On the other side of right thinking and wrong thinking there is a field. I'll meet you there. Rumi
We are just here to walk one another home. Ram Dass
It was in the Star this morning. Christine Von Der Haar, a lecturer in Indiana University's sociology department, was detained for some time at the Indianapolis airport and was a nervous wreck, she said, during their questioning. A lawsuit has been filed. It seems, in question, is the possibility her emails to and from a friend from Greece who came to visit her here had been read by authorities, and there was the possibility of risk.
Yes, I thought immediately about our Iceland Trip. Of all places, this 'friendliest of all countries', detained me, as well. It had been the best of trips--Iceland and Greenland, waterfalls and Inuit fishing villages, stocky horses with thick, hairy coats, and soaking in the Blue Lagoon. And yes, I'd spent some of my time, as I always do: talking to locals about their well-funded and excellent national healthcare and the country's views on men and women of the GLBTQA (gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transgender/questioning/ally community. I, a very interested ally, do that all over the world as we travel. This time, though, 'the trip' started a few months before at the Indiana Statehouse. I have led Q&As there, been in press conferences, met with Indiana Assembly legislators, and spoken to sessions and on the Statehouse steps. Knowing we were heading to Iceland during one of those times, I decided to email the Iceland Prime Minister. You see, this General Assembly day--was the day all this recent HR6/HR3 constitutional amendment thing got started. If it had passed, into our State Constitution would have been a redundant opinion about gay rights--and for the first time our state constitution would have specifically denied rights to a group of people. It was for me and many other Hoosiers a sad day. I decided to email the elected, Iceland Prime Minister, herself a lesbian--married, legally to her wife who was the lesbian First Lady there. I decided to email her and tell her what happened that day in my state and asked if she would write back some kind of statement of encouragement which I could read to my church, friends, and others who might appreciate a word from her. For the world is changing, and she and her wife were encouraging representives of this change. To cover the matter, I asked a tech savvy friend to translate my email into Icelandic, in case the Prime Minister didn't speak English. He did, and I sent the two email versions along. Hearing nothing, I sent it again, weeks later. Both times I also included the dates I'd be in her nation's capital and asked if I might stop by and meet her. While I didn't expect to get an invitation, I did hope for, at least, a return email. Nothing.
When our trip began, several months later, I resent the email from home and then from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland and told our tour guide about my hopes. Of all things, he had a cousin who worked in the Prime Minister's office and gave me her email address. So that day, half way through the trip, and prior to arriving back in Rykjavid for departure, I send the email again--directly to her at her office.
The rest of the time, enjoying the trip, its beauty and the wonderful people.
I did find people to whom I talked, as well. One time was at 66 Degree, (their version of North Face) a clothing store which was empty of shoppers at the time, so I talked with the sales person about my interests. He said, "National health care works great for us and your other interest--homosexuality is really a non-issue in our country. Pretty much one day someone from the gay and lesbian community said, 'It isn't fair we can't marry and mixed gender couple can.' There was a discussion, and in a short time people said, 'You're right,' and it became legal. We have heard, though, the United States is having a more difficult time of it. I'm glad I met you, because it's easy to think you all feel that way." Then he tilted his head, pondering and said, "Let's see, if you are interested in all this, what else might you find interesting? (And he thought and thought.) Might it be interesting to you that last spring we elected a transgender woman as judge? By a land-slide, too." Yes, I said. That will be really interesting to folks back home.
While most of our trip we were in Greenland and Iceland's hinterlands, we did drive by the residence and office of the Iceland Prime Minister several times. The picture I took was to be my only 'up close and personal' connection.'
Last day, we were off to the airport: John, Clarise, Cal, and Sheila Yvonne.
Bags all checked, we headed through security. Two airport officials stopped our group, and one said to me, "Are you Sheila Yvonne Brandenburg? You are to come with us and may rejoin your travel friends when your plane is ready to take off for the United States. Follow me." I walked away with one of the officers in front of me and one behind. Cal and our friends went on into the terminal and spent the next three hours in a huge crowd, Cal sitting on the floor. They had no idea where I was, why, or what was happening to me.
I asked the officials as we walked away from them, "Is this something you do to, say, every 127th person or something?" "No," I was told, and after we entered a different part of the airport, one of the men said, "This is your government that has ordered this, not us. We are following their directive. Pay no attention to any of the over-head announcements. We will escort you to your seat on the plane before the wheels go up. We understand the flight is late, so this could be some time. We want you to be comfortable. Let us know if we can help you in any way." I said, "Well, you can take me to my husband whenever I can go." With that they handed me a letter they had received from the US which called for my detention. Since we have a very good friend pretty high up in Homeland Security, I asked for a copy. He's never going to believe this, I thought. They took me to a room all by myself and gave me a tray of Icelandic doughnuts and the best hot chocolate in the world. I was directed to a soft comfy, black leather couch in front of a huge flat screen TV. They gave me a couple warm throws, just in case, and told me behind the door beside me was a private rest room for my use. They said they would check on me often to make certain I was comfortable--but not to worry at all. So, it was me, chocolate, pastries, and TV. And they did check often. After a few hours, the two officials came back and said, "We will take you to the plane now." Through the airport we went, out on the tarmac, up the stairs into the plane, and accompanied by them, I was taken to my seat. The people on the plane started cheering. I learned later my husband had been exceedingly anxious and had finally told the flight attendants if I were not on the plane before take off, he was going to exit the plane. That is evidently not a popular thing to do, so I'd expect the passengers were more concerned about their flight, than about me.
After I was home, I talked with my Homeland Security friend and showed him the letter, asking him why on earth? He said, "It was most likely all the contacts you were so diligently making to a foreign head of state, you stalker, you." But, I said, I was really friendly and for a good cause about which she would have approved. And he said, "Terrorists hardly ever say, I'm planning to assassinate your Head of State."
I suppose he was right. After all, he's had the training. Not me.
So, whatever it takes to keep us all secure: me, another, all others, and this universe about which we are genuinely fond, I say, good.
