions passed in their communities.

This is the first time the award has been given to a group of individuals, according to MCLU officials.

Recipients are Gerald Oleson and Bill Sullivan, both of Bangor, Jane Sanford and Maizy Myers, both of Belfast, Bia Winter of Mount Vernon, Bernie Huebner of Waterville and Kris Clark of Portland.

Oleson e-mailed Tuesday to the Bangor Daily News a copy of his acceptance speech in which he vowed that the Bill of Rights would have to be pried “out of my cold, clenched fist.”

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the members of the Bangor Area Bill of Rights Defense Committee,” it read. “Over the seven months of our work we had 24 members who contributed their ideas and hard work – students, teachers, working people, retired people, business people and veterans.

“Most of all I am thrilled to be here with you folks,” continued Oleson’s planned remarks. “You are the people that my mother warned me about when I was a kid. … Then President Bush said, ‘You are with us or you are with the enemy.’ Well, I am not with him. I am with you.”

Oleson, who whispers when he speaks as a result of a successful fight against throat cancer, has said that his parents’ values and the memory of the Senate hearing on communism chaired in the 1950s by U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy taught him that people are more important than ideology.

The USA Patriot Act is a 342-page document signed into law by Congress in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The name of the act stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.

In March, the Maine House and Senate passed a resolution urging Congress to make sure federal anti-terrorism legislation does not compromise civil liberties. Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont passed similar resolutions.

Nationwide, more than 360 municipalities, including Orono, Bangor, Mount Vernon, Waterville and Portland, have adopted similar resolutions, according to information on a Web site for the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the national organization that initiated the effort.

Sanford said Monday that although she and others were unable to persuade Belfast officials to pass the resolution, the group in March 2003 sponsored a forum on the Patriot Act that drew more than 100 people.

“Getting the award has inspired me to work harder and learn more about the history of civil rights in our country,” she said. “These are perilous times. I’ve been shocked to learn how many presidents have tried to cut back on our civil liberties in times of war. We’ve always rebounded, but these are very troubling times.”

The award, named for one of the founders of the American Civil Liberties Union, is given annually to an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to civil liberties in Maine.

Last year, the MCLU gave the Baldwin Award to the Blue Hill Public Library for its endorsement of an American Library Association resolution opposing portions of the Patriot Act.