soapbox5

Death Row Inmates.

I do believe in capital punishment in some capital murder cases. I do believe that taking the problem out of society is far more effective than a jail sentence and possible rehabilitation.
That said, however, a site recently came to my attention. It was a site where death row inmates could ask for pen pals in the free world. I read through the many, MANY requests there and decided to write to a few of these men.
However, on telling a few different friends, I was called stupid, or told I was �wasting my time�. Yes, these men have committed terrible crimes, I do understand that. But think about it. They sit in a small cell, alone, 23 hours out of 24, with little or no contact with the outside world. Some inmates have had their families abandon them, so they don�t even have the support of their family while they are awaiting death.
All you are allowed to do on most Death Rows is read and write. That�s it. Can you tell me that if you were sitting there, you wouldn�t go nuts? And don�t give me the �But I wouldn�t do it� line. Most people are capable of snapping when pushed. Let�s look at one inmate I am writing to. He got into a fight with another man. Apparently, he hit this man too hard, and the victim died when an aneurysm in his brain burst. He is now in a Nevada jail, on death row, waiting for his execution date. How many of you out there have gotten in a fight? How many of you have hit someone? How did you know they didn�t have a brain aneurysm that would burst and kill them? I know I am capable of the blind rage that can make something snap, somewhere inside. I could kill in the heat of the moment. Most people that say they couldn�t, lie.
There�s the obvious exceptions�I won�t write to kiddy killers. Or wife killers. I wouldn�t write to them � I�m not stupid. And nor am I unsympathetic to the victim�s family. I feel for those that have lost a family member to crime. And for the most part, the punishment fits the crime. An eye for an eye.
I am writing to these men for a couple of reasons. One is a selfish reason. I want to know what it�s like behind the doors of death row. I want to know what goes through these men�s heads as they�re waiting for their execution date. I want to know about the conditions in there. I have an insatiable curiosity about everything, and this is a means to satisfying it. The other reason is that I believe they should have some form of kindness in their life, however fleeting or simple. I know from experience that someone who listens but doesn�t judge is one of the kindest things someone can give. If I can help them get through their day, simply by listening to them and telling them about normal life, then I�ll be happy.
Spending day in, day out, in a tiny cell, waiting for your date to die can�t be easy. You�d want something, anything to pass the time. There�s only so much sleeping you can do. You get your one hour outside and then it�s back to your cell. What are you going to do? Lay on your bed and stare at the same grey four walls that you�ve always been staring at? How long could you do that for? A week? A month? A year? Ten? Twenty? On the site I mentioned, there are people who�ve been waiting there for 20 and more years. I know I�d go insane. Truly insane. I�d be desperate for letters from outside, a friendly banter, some support. We all need someone�why are those people any different?
If anyone else wants to spend a few moments of their time writing to someone to put a bright spark back in their life go to

http://members.tripod.com/ccadp/penpals.htm

It would be very much appreciated by the men who receive your letters.

Music selected is "Centrefold"
by J.Geils Band.

9-1-1�the date that changed the world.

September 11th, 2001 is a day that will be indelibly etched into the hearts and minds of most in the world. It will be one of the days that you will always remember what you were doing when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. Like most Americans remember what they were doing when Kennedy was shot, like most people remember what they were doing when war was declared in WW1 and WW2, no one will be able to forget the disbelief they felt on that tragic day. Years from now, we will be telling our grandchildren what we were doing on the day America was changed.
I�m Australian, as you all know. But that doesn�t mean this didn�t affect me. I have friends in America, I stood on top of the World Trade Tower back in �98 and marveled at the beauty of New York City spread out beneath me. I stood out the front of the Pentagon in Washington DC and wished I could get inside. Australia is an ally of America, and while I believe those responsible for this reprehensible attack should be bought to justice, I was scared that we would be going to war.
People never cease to amaze me�and not in a good way. I went into my regular IRC chat room after it happened, to check on friends, and I was stunned at the multitude of insensitive, stupid people that came in there with names like �Bin Laden� and �Terrorist�. It was horrible to see idiots saying �Hail Osama Bin Laden�. It was upsetting to see those that said, �America deserved this�. How did those people, catching a flight to go interstate for business, or on vacation to see family members, deserve to die? How did those starting their day at work, in the WTC and the Pentagon, deserve to die? Who makes the decision that they should die? The terrorists that committed this act of war are the only ones who decided that. And for this, they must be brought to justice.
I watched with disbelief and tears in my eyes when I saw the Palestinians dancing in the street. They were happy about this? I know they don�t think much of America, but can they not feel some remorse for those citizens that died so senselessly and needlessly? I have never danced in the streets at anyone�s death, whether they are American or Palestinian, or anyone else. I think my views on that have changed now, and if it so happened that there was a terrorist attack in Palestine, I can�t say that I�d be upset about it. Personally, I think these Palestinians should be ashamed of themselves. I think anyone else who�s Palestinian should be ashamed of their people. I think their leader should have been able to do something about it. I think they should be shot.
I had the misfortune to speak to a girl I know (she�s 26, so she�s a woman, but she acts like a child) about the possibility of this turning into war. She came up with the gem of a comment �oh, good, we need another war�, and I saw red. I was furious and more than a little unpleasant towards her. This girl has no idea what a war would mean for the whole world. In the age of nuclear warfare, this is a dangerous attitude to have.
When this all started, I personally thought I was watching the making of a new Hollywood movie. I didn�t believe this could happen, not to America. We�ve all grown somewhat accustomed to seeing such in the Middle East, where they seem to be forever warring, but not to America. It seemed incomprehensible that they could be vulnerable. After the disbelief came the sadness for those that lost their lives in this cowardly attack. Then came the anger. Anger that someone could take these people�s lives with blatant disregard for humanity. Anger that someone could declare war like this. Then came Fear. Fear that this would culminate in WW3.
So many countries have said they will support President Bush in whatever measures he decides to take in dealing with retaliation. And I agree. I�m proud my country is one of those supporters. These �people� cannot be allowed to get away with this�because if they do, where does it stop? They think they have gotten away with it once, so they�ll do it again�and again. Yes, retaliation could cause WW3. But failure to act would create something far worse for the state of the entire world. Why would we just hang our heads and refuse to act? Action needs to be taken. And I believe that action is a bombing of the country that is harboring these terrorists. And since I believe the person responsible is Osama Bin Laden, that means Afghanistan.
(In an aside, we�ve been in the newspapers lately for our refusal to take in the Afghanistan boat people. Can you really blame us now? These people have no paperwork to prove who they are. Who knows how many terrorists are on that boat? And who really wants that type of person in their country?)
One thing through all of this that has buoyed me is the way the American Rescue Workers have toiled endlessly to reach those caught under the rubble of the WTC. They work long days without complaint, pulling away rubble with their bare hands, listening for the sounds that mean someone under there is alive. It�s heartwarming to see the way the American public have rallied together to support each other during this terrible time of uncertainty. America is a country of greatness and that�s one thing that won�t change. Even though New York City and Washington have been irreparably changed, America will rebuild and they will triumph against those that have committed this act of war. For that�s what it was. Not an act of terrorism, but an act of war.