TAKIN' THE GOOD WITH THE BAD
"Change in Spite of Oppression"

THE GOOD

Great offering of the International Thomas Merton Society here this month. Our outside coordinator, Jack C., started the meeting off by giving us great praise for our community newsletter. The newsletter is coordinated by Shawn F., 'you have read his work on my blog) and members of our community contribute stories. Joe L., had a really powerful story in last months edition, about Thomas Merton and the life of a contemplative, and Jack was impressed with Joe's viewpoint, but what he really had praise for was the overall spirituality of the articles. He commented that such Parish bulletins and newsletters in the freeworld lack that spiritual element.

The society meeting was an overall success with all of the members offering commentary on Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of Merton's "New Seeds of Contemplation." Great insight was developed and a true thirst for a deeper knowledge of Merton spirituality was displayed. We are so very blessed to be the 41st official chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society and I am especially proud that I was involved in the outreach effort to bring the program here.

Through our community outreach efforts were blessed to be able to bring in as a guest current ESP Boston and former Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times sportswriter Gordon Eades. He brought with him a brief video from Manager of the Boston Red Sox, John Farrell, on his first visit with Manager Farrell starting the video off with, "Hello men of Shirley prison...". Mr Farrell gives us his personal support and urges us to "keep up the good work" here. Quite a blessing! Now after the Red Sox World Series win Manager Farrell has supplied us with another video which Gordon recorded on his phone and is being transferred to DVD so we can watch it this upcoming week. It is truly unbelievable that the Manager of the World Champion Boston Red Sox would take time out of his demanding schedule to send well wishes to our community behind the razor wire here, and even more unbelievable that Gordon Eades keeps us in his thoughts and prayers as he goes through his everyday life. It says a lot about who we are here and how we can change in spite of oppression. The prison does not believe in change - prison is about keeping the ignorant, ignorant - but our outside community members come and see the very real change. This community is doing all it can to break the false prisoner stereotypes that result in the draconian laws being perpetuated. Thank you Gordon and John for believing men can and do change!

When the Access SecurePak folks were robbing our families and friends with hteir overpriced items in this years "Holiday Package Program" they were more than happy to announce to them (our families) on their website (Access') that they would soon be able to rob them again by overcharging for an MP3 player and downloaded songs. For this new feat of robbery they are installing "kiosks" in all the blocks so that men can "purchase" music for $1.85 per song. Now everyone knows that the "gold standard" for downloading music is 99 cents per song or less, but as usual this "captive consumer base" is greeting screwed by our captors and their cohorts. The good news here (after all this is the "GOOD" sections) is that many prisoners are already filing complaints with the attorney general, consumer affairs and the Better Business Bureau. Men are already saying that if they don't lower the prices they are not going to buy into this grand scheme and rip off. You the DOC's "Compliance Unit Coordinator" (yes another fake job title and department to steal taxpayer funds) even wrote men who complained a letter sayign that the "Commissary WOrkgroup" (just a bunch of DOC suits who are in on the thievery) saved us 10 cents a song as Keefe Corp. wanted to cahrge us $1.95: this fool actually thinks we believe this crap. My hopes are that men will continue to stand together on this issue - which is an unsanctioned tax upon our families and friends as they are the ones who will ultimately paying for these rip off items (The DOC pays us a dollar a day and then wants to sell you one song for two days pay!) - and we should honour our families by not buying these rip off MP3 players and songs.

THE BAD

I can't even believe that I have to report that they have hired another batch of these layabout guards. It's like the clowns coming out of the Volkswagen and Ringling Brothers; they just keep coming. You should see these jaded, lazy "veteran" oxygen wasters leading these pimply faced kids around the blocks on their 'training' rounds. You should have heard CO Honey Boo-Boo swearing her head off at this new fresh faced female guard as she explained to her her duties; F-ing this and F-ing that. It was a real lesson in what can turn you off. I feel sorry for this young girl as I am sure they did not prepare her for the Honey Boo-Boo's of the system; and I also feel bad for Honey Boo-Boo as her upbringing must have had some real trauma and bad hands if she is so full of anger and hatred. She probably would have made a good waitress or nurse but her choice to be a purveyor of misery has ultimately turned her into a beast. You can bet that there are more guard classes to come as they ain't letting anyone go any time too soon. These guards all had shiny new boots (paid for by your tax dollars as part of their collective bargaining agreement with the state (MCOFU scum casting lots for Christ's tunic) and fancy outer jackets. They were being shown how to slump down under the computer when you take a nap as the camera cannot see you there. They were shown how to steal a prisoners radio from the property department and place it on the podium so they can listen to music all shift (they tune into WGAY I am informed - music to sell your soul by). They have their coffee maker and microwave in the foolish guard/counselor's office but still need to make the trek to culinary arts to pay £1.85 for an entire meal (but want us to buy one song for the same price). How many cops does this system need? When will the budget be reallocated for actual "public safety" efforts? When will the taxpayer send the MCOFU fools packing, back to flipping burgers and bring in rehabilitative specialists? It could not be too soon.

You cannot believe where they have assigned Lt. Urine? In a typical DoOC fashion they took this abusive and sadistic manhater and placed her in charge of the most vulnerable prisoners in the system; the men in the Deputy Denied-Oh's "Sniff". These men in the hospital (we now call it the "sniff" as the propoganda name Deputy Denied-Oh gave it was the "Skilled Nursing Facility or SNF, and SNF sounds like "sniff" and you can smell that smell of death up there so vividly) are now being subjected to our own little Marquis de Sade and it is almost incomprehensible that the DOC puts such scum in charge of men's lives. Now we must be happy that she is not up there all the time, and we must be thankful for small miracles, but even one day a year is too much of her around sick and dying, ever so vulnerable men. The "sniff" reeks even worse with her putrid hatred emanating off the virus infected, black mould walls. The scent of "Urine" is now mixed with the smell of death. This is how your prison system is run. May God save the men up in the HSU!

There is an outbreak of the "Norwalk Virus" here at the prison. Men are quarantined up in the "sniff" as well as on individual cell blocks. In the infinite wisdom of the DOC "officials": they delayed diagnosing the out-break and numerous men made it to the food service areas. I smiled when one of the guys who works in the Culinary Arts (this is the "gaff" program where they feed the guards - or as we like to say "feed the pigs") was sick with the virus but went to work anyway. When his boss saw how he looked he asked him what was the matter. Once he heard of his symptoms he sent him back to his cell but the damage was more than likely done as he had already engaged in "food service". One of the guards, we will call him "Buffalo Bill", went nuts. He called his union rep (now this same union rep is the guard who gave us information on Lt. Peckerwood, Lt. Urine and Deputy Denied-Oh to be used on this blood) and made a huge stink. The MCOFU fools want a "lock-down" but the suits in the front office believe their master medical strategy will "control the outbreak". It all remains to be seen but you can bet it won't go as The Boot and Deputy Denied-Oh plan. This place is a pig sty and it is no wonder that over the years there have been outbreaks of Legionnaires disease here (and boy do they do all they can do to keep that memory quiet!), gastrointestinal guards carry this illnesses out to you! Just feel lucky you don't have to be sent to the "sniff" if you get sick. Lt. Urin could be your personal Nurse Ratchett! Other guards are calling their union reps (the one who gives this blogg inside info is stirring the pot) but I think they need a stained bed pan and puke bucket, and suck it up like we have to. CO Pimpleface is running for a Union Rep position, she is using this debaucle as a platform, and possible she can use her zit cream to kill the virus. Who knows?

More to come...