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Greetings, Quotaholics:
The
California prison system has been in the news a lot lately. Most prominent
was the news in February
that a federal court had ruled that California must release 20,000 to
60,000 prisoners to reduce overcrowding.
One of the most famous (infamous?) prisons in California is Folsom State
Prison. Most people first heard of Folsom from the Johnny Cash hit “Folsom
Prison Blues”, but by the time Johnny performed the song at
Folsom, the prison, and California’s prison system, were famous
for being the national model in corrections.
At the time Folsom was built it was designed to hold 1,800 inmates.
The prisoners were housed in individual cells. They had access to education
and jobs. Upon release the majority never returned to prison and the
corrections budget was a tiny fraction of the total state budget.
Now Folsom houses 4,427 inmates. The inmates are completely segregated
by race. Budget cuts mean that most prisoners don’t have access
to educational programs or work programs and upon release 75% will be
back in prison within 3 years. And at over $10 billion, the state spends
more on prisons than they do on their higher education system.
According to an NPR
article, “Its crumbling, overcrowded facilities are home to the
highest recidivism rate in the country. And the state that was once
was the national model in corrections has become the model every state
is now trying to avoid.”
“Experts agree that the problem started when Californians voted
for a series of get-tough-on-crime laws in the 1980s. The state’s prison
population exploded immediately. It jumped from 20,000 inmates, where
it had held steady throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Today
there are 167,000 inmates in the system.”
“Voters increased parole sanctions and gave prison time to nonviolent
drug offenders. They eliminated indeterminate sentencing, removing any
leeway to let inmates out early for good behavior. Then came the ‘Three
Strikes You’re Out’ law in 1994. Offenders who had committed even
a minor third felony — like shoplifting — got life sentences.”
“In three decades, the California Correctional Peace Officers
Association has become one of the most powerful political forces in
California. The union has contributed millions of dollars to support
"three strikes" and other laws that lengthen sentences and
increase parole sanctions. It donated $1 million to (former governor)
Wilson after he backed the three strikes law.”
“And the result for the union has been dramatic. Since the laws
went into effect and the inmate population boomed, the union grew from
2,600 officers to 45,000 officers. Salaries jumped: In 1980, the average
officer earned $15,000 a year; today, one in every 10 officers makes
more than $100,000 a year.”
"If I have a dog and I put him in a cage and I beat [him] regularly,
ultimately [it] will bite me when I open that door," warden Michael
Evans said.
“After three decades working in corrections, Evans says he has
come to one conclusion.”
“‘I think that prisons should be a place where an individual
has the opportunity to change if they choose to,’ he said, ‘and
we move forward from there.’”
And now I read where many state and local prison systems are charging,
or planning to charge, prisoners for the opportunity to stay in these
wonderful facilities!
According to an Associated Press article posted at Pantagraph.com,
“In New York, GOP Assemblyman James Tedisco introduced a bill
that would charge wealthy criminals $90 a day for room and board at
state prisons.”
OK so “wealthy” prisoners would pay. But most prisoners
aren’t wealthy and many states already charge prisoners in one
form or another. From Arizona’s Maricopa County where inmates are charged
$1.25 for meals, to Virginia where Richmond’s overcrowded city jail
has begun charging $1 per day, many people see charging inmates as a
way to pay for prisons.
Of course these fees don’t seem to work. According to the AP article,
“Other authorities slap the prisoner with a bill upon release
from prison. But it’s often hard to collect. In Kansas, Overland Park
officials acknowledged collecting only 39 percent of fees. In Missouri’s
Jackson County, officials discovered they spent more money trying to
collect fees than they actually received from inmates.”
"It makes no sense to release people with $25, a bus ticket and
$40,000 in reimbursement fees," said Sarah Geraghty of the Southern
Center for Human Rights. "Saddling people with thousands of dollars
in debt is contradictory to helping someone become a functioning member
of society."
It seems that the only people who stand to gain in the current prison
system are the people who build more prisons, the staff who run the
prisons, the unions who represent them, and the politicians who thump
themselves on the chest for being so “tough on crime”.
Isn’t it time for a change? Should we get rid of laws like the
“three strikes” law? Should we concentrate more on rehabilitation
than incarceration? Should we invest more in drug prevention and less
in locking up drug users? Should we build more treatment centers and
fewer prisons?
Or do you think the growing numbers of prisons and inmates is a symptom
of an ever more dangerous society? Should we build as many prisons as
it takes to lock them all up? Should we attempt to educate them? Train
them? Or do you think they have it to easy in prison already?
Incarceratingly,
Comment
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“Madness takes its toll, please have exact change.” - unknown
“I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that
here and there.” - Richard Feynman
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Quick Comeback
[Thanks Sied]
An older gentleman
had an appointment to see the urologist who shared offices with several
other doctors. The waiting room was filled with patients.
As he approached the receptionist’s desk, he noticed that the receptionist
was a large unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler. He gave
her his name.
In a very loud voice, the receptionist t said, ‘YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME
HERE; YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?’
All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to
look at the very embarrassed man.
He recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied, ‘NO, I’VE
COME TO INQUIRE ABOUT A SEX CHANGE OPERATION, BUT I DON’T WANT THE
SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS.’
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“Anything that is worth doing has been done frequently. Things hitherto
undone should be given, I suspect, a wide berth.”
“Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that
matter.”
“I have known no man of genius who had not to pay, in some affliction
or defect either physical or spiritual, for what the gods had given him.”
- all from Max Beerbohm, born on this day in 1872
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Speak
right up!
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Rain
I don’t recommend being outside without shelter in a thunderstorm. The
odds are with you, but the results should you come up a "winner"
are not pretty. Very few people are hit by lightning, but, when it happens,
the consequences are often dire. On the flip side, if there is no lightning,
it can be fun.
As a child, I would play outside. We didn’t have video games and the
plethora of toys. A stick and something to hit (a pine cone, a rock,
etc.) would conger up an impromptu "baseball game" even if
we were alone. We would be unceremoniously shushed out the door in the
morning and would be out all day, maybe returning for lunch if we didn’t
go to a friend’s house instead. Since we lived "in the country",
often we would be a good distance from home playing in the woods, someone’s
pasture, or other open spaces in the middle of nowhere.
If it began to rain, we would often be so far from shelter that we would
be soaked to the bone by the time we ran to the nearest cover. So, we
wouldn’t. We would just continue to play. After all, our bath was mostly
water, and we would be getting one later - no harm - no foul. Living
"in the country" meant dirt was plentiful. Pigpen of "Peanuts"
comic strip fame had nothing on us. The summer showers would serve to
wash away some of the grit & grime, however, often it would simply
coagulate the dust into a paste which dried later into a crusty protective
shell.
Recently, at the county fair, I was trapped with one of my grandchildren
on an amusement ride when the skies let loose. It rained so hard and
fast, we were soaked by the time the ride stopped, so there was no need
to seek shelter once we got off the ride and the rains continued. Instead,
we remained out in the downpour and enjoyed it. As others were crammed
under anything large enough to cover them, we stayed out, getting our
"Saturday bath" a few days early. After all, once you’re soaked,
you can’t get any wetter!
I have been seen pulling my car out of the garage in a rainstorm. Armed
with a clean rag or a soft brush, I’ll use the free water to get the
grime off my vehicles. Although it isn’t always a convenient time, when
the timing is right, I have no problem taking advantage
of the moment and the assist from Mother Nature. Why drag out a hose
and act as the rinser when the rinse cycle is right there, free?
Of all the circumstances of getting caught in a sudden rain shower,
it is at the pool or waterpark that I find most amusing. Clad in their
favorite bathing suit and already wet from participating in whatever
water activity available, people will run for shelter when it begins
to rain, even if there is no threat of lightning. Go figger!
Here’s your quiz:
As a child, did you play in the rain?
As an adult, do you continue to play in the rain?
Do you run for shelter when it rains even if you just got out of the
swimming pool?
Rain - Never Purple, Sometimes Fun
Cliff (the High-Tech
Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’) 
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Kirsten is on vacation. Here’s an article from the archive.
Email
Kirsten
"The only
gift is a portion of thyself."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
Many years ago, I saw a movie called Jesus
of Montreal, in which the protagonist leads a controversial life.
At the end of the movie he is killed in an accident, and in an intriguing
parallel with the Jesus we all know about, his death has the result
of saving others. The salvation takes a different form, though. Where
Jesus of Montreal saved the souls of sinners, Jesus of Montreal became
an organ donor and allowed people to continue living in the here and
now.
There are few people who would deny that organ donation is a noble
thing. Most countries have laws that allow people to state that when
they die, they would like their organs to be used to save the lives
of other people. In Ontario, it’s as easy as checking off a box on
either your health card application or your drivers licence application.
The rules are very straightforward. If you don’t clearly indicate
that you wish to be an organ donor, your organs will not be used.
Exceptions are made in the case of minors whose parents give consent
for them to be donors.
Things are about to get pretty hairy, though, in the whole organ donor
issue. A motion
is on the table in Ontario to switch to a system of "presumed
consent". If this system is adopted, hospitals will have the
right to assume that you are an organ donor unless you have specifically
stated that you are not. A couple of European countries have already
adopted this system, and more are set to follow. The rationale behind
this is the sheer number of people waiting for organs. In Ontario,
well over a thousand people are on organ recipient waiting lists.
Nationwide, the number is over four thousand. Almost two hundred people
die each year because they did not receive organs soon enough.
Because this is an issue involving human beings, there are heated
arguments both for and against the idea. Opponents say that everyone
should have the right to decide what happens to his or her body. There
is also a potential logistical issue. There is a relatively short
window of time in which the organs of a recently deceased person can
be harvested. What happens if a body is not immediately identified?
Will the organs of the deceased be used even though no-one knows who
they are or whether they have chosen not to be a donor? Or will authorities
track down the person’s identity and family, thereby running the risk
of "losing" those organs? There are also conspiracy theorists
who fear that doctors will less fervent in their efforts to save accident
victims and the like, in order to gain access to organs.
People in favour of the whole issue say that the rights of a critically
ill person to live should trump everything else. The dead person,
as they point out, is hardly going to miss those organs. Besides,
they argue, there are lots of people who want to be donors - or at
least, wouldn’t object to it - but never get around to filling out
the appropriate paperwork.
I myself am somewhat ambivalent on the issue. In practical terms,
it makes no difference to me. I am a big fan of organ donation. My
health card and drivers licence both state that I will be an organ
donor in the event of my death, and my family are aware of these wishes.
However, I don’t know if I like the idea of that decision being made
for me. As noble as the cause is, and as many lives as it could save,
it seems like the removal of a basic freedom that we have. I would
much rather see a campaign to enlist people to the cause.
I think this is one of those issues that we’ll never get complete
agreement on, like abortion and the right to smoke marijuana. But
if we agreed on everything, life wouldn’t be half as colourful.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
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Hey Tim’
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I downloaded the
file but just now got around to installing it. Installed just fine
with no problems–and very quickly too. I ran a full scan and it neutralized
5 things that had been missed. Thank you so much. You can report back
to Panda that everything is just lovely.
Bonnie >^,,^<
Sweet, Bonnie. Looks like I got the night off.
Tim a’Musing
Having a ball beating up criminals, cyberly.
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Household Tips
Whenever you empty a jar of dill pickles, use the left-over juice
to clean the copper bottoms of your pans. Just pour the juice in a
large bowl, set the pan in the juice for about 15 minutes. Comes out
looking like new.
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Got some really good ones. Let’s try this line.
Next opening line…
I’m trying to find a good job …
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
There
once was a girl named Lenore…
who was such a god-awful bore—
she spoke and she spoke
took on any old bloke
and expanded the story to more. - Cassandra in New York |
There
was was a girl named Lenore
Who was standing right by the door
She was waiting you see
She had to pee desperately
Too late, she peed on the floor - Bonnie |
There once
was a girl named Lenore……..
I heard of her before……..
Was she writ of by Poe?
I’m really not sho……..
Guess I need to learn more. - Skeeter |
There once
was a girl named Lenore…….
Very easy to adore………..
Sometimes she would switch……..
And become quite a witch……..
Even easier to deplore - Skeeter |
There
once was a girl named Lenore……
Who couldn’t ask for more…….
She had lots of money……..
Got from her honey………
She hated being "pore". -Skeeter |
There once
was a girl named Lenore
And a bird and a bust and a door
And a guy with depression
And a whole lot of questions
And the bird always says "Nevermore." - Author Unknown |
The short
prisoner the gate did charge
His psychic talents he had to recharge
He got clean away
The headlines read that day:
A small medium’s at large. - Anne Onimous |
A dentist
from Chicago did hail
Married a manicurist from Dale
Each had opinions strong
So they didn’t get along
And soon they were fighting tooth and nail. - Anne Onimous |
Writing
these limericks can be a curse
But I can think of things that are worse
If one writes right to left
It shows that one is deft
For a backward poet writes inverse. - Anne Onimous |
A chicken
once took the notion
To partake in locomotion.
The question of old
Why did he cross the road?
So he’d be poultry in motion. - Anne Onimous |
As upholster
quickly discovered
When near his equipment he hovered
He sadly fell in
Got jabbed with a pin
But now he’s fully recovered. - Anne Onimous |
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Re: Smoking
I
smoked tobacco for 4 years, until I was 21. I was working with metal
polish at the time, and each use made my next cigarette taste terrible.
Then, I started getting the same flavour with my 1st one of the day.
So it happened that I had waited to light up one morning before visiting
another room, where a friend had just refused a gift of nicely packaged
and blended "Kinikinick - an alternative indian smoking mixture"
because she wished to continue with tobacco. It tasted OK to me, so
I just switched. Whenever I wanted a cigarette, I had one, even though
I had many more than usual as my body asked for nicotine again. After
three weeks, the nicotine craving was gone, and the smoking was easy
to quit when I ran out of herbs. Just a deep breath is a pretty good
substitute for a drag, especially with meditation experience.
Cigarettes
have always been about twice as expensive in Canada as the U.S. so I
have met several tobacco growers. They all seem to prefer the flavour
of the commercially seasoned and adulterated product. I’m pretty sure
the organic type is healthier - American Spirit’s disclaimer may be
there to keep their warehouse from burning down, or some similar business
disaster.
I think
tobacco taxes should cover all the health, business, and cleaning costs,
but I don’t object to smokers having easy access to food and entertainment
as they puff. I went to see a dear old lady in the hospital once, and
found her in her nightie, on a dark and rainy curb in the parking lot,
preventing a nicotine withdrawal from complicating her problems.
I have read
that pre-Columbian shamans were often heavy users of tobacco, and thus
very active in diplomacy to prevent conflicts from interrupting the
trade routes. The Jamestown massacre was inspired by large-scale commercialization
of a sacred herb. Now, our local chiefs are promoting non-smoking in
the next generation. - Bob of the North
You know, Mike, I feel sorry
for the smokers in this country. You are mostly adults who have the
right to do what you want, whether it’s good for you or not. Yet you
have consistently allowed others to dictate what you will do. I feel
the same way about this as I do drugs, unsafe sex, over eating, drinking,
etc. If someone is fully informed of the consequences of what they are
doing and willing to accept any health issues that result from them,
they should be left alone to do it!! Unfortunately too many people think
they have the right to tell everyone else how they have to live, and
they are believed. We are all a bunch of sheep at times.- Ruth in WA
I grew up in not just one, but two families where the adults all smoked.
So, I involuntarily "smoked" until I freed myself from familial
entrapments. I have never willingly put smoke into my lungs. No. I don’t
think home grown tobacco would be much healthier. I know they used to
add nicotine to cigarettes to make them more addictive, not sure if
they still do. But, putting smoke into your lungs is an unhealthy practice.
My ex husband was an ex smoker, he said the only way to quit, was to
put a pack in the cupboard. Then, you weren’t "bumming" them
from others and telling yourself you weren’t still smoking because you
weren’t buying them. It worked for him. - L&K, herm
I am originally from a long
line of tobacco farmers. This said, I believe we should outlaw all the
politicians that have nothing better to do than to try to outlaw every
or regulate every aspect of our lives. - Bonnie >^,,^<
Hi, Thanks for RGQ……..I enjoy…….. About quitting smoking………I
wont say I’ve quit though I haven’t had one (cigarette) since about
11 o’clock PM on Friday, 30 January, 1987. We’ll know if I quit (many
folks say they’ve quit only to start back, so they just haven’t had
any) if I die before lighting up or if I light up. I burnt at least
three packs of Luckies a day. I couldn’t afford it now even if I wanted
to. I don’t crave the things but every once in a while I dream about
them just like I often dream about working and I surely don’t want a
job (been retired for almost eleven years). I wont go into my process
of getting off them ’cause it would take too much typing. Still haven’t
heard of a fatal car wreck caused by somebody driving under the influence
of nicotine. - Skeeter
I have never smoked - cigarettes.
However, my parents did. That might be a problem. Of course, I spent
years around campfires and we even had a wood burning stove in one house
and a fireplace in another. So I’ve breathed in a lot of smoke. I also
worked in surgery for 12 years and there is an electrocautery machine
called a Bovie. It makes smoke, too. But it was vaporizing far more
dangerous things than tobacco. There were also lasers that vaporized
and with specific cases, we had to wear specific masks because what
we were vaporized was highly dangerous to our health.
Then again, I’ve walked along streets choked with traffic stalled in
gridlock or waiting at red lights. Breath that stuff into your lungs,
my little chickadee.
I’m so tired of Government thinking they are my Parents. If we want
to make life "safer" for all, we need to never leave the house
and then … that probably still isn’t enough. - Patti
Re: Cliff and Cellulose
I regret leaving an area with an experimental bamboo farm. I have seen
none up here, although native grass can grow more than head-high in
our short season. We do have rushes that might be good for thatching,
and several experimental straw bale homes going up every year. I keep
some bamboo around for projects. Even cheap garden stakes are often
as strong as aircraft aluminum, at 1/6 the weight! I eat rice, corn,
bread of wheat and rye, alfalfa sprouts, and am considering wheat-grass
juice too. I also have a gorgeous wall decoration made of grass in the
Ukrainian tradition, framing three prize ears of grain. - Bob of the
North
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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