Transcription
Ronald W. Clark
November 28, 2012
My Education
Since certain individuals want to comment on my bad spelling and lack of education, let's address that.
I never attended pre-school or K.G. I had problems learning early on, and I noticed it as a kid. 'Cause the teacher would explain things, and all the kids would get it, where I wouldn't have a clue, and I'd be too embarrassed to ask in front of all the other children, 'cause as we know humans are cruel, some crueler than a pack of wild dogs, one will just on you teasing you and the rest will follow suit. Anyways I started the first grade and barely passed it. My life was already wrapped up in chaos, but by the time I get into the 2nd grade, it's worse. I'm going back and forth between my mom and dad, constantly changing schools and classes.
This is how bad it was. One night I'm with my mom, I go to sleep in my own bed, only to wake up in the middle of the night in the back seat of a car heading to my dad's house. My clothes were packed and my Granddaddy's shotgun was in the back seat with me. To this very day, I don't know what that was about. On top of that, I was dealing with a sick individual who was molesting me.
I failed the 2nd grade twice. I passed that on the 3rd try and then I'd pass the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Two weeks into the 6th grade, because of my size and being behind two grades, the school bumped me up to the 7th grade. Needless to say, I failed that and summer school. The start of the next school year, 1982-83, instead of repeating the 7th grade and actually learning, I'd start the 9th grade. So I went from the 5th grade to the 9th grade without passing. In the 9th grade I was in all special ed classes. I barely passed. In September 1983 I would start the 10th grade at Fernandina Beach High School. But I was dealing with a lot of crap. My dad had burned the house down for the insurance money. He did that because he was about to lose the house, and he had did this somewhere around the end of August '83. So we're moving to a new place, seems like every couple of weeks.
I was already using drugs. I had been smoking weed since I was about 11 years old. And alcohol I had all my life. My dad gave me beer in a baby bottle. In late 1983 my dad was sitting on the steps of a trailer we were renting in Yulee, I seen he was stressed, I asked him what was wrong, he said we didn't have any money and no food and he didn't know what to do. So I made a suggestion for him to go to Glen's, a drug dealer friend of his, and let's start selling. I was already hanging out with all the potheads in school. I began selling, and I stopped going to school and began hanging out on the streets 'cause I could sell more.
I dropped out of school at 15 years old in the 10th grade. I never learned algebra, verbs, nouns, pronouns and all that good stuff. I don't have a clue. That's stuff I should have learned in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Which as I just informed you, I didn't attend.
In the 1990s here on the row, I wrote a request to get into the GED program. I was informed that I could not attend and participate in educational programs due to my being sentenced to death. I then attempted this again in 2002-03 and in 2005 only to be denied again and again.
I got a hold of a GED book, but it wasn't very useful, without having a teacher or instructor to explain things and be able to answer my questions. Simply reading it didn't do any good. 'Cause you can read something over and over again, if you don't understand what you're reading then it's nothing more than a bunch of meaningless words.
And those who think my spelling's bad, you should have seen it in the early 90s. Wooo was it bad! Oh, and I had a dictionary. It was stolen by officers on May 21, 2012 when they assaulted me and placed me on strip cell. I then had someone send me a new dictionary that never showed. Several weeks ago, I did get a dictionary in. I haven't had a cell light for over three weeks and can't see the words. And I don't have spell check.
Now you know and have a history of my extremely poor American education.
In peace and love
Ronnie :)
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Replies (15)
don´t waste too many thoughts on critics about your spelling.
There are other blogs and on one, I´ve seen two examples of hate mail to the writer.
In comparison with the spelling and grammar of those pro DP letter authors, you are a genius.
;-)
(And that does mean something if even I notice the mistakes as I´m far from having a perfect English as it´s not my native language.)
In my eyes, the contents of a blog entry and comment is much more important than the spelling. After all, you´re not in school anymore and don´t need to get good marks.
You are conveying a very clear message and that is all that's important in this forum. Thank you for sharing!
Nicki
Continuing to do wrong to those that have done wrong will only continue a cycle of hatred and I will not be a part of that.
With that said - you're entitled to blog anything you'd like. Earlier there was a statement on here that as of 12/12/2012 Mr. Clark had nearly $350.00 in his commissary acct yet his blogs are full of whining about needing to cut back on his art as his paints are low. I believe he deliberately misleads the readers in the attempt to solicit funds. I find that underhandedness deplorable.
If you want to give Ronald Clarke the warm fuzzies you go right ahead. Let him rant and rave about Warden Reddish and his henchmen while you hold his hand. Not me.
I don't seek random vengeance, Nicki. I am a victim of Mr. Clarke's (one of MANY). I'd hardly call that random.
Society did not throw these death row inmates away. They are ALL there because there was a murder, they were accused, tried by a jury of peers, and convicted. They, themselves, are responsible...not society.
Have you considered that Mr. Clarke did and continues to defame the former Warden (Reddish). He did and continues to publish undocumented rumors of DUI incidents he has no knowledge of. The records do not reflect his statements. He needs to stop that. His records, however, do depict his crime(s).
There are many other crimes for which he was NOT convicted.
Sure, I agree that life on death row certainly seems like a living hell. I do correspond with others on "the row". I am not completely void of empathy and compassion.
The others, however, do not continue to spew hatred or I wouldn't waste my time and/or energy communicating with them (let alone offer any comforts such as commissary). There is an inmate in California to whom I regularly provide $$$ to fund his family's telephone acct. Without my funds, they would be unable to receive his collect phone calls. Gigantic relief for them and a small sacrifice on my part. I also regularly provide funds to others in need. Can you say the same?
As a student of psychology and criminology, surely you know that not all death row convicts are created equal. Some are just bad seeds and need to be removed before they taint the flower bed. While that seems harsh in print, I'm again grateful that I'm not making the decisions as to the fate of Mr. Clarke. I will say I think he could use his time much more wisely rather than his ad nauseum rants.
Over the course of my time here I have not paid much attention to Mr Clarke's blogs and this was perhaps the first comment I have ever left for him. I do not take much from reading what can be interpreted as personal attacks on blogs, and don't pay them much attention, just as I don't appreciate personal attacks about the comments I choose to leave.
You asked me "Do you honestly think your comments here are going to change Mr. Clarke's demeanor and/or behaviors?".
Interestingly, it is not Mr Clarke's demeanor and behaviors I am as concerned about changing, as your own. I chose to comment on this post because it showed me that Mr Clarke has taken the time to look at what is being said, and asked himself... 'why are they saying these things, and lets look at why that might be.' To send in the submission he has, it shows me that he spent a lot of time on self reflection, and this is what leads us all to personal growth. I'm not suggesting for a moment that he's reached the stage of enlightenment, but he's trying and should be commended for that. That is why I chose to offer my support for this particular post and that is what I hope all of my comments encourage.
Enlightenment? On WHAT? Commended for what?
What is their valuable contribution, Clarke for example? He contributes exactly what to the expansion of your mind, and learning? Do you know that most all he says about the abuse there is false?? Heighten security? Is because he attempted to escape - his "wife" is in prison now, the endless things he has done to violate the rules there..... as well as this blog. Did you know they are not allowed to solicit money and pen pals, yet he slyly continues to use this blog venue as a direct measure to meet his personal needs. Valuable contribution? Grade school thoughts, art, waste of tax payer money, lies. Do you think these men made a vaulable contribution to society or can? ha.
These people are lost, have been and will remain so, there is a reason society has cast them away, for the safety of the contributing citizens.
Their only hope is God and.... instead they seek pen pals, money,. scamming women. You say he may never had any kindness, how little you know about this particular inmate, or how life really revolves for caged animals. You made a miserable comment here for his mother to read. Shame on you.
Personal growth for Clarke and ALL would be... GED, accepting the restricted environment he put himself in, using a part of his income to promote the lives of others in need - after all he is not working for it.... send 100 a month and mentor a youth. Not seek a women to love and kiss him. That is self centered ambitions. Much that physocapths do.
What? Go save the lost. Our demeanor and behavior fits directly inline with what society deems as functioning citizens able to determine between right and wrong, moral an immoral. SAH isn't writing this post from a 6x9 animal cage. She still has empathy to help those criminals per her post. Who are YOU to be concerned abut changing people out here? I somehow think you are a catfish writing this blog from a women's prison yourself.... false.
I may be stooping to your level with this comment but I'm amused by how you bring a mental picture of Statler and Waldorf (from the Muppet Show) to mind :)
Happy that you're amused and this topic conjures up that mental picture. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. In your case I believe that to be true.
There will NEVER come a time when discussing death row inmates that my mind would paint a cartoon image for my amusement. There is nothing amusing about any of the crimes that resulted in incarceration on death row.
As far as you stooping to our level, that's just absurd. You would need a step ladder. Bending would not be necessary. Just 'sayin.
In closing, I find your use of the term "amusing" highly inflamatory and reckless.
I'm sure by now you've had a chance to research RC, no? By now you surely have slaved through his voluminous posts about his abuse, his heightened security, his dismal childhood, his no recreation, his fraudulant DR's and the fact that he's running out of paints and may not be able to produce many more cards (since he can't make money on them). Of course, you know the situation about why his mother is RESTRICTED from visitation, right? His knee hurts, he's depressed AND he's downright angry that his co-defendent is already out of prison. Did you read about his life prior to incarceration - selling drugs (even to children)? Read any of his trial transcripts to appeals? If not, why not? If so, is your opinion the same? He had nearly a novel's worth of rants about Warden Reddish and continues them in nearly every communication even though that admin, for the most part, has been relocated. Does this sound like someone who has or is willing to atone for the wrongs he has committed in society? Hell no. Not in my book.