Some protests are misguided, methinks

 Something’s screwed up here! 

A year ago people with guns stormed our state capitol to protest a stay-at-home order to help keep people safe from a raging virus. 

Last month, a storming of the capitol again, this time in opposition to vaccine mandates...again dealing with the same virus. 

Lately, angry people have been protesting at local county courthouses.

Reflecting on our 20 years of existence battling to improve conditions for Michigan prisoners, I remembered a favorite Bible verse that I put up in our office in the early years. 

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9 

In Brooks CF, a prisoner was killed the other day. Some say it was a dispute over homemade hootch, but the general consensus is that gang bangers were involved. Nobody’s protesting. 

We published a blog recently about the terrible dental care in Michigan prisons. Inmates coming into our state prison system receive no dental care for the first two years. The department justifies it by saying, “Well, at least it’s better dental care than they had before they came in!” Nobody’s protesting. 

It’s been so hot in some state prison units that inmates were passing out. Michigan’s prisons do not have AC. Nobody’s protesting. 

From Huron Valley we receive reports from the women that inadequate amount per daily distribution of chemicals to clean the housing units and cells is creating filth, dust, and black mold build-up in shower areas. Nobody’s protesting. 

No visitors were allowed during much of the COVID pandemic, yet the drug flow into our state prisons never let up. How do you suppose that happened? Nobody’s protesting. 

And you’re protesting because somebody wants you to simply wear a mask out of consideration for others? 

Gimme a break!

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Half-a-race!

The HFP Drag-Racing Fund-Raiser had the potential of being extremely successful, and could have raised several thousand dollars. Let's just say it was partly successful. For background purposes I'll explain that I was racing a 1963 supercharged Studebaker Lark that has a reputation of being one of the fastest stock Studebakers in drag racing today. The engine was built by one of the finest Studebaker engine mechanics in the country, and the car many times has achieved quarter-mile runs in less than 14 seconds! We promised to make at least ten passes in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Michigan, this past weekend, and we asked for pledges ONLY ON THOSE RUNS REACHED IN LESS THAN 14 SECONDS. On Friday, here's how we fared: Run #1 13.936 @ 101.24 mph Run #2 14.027 @ 101.30 mph Run #3 14.091 @ 100.88 mph Run #4 13.805 @ 102.84 mph Run #5 14.058 @ 101.26 mph By the 5th run we discovered that
Read more

Gregory John McCormick: 1964-2008

Itchy is dead. The lifeless body of this talented rock musician, whose band Shock Therapy was a popular group especially in Europe, was found in a field in Detroit last Wednesday, November 5. The Wayne County Coroner's office informed father Glenn McCormick that the body of his son Gregory, better known to all of us as Itchy, bore no signs of trauma. Glenn said that Itchy, who had been living at his father's dental lab in Detroit, had been drinking to excess for some time. While the toxicology report has not been released yet, the general consensus seems to be that he drank himself to death. Our agency, while still named INNOCENT, first got involved with Itchy in 2005. The Detroit native, who called Germany his home, got involved in some unfortunate activity that placed him in the Michigan State prison system on a charge of arson of a dwelling. It was really just a bonfire in an alley, but an alleged parole violation placed him in prison for 1-20 years. I personally sat w
Read more

Three lives, connected by a divine thread

My kids say it should be a book! The Doug, Pat and Mark story is a doozie!   About 25 years ago, while fighting to free Maurice Carter from prison, I read a newspaper column written by Pat Shellenbarger of the Grand Rapids Press on the topic of eyewitness identification. I contacted Pat re that story. That led to a friendship between Doug and Pat that continues to this day.   In subsequent months, Pat would go on to assist me in an investigation into the Maurice Carter case that eventually led to solving the crime.  That particular episode became a chapter in my book about the Carter case, SWEET FREEDOM, published in 2006.   Fast forward to 2009, A New York businessman claims wrongful conviction, and while serving time in a Michigan prison is handed a copy of my book. Mark Hartman, who was also convicted in Berrien County, was amazed at the similarity of these two stories and tried to reach out to me. His letters bounced.   Persisting in his efforts to contact the author, Mark
Read more