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December 26, 2000

Column 28

Yes, I often start these out by saying it has been awhile since I  last wrote. This time isn't any different. It seems a lot has happened since the last time I wrote. Not necessarily for me, but in general. It seems one day slides into another and before you know it the months have gone by and you wonder what happened. I wanted to write a bit, just to touch on a few things that have been on my mind recently. Not necesssarily about the death penalty or death row.

Recently, I received a letter from someone I correspond with (out in the free world) and they were telling me how miserable their life is. How they hated facing everything they had to deal with in their life. I asked what the problem was, expecting to hear some traumatic story. When they wrote back and told me what was bothering them, I couldn't believe what I was reading. They just described everyday life with it's usual problems. Things I would love to be faced with. Paying the bills, taxes, children who wear on the nerves and a marriage with the usual ups and downs. Things of that nature.
After my exchange of letters with this person, it got me thinking about what my life was like and how I would love it if these sorts of problems were the extent of what I had to deal with now. I didn't make the obvious comment and say I would be happy to trade places with them. However, it did make me realize how we take life and what we have for granted. Also, how we don't appreciate what we have until it's not there any longer. How we often can't see how special what we have is, until we don't have it any longer. It reminded me of this bit of Indian philosophy. I think it would be okay to share it with you, since it is a message for everyone, so I will include it here. It is called ‘Gift From The Creator'. A good friend shared it with me and I think they would like it if I shared it with you as well.

   ‘Gift From The Creator’

The Man Whispered:
"Creator Speak To Me".
And A Meadowlark Sang.
But The Man Did Not Hear.

So The Man Yelled:
"Creator Speak To Me!"
And Thunder Rolled Across The Sky.
But The Man Did Not Listen.

Then The Man Looked Around And Said:
"Creator Let Me See You!".
And A Star Shone Brightly.
But The Man Did Not Notice.
And The Man Shouted:                        
"Creator Show Me A Miracle!"
And A Life Was Born.
But The Man Did Not Know.

So The Man Cried Out In Despair . . . : 
"Touch Me Creator, Let Me Know You Are Here!"
Whereupon The Creator Reached Down And Touched The Man.
But The Man Brushed The Butterfly Away And Walked On.

The message being:
‘Don't  Miss Out On A Blessing 
Or A Gift From The Creator 
Because It Isn't Packaged The Way You Expect’
.

I am not a Christian, however, I am a spiritual person. I don't talk about that much because I figure it is a private thing. It's not for me to try and push my beliefs on you. I don't appreciate it when someone does that to me, but I hope in these words, you can find a message that touches you in some way.

On to other things. There is a man, here on San Quentin's Death Row, who was recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for these children's books he writes. These books are intended to help children stay out of gangs and the violence that goes with it. It would be nice if he won it, but I think just being nominated is special in itself. What I wanted to talk about is this article I saw in a newspaper regarding this guys nomination. I think it's a good example of what I have been saying about the news media, in some of the writing I've done. This reporter crucified the guy, rather than focusing on the positive things he has done in the time he's been on Death Row. Instead of talking about how he is trying to help children from making the same mistakes he did, she focused on every negative thing possible. It was more tabloid journalism, not objective reporting. This reporter seems to have some issues she needs to deal with. I will see if I can get the url (for this article) posted at the end of this (#28) so you can read it for yourself and see what I'm talking about. This article was in the San Francisco Chronicle (click here to read this one). I will see if we can also provide the url for another article about the same story written by the Associated Press (click here to read what they wrote). You can see the contrast between the two stories for yourself. 

I also want to comment on the election. Not so much about Bush stealing the election. I think people already have their minds made up on Bush, so I doubt if I need to add anything to it. However, I heard something I found very amusing, regarding his being President. I don't know if it's true, but if not, it should be. Someone told me Nostradamus predicted in 1555 that in the place of the greatest power, the village idiot will rise to power. Somebody else told me Nostradamus didn't make this prediction, but it's amusing enough to share with you.

I do want to talk about the election and how the US Supreme Court gave the election to Bush. Not the whole Supreme court, but the conservative majority. As much as I hated seeing them make Bush the President, I thought it was helpful in a way unrelated to the election. It showed the US Supreme Court is NOT an unbiased and apolitical entity. What they did with the election proves they are very political. If they are this biased regarding a election, how unbiased and fair can they be when deciding life and death issues like Death Penalty Appeals? The answer to that should be evident to everyone.

In regards to Bush being President, I think unless you are rich or a big business, you don't have anything coming to you. We all know what his record on the death penalty is, but I suspect you will all find out that it isn't just about the death penalty. I suppose the next 4 years will show if I'm right, but I hope I am wrong about him. I once heard a Psychologist talking about politicians. He said the most effective politicians are Sociopaths. The reason being is, they have to be able to put moral considerations aside in order accomplish the things they do. I don't have a very high regard for Psychologist's, but what he said made a lot of sense to me.

One last thing,there is a website for an organization called ‘The Public Cause Network’. The url for it is: http://www.thepubliccause.net . There are a number of issues they are concerned with besides the death penalty. It is also an organization where you can get involved. So please check them out and participate if you can. I think there is also a link to that site on the linkage of this site.

I am out of here for this one, but please check out the letter section and drop a line if you want to. Or you can write to me at the address on this site. That is much quicker than e-mail. All the best to you.

Peace,
Dean