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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1979)
Page 8 Portland Observer November 8. 1979 Behind the Wall by Larry Baker »35021 O.S.P. Correspondent A PHOENIX VISITS OSP By Dave M right When Chuck Colson firs t ap peared as a born again Christian, the nation was shocked. I he conversion wa' exposed alter a prayer-breaklast at tf White House in December ol 1974. The headlines were disastrous. C ritics were devastating. “ II he (Colson) isn’ t etnbarassed by this sudden excess o f piety, then surely the I ord must be (C olumnist Harriet Van Horn). If Colson can repent his sins, then there just has to be hope lo r everybody (Boston Globe). I hope He ((.hrist) can save your butt now, because I can’ t. I his (the con version)... must be the dirtiest trick you've ever pulled...they ought to indict you lor it (Colson's attorney, Dave Shapiro). I he most crushing blow must have come from Wendell Colson, already pressured at college by the ac cusations against Ins father. When he was informed o f his lather’s conver sion he said: “ Oh no! Dad's a Jesus freak.” By then it was too late. A new man had come to life, born Ironr the most wicked manipulator in politics. Some people, seeing Colson's sin cerity, praised him. Eric Severeid devoted an entire commentary to ( olson's conversion. Bill Greider ot the W ashington Post, C olson’ s sworn enemy, published the lirs t sympathetic view o f Colson’ s new wav o f life. I he nation’ s C hristians prayed fo r him , sending letters welcoming a brother and praising Ciod. A m arine s ta ff sergeant, Nathaniel Greene, sinner and con fessed alcoholic, was touched by Colson’ s conversion and wrote him of Ins decision to attend church, give up booze and praise those who con fessed their sins. "T his letter said it a ll," Colson wrote in Horn Again. As the indictm ent proceedings progressed, Colson journeyed through a maze o f legalities and c ritic a l attacks, standing firm , assuming the burdens of his past. Iro n ic a lly , at another prayer- breaklast, C olson made the decision to plead guilty. After a hearing and sentencing he was escorted to H o la b ird Arm y Base, a federal detention center, and the lofty locks o f a man were hum bled, the haul mess bowed down, fin ally, soon after the death o f his father, federal marshals escorted him to Maxwell f ederal Prison C amp, Dormitory G, and numbered him 23226. I wonder il sergeant Greene’s let ter was in Colson’ s mind that lowly night he asked him self and God about starting a prison m inistry, visiting the world’ s prisons, and at tending to the applause o f fellow convicted felons. This sequence o f events from the rebirth to incar ’ David Crawford »39830 Assistant Correspondent ceration is summarized, in a sense, by John D ryden's early poem alluding to the Phoenix, a bird that resurrected itself to a new life and disposed o f the old. the law, we, too, can see our past consume in fragrant (lames. As a final contrast, the Phoenix had a peculiar reproductive cycle. Only one o f the magnificent birds could exist at any given time. U nfor tunately, Mr. Colson, in view o f the pipe dreams you have expressed, the skeptical public must thank God only one Chuck Colson can exist durin g these troubled years, one needed to keep things in perspective; but, one that if let loose in great number, might pressure our society to self-destruct by disregarding men tal health and relying only on the power o f Christ. You did make several points, though, one being restitution. Our HTtezi the newborn Phoenix firs t is seen, His feathered subjects all adorn their King, And while he makes his progress through the Last, fro m every grove his numerous tram's increased; Each poet o f the air his glory sings A nd around him the pleased audience clap their wings. Chuck Colson discusses prison m eeting w ith Larry Baker. Wednesday, October 24, Chuck Colson appeared at OSP to be ap plauded by the clapping wings o f felons gathered from every grove of society, feathered subjects adorning A king, a felon, reborn from him self, singing the glo ry o f biblical prose. I he Class o f Legal Processes, sponsors o f the campaign, sat patien tly in the co n tro l center awaiting Colson-already twenty minutes late. A procession o f invited p o litic a l, ju d ic ia l, and social groups filed through, and then came Colson. His smile was warming, but com pared to his picture on the cover o f Horn Again the more prominent bags under his eyes and even saggier dim ples clearly indicated not the Chuck Colson I expected, one touched by the H oly S p irit and somewhat rejuvenated, but one tired and weary, the crusades having taken their to ll. During his introduction and speech, this analogy between the Phoenix and Chuck Colson came together. His reign as assistant to Nixon, Colson to ld the class, dwelt on materialism as a way o f life, years o f prosperity, W hite House dinners, limousines, mansions, and chartered planes. The Phoenix, too, fed not on ordinary fruit and flowers, but, ac cording to H erdodtus, fed on frankincense and odiferous gums. Colson told us o f climbing to the top o f the political ladder, secured in a nest o f adamant governmental supremacy, surrounded by am bassadors, attorneys, and the president. The Phoenix also prepared a nest as it reached maturity, a lair in the branches o f a mighty oak, composed o f cinnamon, spikenard, and tn vrrh . U n fo r tunately, in this b u lw a rk, the Phoenix drew its last breath, died, and from its body a new creature emerged, a babe, young, and with one objective in mind: to dispose o f the body from which it has issued. We asked Colson how lie dealt w ith his past, the hatchet-man image, and the ex-con status. He thought a moment and explained that it’s carried with him, to be ac cepted, rejected, or criticize d, a DO YOU NEED HELP? Is the DEVIL working against your home, nature, job, church, money, child Fen, sex, neighbor, health, sick, family, loved ones? Are there demons on your body or in your home? Have you been in a fix where you cannot keep or find the RIGHT man or woman? If you need help with any or all of these problems you should call me NOW11 Tomorrow may be too late111 Does your luck pass you by? If so, I have lucky hands to help you be a winner in all GAMES OF CHANCE —Bingo, Reno, Tahoe, Las Vegas, Special, Miami, Fla., etc. If you are a spiritual seeker who needs help not promises "God Gifted" man. I can help you in a hurry. call me I am a TESTIMONIALS 1) M iss Joyce J.W , Portland, OR , was in a fix where she could not find or keep a good man I, Rev Hoskins, removed the fix and the pnx from her. NOW she can draw the man of her desire to her like a magnet. 2) M r ft M rs. 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I guarantee to do what I say I can do I have a big re putation to protect I know the power of the SPIRIT Don t put it off Don't let distance keep you from calling Call now !!1 You will be glad you did Tell a friend where to get HELP today RESULTS GUARANTEED REVEREND CLAUDE HOSKINS 553 GLENVIEW AVENUE OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94610 TELEPHONE: ( 4151 444 4883 Advertisement i superintendent suggests certainty o f punishm ent. In c o n ju n c tio n , I suggest certainty o f objectives, be they include restitution, length o f in carceration, vocational or academic training, or even regularly scheduled prayer-breakfasts. The Phoenix left OSP carrying his burden, b u ild in g the strength he needs to see his past consumed in the frig h t fo r human d ig n ity . Pipe dreams or possibilities, o nly tomorrow will tell. One thing is cer tain, though. Whatever questions were left un-answered, Chuck Colson’s work to bring to light the inconsistencies in the prisons o f America w ill help him in his fight to rise from the ashes o f the past. "We should behave to friends as we would wish friends to behave to us." Aristotle . . . UNION OR COMPANY DENTAL INSURANCE ISA VALUABLE ASSET. . . YOUR HEALTH AND Chuck Colson addresses inm ates and visitors. bright key opening the doors for his campaign and prison reform, and a burden, too, at tunes one difficult to bear; but, nevertheless, one he can not escape. The Phoenix burdened itself with myrrh which, ironically, was used in medicine, embalming, and perfume, making frequent jo u r neys, building up the strength to carry its progenitor’ s body to the altar o f the sun to be consumed by fragrant Hanies. Is this M i. Colson's objective: to build strength carrying the burden o f his past oi l to be con sumed in fragrant flames o f illum in ation? Someone once said if you want to see the scum o f the earth, stand outside a prison during the changing o f the guard, (however, af ter having spent two years inside these walls, I might add there are some sincere individuals in guard uniforms). Or, come inside and meet society’ s social deviates; spend the day and fraternize w ith visiting citizens, the guest judicial, political, and social groups, people who care and devote hours toward inmate in terests. See this prison as a source ol light, a sun, illum inating the most respected and most rejected of society, an excellent altar to consume the sacrifice o f a hatchet-man and begin a new life o f reform, wholeness and Christian attitude. Mr. Colson, I believe your burden is heavy-heavier than most could bear. But you have increased the strain by reaching for the tnoon, un willing to accept even Skylab. f irst, you commented that 80 percent o f incarcerated felons should be released to community corrections. I challenge you to accept the respon sibility and flak for the release o f the 80 percent set free in society under any program. Seen from the eyes o f public partisans it ’ s a pipe dream, visions o f cions disguised as myrrh. Second, you responded to one in mate’ s question about religion and mental health in a skirting manner, expressing disdain, in so many wor ds, fo r confidence in.p4 ychiatric care. However, Bill Glass, during his crusade at OSP last month, respond ed this way: "M ental health without religion is hum anism ; religion without mental health is psychosis!" Furthermore, your suggestion to release only non-violent first offen ders is an unconscious advocation for mental health in itself. “ Non v io le n t” and “ firs t o ffe n d e r" defined in general enough terms to include 80 percent o f the prison population would be a contemptuous closeting o f the need fo r mental Interested in current books about African Liberation? Visit: JOHN REED BOOK STORE In the Dekum Building 519 S.W. 3rd Avenue Sixth Floor Or call: 227 2902 APPEARANCE health. And last, you said 99 percent o f the prisoners were people you would have as friends. Again, Mr. Colson, a m an’ s associates are the fuel feeding the coals o f law ful behavior, or, on the other hand, feeding the sparks o f criminal desire. The "d o your own thing" attitude o f the six ties, you explained, has permeated the seventies. This statement, in my opinion, is a misrepresentation o f fact. Wc spend less time doing our own thing than we do succumbing to peer-group pressure. I his pressure initiated the do your own thing a ttitu d e s, a sociological fact. We are not strong enough to completely govern our own desires. 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