"I arrived around noon today at the 'Christian campsite of evangelical obedience' located in the restricted zone on Vieques." Thus UMC missionary Don Reasoner begins his account of plans for a weekend of UMC participation with the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico in the political protest movement currently taking place in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Why a campsite for "evangelical obedience?" Says Reasoner, it is to highlight the reasons for the civil disobedience that is taking place civil disobedience engaged in and supported by a range of churches, including the United Methodist Church, and an array of others including labor and political groups, representatives of the fishing industry, students, and others.

The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico is bringing people to the site on the weekend of December 17-21 to engage in civil disobedience in the island's "restricted zone." Several GBGM leaders will be joining the group, living in the Christian camp during those days. What is going on?

For almost sixty years more than half of this century life has been harsh in Vieques, a small and scenic island that is part of Puerto Rico. It began when the United States Navy arrived in 1941 to use the island as a bombing range, barring islanders for all of that time from the largest and stunningly beautiful portion of their own island. Hence the term "restricted." Currently, the protest is taking place in a number of camps set up, in defiance of Navy rules, in the restricted area.

Over the years, increasing friction between the Navy and the island's more than 9,000 residents has resulted in little or no change. In addition to being barred from as much as two-thirds of their own land, islanders are becoming increasingly angered by continuing pollution of the soil, ravaged countryside, destruction of the local fishing industry, and burgeoning cancer rates.

After earlier protests, things exploded once again in April 1999, when a U.S. bomb killed David Sanes Rodriguez, a civilian security guard, and injured four others. After this tragedy, and as a result of the efforts of Juan Vera Mendez, Methodist bishop of Puerto Rico and a leader on behalf of the people of Vieques, the United Methodist Council of Bishops approved a resolution reaffirming its earlier demand that the U.S. Navy "cease its military activities, repair whatever damages it has caused, and transfer all the land that is currently occupied to the government of Puerto Rico." And, currently, the UMC and other U.S. churches are supporting the protest of civil disobedience by coming to the Christian camp. Hence, Reasoner's presence in Vieques.

"Things are pretty well organized here," he writes." In the camp right now are six members of the Presbyterian Church in Puerto Rico. They have been here since Friday and will stay till Tuesday. The flight from San Juan is about thirty minutes long and the boat ride to the camp takes another half hour or so, depending on the sea. On my trip, some of the waves were about ten feet high and we got soaked.

"The area is very beautiful! Our campsite has two large open tents. One, with a plywood floor, is used as the main kitchen and dining area. A latrine has been dug and enclosed with a plastic tarpaulin. There's also a wooden shower stall, though folks tend to bathe in the sea and then rinse off with fresh water. One of the three other tents can easily sleep four persons and the others can hold two persons each. There is a gas stove with three burners, and a gasoline- powered generator to provide light in the evenings. There is also a small CB radio to communicate with the other camps in the area.

"The kitchen area has four long shelves with stocks and supplies, pots and pans and basic utensils, though each group tends to bring its own supplies, leaving whatever remains for the next group. There are two large ice chests and one small one, and the fishing boat brings regular supplies of water, ice, and anything else that is requested.

"There are approximately nine different camps sponsored by various groups. All have established their own areas in the restricted zone and there seems to be a sense of camaraderie among most of the groups: one from the local fishing community; one from the labor union and cooperative movement; one of students from the university student movement, the national Hostosiano congress; one from the independent party; and others.

"We went on a hike around the area after lunch, and visited the camp on 'Mount David.' This is the first camp, set up by members of the fishing community just a few days after the tragic bombing death of David Sanes last April. A few weeks later, the independent party set up its camp. Then other groups began to set up their own sites. According to the on-site log and guest book, the Christian camp was set up on November 4.

"As we walked around the restricted area, we found all manner of bullet shells and bomb fragments of various sizes even missiles and rocket parts. On the hillsides are several old tanks and airplanes that were used for target practice. Large bomb craters are everywhere. We stayed on main pathways because of the danger of unexploded ordinance scattered everywhere after sixty years of naval occupation. This area is used for live bombing not only by the U.S. Navy, but by military forces from around the world who are paid by the United States to come. One of the local fishermen told us stories of how they got the Dutch navy to stop bombing here a few years ago.

"The very beauty of the land makes it all the more painful to think of the abuse it has sustained over the years. A major effort will be required to rid the area of the contamination it has endured from radioactive munitions to chemical bombs to the regular chemicals used in bombs. No wonder that the cancer rate on this island is so much higher that in the rest of Puerto Rico!"