Dear Sis~
Just watched a thought-provoking (and depressing) documentary on PBS titled Worse than War; the subject matter was genocide - why and how it happens - and the film investigated a number of well-known instances, from the Holocaust to Rwanda, to Cambodia, to the Balkans, etc... It was a vivid reminder of what a brutal species we can be, and how thin the veneer of civilization really is. When the right mix of politics, religion, ethnic hatreds and economic factors converge, the gloves come off and man's darkest impulses rise to the top like curdled cream...
A different PBS program, which put a smile on my face was Through a Dog's Eyes, a heart-warming tale of how service dogs are raised and trained to help those with special needs. A number of excellent small companies or organizations, invariably non-profits, are dedicated to breeding and raising these special dogs, then matching them up with their new owners, many of who are kids, usually suffering from multiple sclerosis or some other form of paralysis, or seizures (some of these dogs are capable of detecting the onset of seizures, 10 - 20 minutes before they occur, and alerting the person about what's about to happen. Nobody knows how the dogs can do this; it's an inate capability that comes naturally). It was neat to watch the kids meet and bond with the big, friendly dogs (mostly labs) over the 4 or 5 days set aside for the process. Most of these kis are terribly lonely, with no friends, and the dogs, besides being helpers, fill a big void. The kids' faces light up with excitement when they get their dogs!
Well, I've got a baldie again... The wing sergeant decided my hair was "too long" (it must have been a whole 2 inches long) and he ordered me to get it cut off. As you know, there's only one style offered here: a mandatory buzz cut with a numer one or number two blade. That's why everyone here looks like a prototypical convict. This is something of a fetish with the guards here at FSP...they want us to look like that. It's a violation of tyhe DOC standrds, which allows us to have hair considerably longer ( as long s it does not cover the ears or collar). In the old days prisoners could be written up for cutting their hair off; the administration felt it was a gang symbol of some sort. Now, it;'s the guards forcing us to look like the 1930's convicts. This seems to amuse them. Anyway, I could care less; I have a lot more substantial things to concern myself with than my hair ...
Alright, Sis, I've gotta get back to work on this legal project. Give the dogs a tummy rub for me!
Love & Peace
Bill
Monday, April 26, 2010
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