April 12, 2012

Dear Sis~
The execution of David Alan Gore took place as scheduled at 6:00 this evening, just a short while ago. He was convicted of horrible crimes, which makes it easier for folks, acting by proxy, to justify and applaud their own premeditated taking of another human life.  Here in the 21st century we still revel in medieval solutions.  But as someone wiser than me once opined, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

I've just read a great book, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (who also authored Seabiscuit) which is an autobiography of sorts of a remarkable guy, Louis Zamperini, and which is aptly subtitled "A World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption."  Young Zamperini reminds me of myself as a youth, impetuous, hard-headed and defiant to a fault.  Like him as a kid I was my own worst enemy.  In our respective youths we trod many of the same paths.  Fortunately for him, unlike me, Zamperini found the strength of character to change the course of his downward spiral before it became too late.  I like Laura's dedication page which simply states, "For the wounded and the lost."  I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great tale of redemption, made better by the knowledge that it is a true story.


Before I close I'll recommend three recent articles about our criminal justice system/prison system which should give pause to any thinking person. The first is a brief one-page overview which sort of sets the table, Incarceration Nation, by Fareed Zakaria, in the April 2, 2012 Time Magazine. (http://www.timemagazine.com/incarcerationnation). The other two, which are more in-depth, are Injustice System, by Conrad Black, in National Review online (www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/294490) and Rethinking Solitary Confinement, by Erica Goode, in the March 11, 2012, New York Times. (http://www.newyorktimes.com/rethinkingsolitaryconfinement/ericagoode).  As someone who has spent his life behind bars I can verify that these articles speak the truth and are on point, and they speak to what we want to be and become as a nation.  They ought to be mandatory reading in law schools and criminal justice classes across America.  
  Light & Love,
      Bill