I read an article in Sunday's New York Times about the newly renovated Abu Ghraib prison, now called Baghdad Central Prison. Their new amenities listed made it sound better than where I'm sitting: flat screen TV's, barbershop with free access, computer lab and library, sewing workshops, gym, and a playground to play with their kids during visits.
How is it that the country we invaded has better prisons that on our home soil? Before you say, "Well, the Iraqi prison is newly renovated so they 
had a chance to start over fresh while our prisons have been around for a while", please be reminded that the prison I am currently housed at was taken over and renovated early last year. I arrived here shortly after it 
opened and hardly anything was ready for us - no way to cook our food while we ourselves were cooking in the heat of the dorms.
When will the U.S. catch up with the other Western countries, or even the developing
countries, in their treatment of the incarcerated? I hope I will see a day when the system is used for rehabilitation as much as or more than punishment.
Note: Photos are taken in the "newly renovated' Baghdad Central Prison. See www.prisonphotography.wordpress.com - Baghdad Central Prison: Lilac Paint & Soft Furnishings
This morning I had the best workout I've had in months. And all I was doing was trying to keep a soup-filled sock airborne.
Opie, Bob, Rabbit and I started playing hacky sack just after lunch but, shortly after we began, Opie had to go to school and Bob had to go do a job for the major. It was down to two.
Rabbit and I played very fast-paced for a while, pulling all kinds of silly moves - or at least trying to pull them. Many of our kicks came with sound effects to keep things interesting. Some of the sound effects we made would cripple us in laughter for a few moments before we could continue. Several times I kicked the table behind me while going for the sack, threatening to wake the sleepers in the dorm.
These antics continued for nearly two hours as we noticeably slowed and lost coordination proportional to energy spent. That was the first time I've ever sweat from playing hacky sack and I'm sure I'll be a little sore tomorrow. It was definitely worth it.
Today was the last class for World Religions. We took our final test and I felt pretty good about it. I was almost coasting through it because we had covered the material two days earlier. I haven't had an academically challenging class since the philosophy class I took in August. I did learn some cool stuff in this class, though, and I picked up a few interests that I'll be looking into more. I'm already reading more meditation practices and I'm hoping to up on the Dead Sea Scrolls and a couple other things down the road.
Tonight at chapel, one of my grandparents' friends came to play guitar and speak to us about his time in federal prison back in the 70's. He was very engaging and funny. The songs he played sounded straight out of the 70's and could have been done by Dylan, Carole King or Willie Nelson. They were pretty catchy, too. I think the things he had to say were actually absorbed by the guys. Some of his stories were captivating for sure. I had already read his book and was really excited to meet him in person. I'm looking forward to reading some more of his stories and sharing our Christ walk through correspondence.
This morning when I came in from a chilly rec at 8:30, Opie, Bob, Rabbit, and Two were playing hacky sack. Rabbit had cut a hole in a sock with a razor blade from an extra state razor.He put Ramen noodle soup inside in lieu of beans and sewed it up with another layer of sock on the outside. It was a little limp, but very nice work.
Within five minutes I had worked the chill out of my bones moving around, keeping the sack in the air. None of us are too good at hacky sack, but Rabbit, Bob and I have a bit more control - much needed to avoid the water hazards of the toilet and mop bucket. We didn't have much freedom because the dayroom is small with tables on either wall. I kicked the metal tables several times and I think everyone hit the ceiling with the sack at least twice. We also had to stay quiet because half the dorm was still asleep after working last night.
While unsanctioned in prison, hacky sack is a great diversion and time-waster. We played for at least an hour and a half - the only way I knew how much time had passed was by the number of cartoons that had passed on TV. Prison brings out creativity and strange ways of doing things.
Here's proof of how dumb some guys can be.
I've told guys multiple times that it's not worth getting a laugh at the expense of a guard if the guard is just going to come back and hassle the dorm. Of course, no one listens.
When we went to trade our clothes in this morning, the guard running laundry was a guy that is said to look and sound like Bert or Ernie from Sesame Street. I don't really see it but, whatever. Guys from my dorm kept saying, "Hey, Bert," in a nasally voice like the characters and the guard asked us to be quiet. When we returned to the dorm, a couple guys kept saying it loud enough that the guard could hear it down the hall. One guy even poked his head out the door to say it, just antagonizing the guard.
Not even two minutes later the guard came into the dorm and told us to strip down to our boxers and move away from our bunks. Payback time. He started searching our bunks, taking any extra clothing and writing down bunk numbers so he could write disciplinary cases later. The guys losing their clothes weren't even making fun of the guy. After three bunks were searched, the guard asked us if we could stay quiet now. All heads bobbed up and down. He ripped up the paper and left the dorm: no cases written.
The guys who did the taunting thought the dorm would be mad at them. I told them to think about what they do next time before they bring trouble to other people. The guard who was working on our hall came in and said, "You guys should not mess with that man." I hope someday these guys will learn to treat people with respect, especially when those people have gray uniforms on.
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The essence of religious feeling does not come under any sort of reasoning or atheism, and has nothing to do with any crimes or misdemeanors. There is something else here, and there will always be something else - something that the atheists will forever slur over; they will always be talking of something else.
Part 2, Chapter 5
Oh, in those six months he (Prince Myshkin) had passed through a great deal - a great deal that had been quite new to him, unguessed, unknown, and unexpected!
But the soul of another is a dark place [...] for many it is a dark place.
Compassion was the chief and perhaps only law of all human existence. Ah, how impardonably and dishonorably he had wronged Rogozkin! No, it was not that "the Russian soul was a dark place," but that in his own there was darkness, since he could imagine such horrors!
Tonight was fun. We had the NBA All Star Skills Challenges, 3-Point Shootout, and dunk contest; Star Wars Clone Wars TV show; and a cake. The All-Star stuff was fun to watch, especially the dunk contest. It was a party atmosphere and the players were joking around the whole time. Dwight Howard - aka Superman - called out a rim on a forklift, then left to change in a phone booth before dunking on a 12-foot goal. However, he was beaten by a 5'2" guy who came out with a neon green armband, neon green shoes, and neon green basketball: Kryptonite. He did a dunk over Dwight Howard for the win.
Shortly before the end of the dunk contest, I made a noodle cake for the main event, Star Wars. Yeah, I'm a nerd. I was under the impression that the animated movie would be on, but I was sorely mistaken. Rabbit's, Bob's, Opie's and my hopes were dashed when credits started rolling only thirty minutes in. At least we had the cake. And it was two episodes of the TV show back-to-back. That was enough for this nerd.
Yesterday's World Religions class was challenging for me. We covered Christianity. Now that wouldn't be a problem except that the professor brought up some controversial stuff. He very strongly hinted that the New Testament is mostly false and that Jesus was a fraud.
The toughest thing to accept was his remarks about the Dead Sea Scrolls. He said that there is evidence against much of the New Testament teachings, but that evidence has been suppressed by the Catholic Church until a rogue translator recently released his findings. I haven't heard anything about that until yesterday and it's hard to accept because I can't research it at all for myself - no library or internet access. It could be true, but I can't just take it as fact just because I heard it in class. Everything else that was brought up I could defend decently. I like the challenging atmosphere - it keeps me thinking - but I wish I was in a proper academic facility with real research tools.
"The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots." -
I Corinthians 1:18-19 (The Message)
Last night shower crew was crazy. For some reason the guys in charge wanted to try a completely new way for us to work. About twenty new guys were assigned the shower crew job and added to the nine that already work. We are also using completely new chemicals and cleaning the entire bathroom area, which includes for showers, one urinal, two toilets, four sinks, and the slip proof floor. Each of us was assigned our one dorm to clean, except there's no way we had enough supplies for each of us to clean on our own. We had to show the officer how we should work because he couldn't figure it out. A lot of the other guards were laughing and rolling their eyes at the disorder.
I was asiigned to cell block - the best job because it only has two showers that are barely used and nothing else. It took me about thirty minutes to clean everything and mop the floor just to make it look more clean. When I finished, I went to the main corridor and the boss for the night asked me to clean another dorm because someone quit. It took almost an hour to clean that one and get it inspected by the boss. Because there was only one boss and sixteen dorms to check on, it took a long time for him to get to this one.
After finishing my second dorm, I went to wait in the main corridor with everyone else. Unlike most nights where we can go back to our dorms after we finish, we had to stay out until everything was inspected and passed. The sergeant was getting really aggravated over something, maybe the shower crew boss and new hires, and he kept hassling us over nothing. She screamed at Rabbit just for sitting down like we always do. Other guys kept getting called back to fix their work. I was told to go into a dorm with new guys and show them how to do it, then cleaned two showers while they cleaned the other two. We finished it up and went back to the hall to wait some more. I had an 8:30 class this morning and I didn't get back to my dorm until 3:45 AM.
Turns out two guys quit because the boss was being dumb. One of them was taken up to the front in handcuffs and threatened with a case. He decided to continue working instead of taking a case. The other guy quit for good and took a case with it. All the guards I've talked to since say that the boss was being very dumb. Unfortunately, the way we did it last night is the way we are cleaning from now on, so I guess I should get used to it. I'm sure it will run smoother as time goes on. I'm glad I was assigned the easy job!
Some of you have asked what this symbol is that R Johnson uses when he signs his letters to you. Some have asked if it's a turtle (good guess but incorrect);
others have suggested that it may be a deformed arachnid. Wrong again.This symbol represents the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head as he hung on the cross and the the three nails (one at each wrist and one for both his feet together) that held him there. It is an expression of R Johnson's faith in not only the death we share in Christ but also the resurrection that we will enjoy as a result of our faith in Him.Hallelujah!“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”- Martin Luther
At chapel tonight we had a professional musician who played jazz riffs on flute, oboe, tenor and soprano sax, and clarinet over the songs done by the inmate choir. It was so refreshing to hear beautiful music. My eyes teared up a few times and it was tough to sing. God sure has created some amazing sounds. I haven't felt that way about music in a while. I really wish we could listen to music in here.
A couple weeks ago we studied Buddhism in the World Religions class. I thought some of their practices sounded useful in gaining focus, so I asked the profes
sor if he could recommend some books along those lines. I passed the titles on to my aunt during a visit and they (the books) showed up today. I'm curious ro learn more and maybe use some of their practices with a focus on Christ. Lately my normal prayer routine just hasn't felt right, so I want to find some new ways and also learn to just be quiet and listen for His still, small voice. I am excited to see how God shows up in my pursuit.
Today was Super Bowl Sunday and I had a good visit from my dad and brother before the game. Before they arrived, I had been preparing to make a prison cake for the game. I left the crushing of the ingredients to a friend and left for visit. When I got back, everything was laid out on the table, waiting for me to work my magic. I had thirty minuted before kickoff.
I didn't really care about the game. I've always enjoyed the Super Bowl more for the commercials that anything else. I was pulling for the Cardinals to win their first Super Bowl ever. Unfortunately, we don't have sound on any of our local channels, so the commercials and color commentary were out. We needed the cake to make it worth watching.
The cake was made from Ramen noodles (without seasoning) and oatmeal pies. I put just enough water in the noodles and pies to make them puff up and stick together. I made two layers which were both topped with crushed Oreo-like cookies, M&M's and Chick-O-Sticks and stacked one on top of the other. The cake was what made the game worthwhile, espeically since the Cardinals lost.
I read an article in Sunday's New York Times about the newly renovated Abu Ghraib prison, now called Baghdad Central Prison. Their new amenities listed made it sound better than where I'm sitting: flat screen TV's, barbershop with free access, computer lab and library, sewing workshops, gym, and a playground to play with their kids during visits.
had a chance to start over fresh while our prisons have been around for a while", please be reminded that the prison I am currently housed at was taken over and renovated early last year. I arrived here shortly after it 
opened and hardly anything was ready for us - no way to cook our food while we ourselves were cooking in the heat of the dorms.
countries, in their treatment of the incarcerated? I hope I will see a day when the system is used for rehabilitation as much as or more than punishment.
