Humanity for Prisoners

 I t’s true. Not since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King have we so desperately needed a similar voice in our country.   I’m making my point now because January 19 is Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. It’s a national holiday that observes the birthday of one of the nation’s greatest heroes of all times. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929…he was assassinated in 1968. On MLK Day we honor Dr. King's leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, where he served as a pivotal leader for justice and equality. He wanted civil rights for people of color in the United States and insisted that this could be accomplished through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience. His target was Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination.   Our President doesn’t much care for this holiday. He couldn’t rescind it, but he could disrupt our observance of the day. For example, Trump rescinded fee-free days at national parks for both Martin Luther King Jr. Day as well as...

I must make a confession. I am guilty of “tunnel vision.”   I’m so focused on the plight of incarcerated men and women that I forget that many free men and women still live in some type of prison.   I am reminded of that today, after spending last week in the hospital. I’m OK. I’m 89, and things are starting to fall apart. But hear my story.   I was assigned to a two-bed hospital room. Sleeping behind the curtain right next to me was Old Pete. Old Pete suffered a stroke last November. That’s when he was brought to the hospital. More than 2 months later, he’s still there! The stroke didn’t cause any paralysis, didn’t appear to leave any physical damage, but his thinking was muddled, words were expressed hesitatingly, and it appeared that he couldn’t read.   It became apparent over the next several days that Old Pete had only one family member, a brother who made frequent visits and who really cared.   Other than that, no loved ones, no kin, no friends fr...

On this first day of the New Year, I’d like to share some thoughts about a small portion of a Frederick Buechner prayer that I believe focuses directly on the plight of prisoners.  Buechner was an American author, Presbyterian minister, preacher, and theologian, and published 39 books. His career spanned more than six decades. He died in 2022 at the age of 96!  Thanks to a special program that was offered, I receive a quote from this fine theologian and writer every day via email. One dispatch this week featured a prayer, and I posted it on Facebook as the perfect prayer for ending the year and starting the year.  For those of you who have a relationship with a prisoner, or who are familiar with the multitude of issues that incarcerated men and women face, take a look at this phrase:  THOU SON OF THE Most High, Prince of Peace, be born again into our world. Wherever…there is pain, wherever there is loneliness, wherever there is no hope, come, thou long-expect...