Dear Editors,

Re: Robert L. Bastian's article " Exporting America's Shame" dated May 6,2004 

    I am the mother of a military son. I fear for his life. I am also the wife of a California inmate ,death row -a husband who is NOT guilty of killing a cop-- I fear for his life.Over 21 long years trying to get the chance to expose the truth-he is innocent. It is a living nighmare!

   We are currently forced to visit inside of heavy mesh cages at San Quentin's death row. We know perhaps many of you do not care, but it is a terrible way to treat families, even if you hate the inmates. 

   Sometimes the guards flirt with the inmates wives, how would that make you feel?

   If we have to use the bathroom, we will lose our visit or wait for up to two hours inside the cages.

  One inmate had to go so bad, and did not want to leave his family- so he used a paper cup. He was thrown in the hole for months for it.

    We know all about prison abuses, killings, torture, depriving ,getting shot with lethal "rubber bullets", our friend was shot in the kidney and died on the prison yard. His mother grieves to 
this day.He did not deserve this.

    If America really saw the way  small children are forced into cages, to visit with daddy, would they really care? Or is abuse only important in a military prison?

   We have an abusive society, revengeful attitudes are heard on television daily, the prosecutor's and politicians love to seek revenge, so do officers in control sometimes. 

  Just look at the flap in San Francisco, about the DA who does not want to seek the death penalty for a first time offender, who killed a cop. THOUSANDS came out marching for the death penalty!  

   When will we ever learn to get back to caring again? The Berg family will suffer for life. Children learn from what they see.

  What are we teaching  our  American  children?                     
                                       Mrs. Janice Gay 

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Dear Editor

Re: Robert L. Bastian's article " Exporting America's Shame" dated May 6,2004 regarding the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, I agree with you about the fact that U.S did install in Iraq an 
American-style approach to prison management. 

What has been shown in Abu Ghraib has been happening in U.S. because I have learned that at Pitchess Jail,  inmates have been forced to go to bed at 8PM.  They used to be forced to strip down and stand nude outside all night if they were found making any noise or talking 
together. 

Also at Los Angeles Men's Central Jail,  the inmates are so crowded that several of them have to sleep on the filthy floor near  the  toilet. Inmates are being transferred from their housings constantly 
and with no notice, and have lost all their belongings in every movement. 

They will not been provided any blanket or toilet paper for the first day moved to a new cell or unit. They will have nothing to clean themselves with after going to bathroom. The prisoners take their 
bathes together in one minute and it will be not granted if the deputy is not satisfied.  It has become a bad environment for human living. I was told that the life over there is more miserable than a dog's life.

I believe that all prisoners are human beings, and today when we debate for Iraq prisoners, I have to save any debates for California's prisoners.  

Thanks for agreeing with me.

Elaine Wang

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Dear Editor:

I appreciate your publishing of opinion like Alan Elsner's "Terror Cells" of May 9, 2004, exposing the truth about the abuse of power in our country.  Armed with knowledge and understanding, gained through articles such as this, we can all accomplish so much more.  Ignorance is not bliss--it is dangerous.  We must always demand training, oversight, accountability, and the free flow of information in prisons, and any place where people have power over others' freedom.

I worked for one year in a women's prison in California until I could no longer stomach the abuse I witnessed every day.  I saw guards, labeled medical technicians, saunter casually over to medical 
emergencies, I saw life-saving medical treatment denied regularly, I witnessed verbal assault and abuse daily, and knew of many incident of sexual assault.  My husband is also imprisoned by the Calif Dept of Corrections and just recently they jeopardized my husband's life, seemingly in retaliation for his attempts to affect change.  Abuse in very real.

We most expose the truth again and again and again until change takes place.  The very foundation of democracy is threatened when those in power abuse the less fortunate.  Thank you again for exposing the truth through courageous and quality journalism.

Sarah Chappell, Fresno, California

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Robert L. Bastian Jr. spoke up about American violence beginning at home.  He is a man of truth.  George Bush on the other hand has denounced violence stating it "does not reflect the nature of the 
American people...".  I say it certainly reflects the nature of American people in that they let our own captured prisoners suffer these same atrocities while prison guards laugh, jeer and continue to 
abuse.  We as taxpayers need to be held accountable for the actions of those who guard our prisoners. 

Court marshalls will occur, demotions will take place and monies will be paid out for the newly published atrocities.  However, when a prisoner in America complains or brings a lawsuit against a guard or warden, that prisoner is further punished by the system, while society turns their head.  The only difference in the case of atrocities, is that the Iraqi prisoner event has been photographed 
and there are pictures to show the atrocities....remember cameras are not allowed in our prisons, the press is not allowed in prison to report on every day prison life or the atrocities.  I wonder why?  
Higher authorities have sheltered the prison guards from being fired, demoted or punished.  We the taxpayers allow it.  That is the nature of the American people!   

Shirley Wetherwax

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YOU ARE WRONG PRESIDENT BUSH!

You say the abuse "does not reflect the nature of the American people."  You are wrong.....look at our own American prisons.  You say "That's not the way we do things in America,".  You are wrong again Mr. Bush!  Look at our American prisons.

Do not try to tell the families of inmates that your statements are believable.  All the same abusive, cruel treatment exists in the prisons around this great country on an everyday basis, but it is hidden so that sophisticated people, such as yourself do not have to look at it.  No, you do not look at it.  You do not see it but it is blatantly there.  Men starving, men and women wasting away with no 
rehabilitation, no treatment, and few medical services.   Men stacked three high in gymnasiums with no air ventalition.  Men living on buses moving from prison to prison for showers and sack lunches.  
Cages to hold juveniles and adults.  Prisons bulging at the walls with the mentally ill.

Yes, Mr. President abuse is rampant in our American society.  It is just hidden and media cameras and reporters are not allowed access to the facts.

Shirley Wetherwax

Constant lockdown in a room no larger than a bathroom with  another person who may be mentally ill is torture.

Living three bunks high, 18" apart and sharing 65 men to a toilet, half of whom have Hep C is torture. The prisons are disease hotboxes and there is little or no medical treatment.

Get it going now, you may need to remind yourself of many the hundreds, possibly thousands of appeals  we've made to end torture. Check out the links that lead off the index page, especially on the old alerts page.  Remember the demand letter we sent to Robert Presley, it was full of instances of torture, including starvation and filthy conditions, rodents, spiders, more...

 http://www.geocities.com/1union1/index.html 

Dear Editor:

The treatment of the Iraqi prisoners is no different than the every day treatment in US jails and prisons. If we are appalled or shocked by the photos why weren't we shocked by the recent filming of the beating of the two youths in the California Youth Authority facility? 

Why does the District Attorney, and the Attorney General just throw up their hands and do nothing? Why weren't we shocked as guards let a man bleed to death while they watched the Superbowl? Why aren't we shocked by the construction of "Supermax" facilities that strip thousands inmates of the last vestige of  their humanity including their mental health. Why aren't we shocked that we are 5% of the worlds population but have 25% of the world's prisoners? Why aren't we shocked that California has built more than 20 prisons and 1 University in the last 30 years? Why aren't we shocked when we hear about the terrible health conditions inside? Why, because its easier to flip over to the sports page.

Bob Driscoll