By R25288 ( c ) 2006-2007
Chapter Thirty
Courage
“To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.”
Confucius
Lola
By the Kinks
I met her in a club down in old soho
Where you drink champagne and it taste just like chery-cola
C-o-l-a cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said lola
L-o-l-a lo-lo-lo-lo-lola
Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well we drank champagne and danced all night
Under electric candlelight
She picked me up and sat me on her knee
And said dear boy won’t you come home with me
Well I’m not the world’s most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes well I almost fell for my lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
I pushed her away
I walked to the door
I fell to the floor
I got down on my knees
Then I looked at her and she at me
Well that’s the way that I want it to stay
And I always want it to be that way for my lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Girls will be boys and boys will be girls
It’s a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I left home just a week before
And I’d never ever kissed a woman before
But lola smiled and took me by the hand
And said dear boy I’m gonna make you a man
Well I’m not the world’s most masculine man
But I know what I am and I’m glad I’m a man
And so is lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
“Men simply copied the realities of their hearts when they built prisons.”
Richard Wright, The Outsider
The National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Center for Disease Control reported in June, 2007:
96% of adults claim they have had sex;
16% claim their 1st sexual experience was before they reached the age of 16;
15% claim their 1st sexual experience occurred after they reached the age of 21;
17% of men claim they have had only one female partner in their life;
25% of women claim they have had only one male partner in their life.
“But did thee feel the earth move?”
Earnest Hemingway,
For Whom The Bell Tolls
African American Alan Crotzer spent 24 years in Florida prisons for a crime he did not commit. Under federal guidelines, individuals that are wrongly imprisoned should receive $50,000.00 for every year they spent in prison. Florida recently approved a budget of over $70.0 billion, and refused to give Crotzer a dime. My dear gentle readers, that was and continues to be wrong.
Virginia, I know ma would not find this uplifting, but we only can protect each other and promote a more civilized society by exposing, and turning the lights on the cockroaches, and watch them run for cover.
This year in Florida, eight prison guards had arrest warrants issued for them for abusing inmates, including forcing more than one to clean toilets with their tongues. Besides beatings, Florida guards have killed inmates, as evidenced by previous chapters. Virginia, it is wrong, but fortunately, having been there, they do not represent the majority, only a small minority. They abuse their power and authority, and we must do better.
“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
Bertrand Russell
He is a young African American, who became a friend of mine in prison. Like most of our children in prison, he is educationally challenged. He was at Liberty CI, when J.D. and I were both there. He has a couple of years left on his sentence. I ordered him a subscription to USA Today, because I know how hard time in a cell 23 hours, and 55 minutes a day can be, 7 days a week, 30 days at a time, before being allowed outside for 3 hours every Saturday, in a cage, because the state of Florida did it to me for over 5 months of my 4 years, 3 months, and 2 weeks in prison-serving over 85% of my time for being a gay educated man.
He called me on 8-21-07, at 5:50pm, and again at 6:13pm. I accepted his collect calls. He told me that without him being present, guards entered his cell, and took all of his USA Todays, because they said his name wasn’t on them-never mind that noone else there gets USA Today. He told me that he was told he was going home in a body bag.
He mailed me a letted dated 8-22-07, 7:30pm, postmarked 8-23-07, and said:
“Dear Chris,
“…just Dropping you a few lines to let you know that I Did Every thing you told me to Do. And they Did not move me to know “protective custody” Dorm or cell yet. I turn in the request last night as soon as I got off the phone with you. I sent it Directly to the (Warden) that’s in head charge over this hole prison.
“lets move on. Anyways…Today one of the officer’s who I was telling you About was working in my Dorm today. and he came by my cell a couple times looking inside making little Face Expression’s. He had me scared because I in this cell by myself. and him and some of his Buddy’s was talking around my cell-Door saying slick remarks so I can him(hear) them. Chris The Officer who I’m talking about is (_______). But the other Officer who I was telling you about (______________) was not working today…
“…(_________) and (______________) are the ones who keep “threatening” me. And I’m scared. I wanna Be Move out of A Dormitory to “protective custody” and transferred to another close-management camp as soon as possible. and away From these 2#Officers.
“Thank you for helping me.”
Virginia, say a prayer for my friend. We already incarcerate 50% more Americans than we need to, and while there, they shouldn’t have to live in fear.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everwhere.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
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Donations are welcome and accepted, payable to R25288, and mailed to P.O. Box 5514, Clearwater, FL 33758-7034.
J.D. and I wish you and yours peace and a joyous Labor Day Holiday weekend.
“No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”
Booker T. Washington,
Up from Slavery
