Daily Show Interviews the Chambers Kids about Gitmo

Guest Post by Charlie Chambers

John Oliver (of the Daily Show) was in Philadelphia covering an Amnesty International event

I had been volunteering in an orange jumpsuit [ed. that said on the back, "Torture is UnAmerican, Unjust and Useless"] on Friday and Saturday. On those two days, I was able to speak on the record to NPR, AP, and Al Jazeera about my views on Gitmo detention, habeas corpus, and US torture policy. Then, on Sunday the kids and I went over so I could show them the cell and explain what I had been doing. The Daily Show was filming at the time, but we were allowed in the cell (in part, perhaps, because people there knew me). Surprisingly, the TV crew asked if I would allow the kids to be interviewed. They were excited about it so I signed the releases.

John Oliver is hilarious. He asked what they liked about the cell and how they would improve it. Lydia suggested a larger window and he called her a hippie. He asked if the tour of the cell was likely to keep them from becoming terrorists. All the adults around were cracking up. They also got footage of us walking in the cell, looking around and coming out.

At the earliest, it could be on tonight at 11pm EDT on Comedy Central. They didn’t actually say that they were even going to use any of the footage, however, so I’m keeping the kids’ expectations low.

Posted on June 2, 2008
Filed Under Causes | Comments

Comments

  • Frank,
    You got to do all of that AND wear Orange. You must have been in heaven!
  • Charlie
    Thanks for the forum, Frank,
    and thanks everyone for the kind words.

    WHYY ran a story, and I'm finding it really hard to link to. It includes this MP3, however:
    http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/reports2008053...

    and this picture of me in the cell:
    http://www.whyy.org/news/images/reports20080530...
  • Ah, MsInformation, twasn't me, it was Charlie. This is a guest post...he's doing some super things and feels very passionately about this...it's super cool. He's making a difference.
  • Goodness, Frank- I completely forgot to congratulate you on wearing that orange jumpsuit with such conviction and testifying to the entire broadcast spectrum: NPR and Al Jazeera. Bravo.
  • Vastly cool! My pal George went to a live taping and said that no matter how great the show is on tv, nothing is like actually being there. It was a fantastic experience- an amazingly well-oiled machine but, as you\'d want to know, with a truly great vibe that's Stewart's trademark.

    Looking forward to seeing the kids!
  • How cool!
  • It's been quite a year for those kids. They also met Hillary in addition to Obama and Oliver. They were filmed for a long time. It's pretty cool...and I think they have some cool stuff ahead of them. My 15 minutes won't ever arrive, so I live vicariously.
  • rick
    One of my goals in life is to get my 15 minutes of fame by being on a show like the Daily Show.

    Charlie, if this happens, what will your kids have to look forward to for the rest of their lives after hitting the pinnacle at such a tender age.

    Obama and Oliver in the same year. Amazing!
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