dagblog - Comments for "Solitary Confinement in the US: Too Much More National Shame [Updated]"

Thanks, Lulu. You've been

we are stardust — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:20:35 +0000

In reply to This is an excellent blog on

Thanks, Lulu. You've been great about spotlighting Manning all along. There is bad news about Frontline's Manning story; it aired on some sations last night, but not here. It apparently focused on him as an unstable youth, and nothing on his political convictions nor the conditions in which he's being held at Quantico! Frontline says it will run a second part in May...

http://www.thenation.com/blog/159529/pbs-frontline-tonight-private-life-bradley-manning-sure-spark-debate

Researching this topic made me sick at times, and by yesterday I wanted to get it posted. It did receive a fair amount of comments there, and only one person suggested they could dump the dangerous criminals in my yard, and I could sing that K**b*y* song with them (too trite to type; I hate that meme). ;o)

Brother Cornell spoke of compassion a lot in his interview, and was so irked that in Obama's recent State of the Onion he never mentioned the poor (as many of us noticed), nor the prison-industrial complex. He said it was the first SOTU since 1948 in which the poor were not mentioned, which makes it even more noteworthy, IMO.

American Exceptionalism is taking some hits, through both Wikileaks and even Al Jazeera; it was there I saw the first story from the folks at Solitarywatch.com. So many tales of unjustice I read along the way researching; I felt dirty.

You mentioned contact; I didn't include some new experimental prisons that cut off most contact from prisoners, and they aren't even dangerous prisoners; Level 2, I think they were called. Many were seemingly political prisoners, especially Muslim. Not in solitary, but allowed no call, mail, visits. Christ.

Here is one version. God bless CCR:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2921972/segregated_federal_prison_units_target.html

This is an excellent blog on

A Guy Called LULU — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:46:12 +0000

In reply to Solitary Confinement in the US: Too Much More National Shame [Updated]

This is an excellent blog on an important subject.I bring up Manning fairly regularly but it would be good if awareness could be brought to more people about the widespresd abuses within our entire penal system. It is discouraging though. Manning's situation should invite sympathy to many more than it does, IMO and he has been largely forgotten. People are much more likely to ignore the plight of thousands of others who they can write off as guilty and deserving of whatever they get.

There must be so many prisoners whoe have nobody that evrer visits them and then there are many who are not allowed mail or telephone contact with the outside. Sometimes justified but I think often abused. I have heard that often prisoners are relocated to prisons further from their homes and friends and relatives for punishment.

Prison reform is not something very many people think of.and not many who do careI am afraid.

Here's the Cornell West

we are stardust — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:21:19 +0000

In reply to Solitary Confinement in the US: Too Much More National Shame [Updated]

Here's the Cornell West interview on justice,race and civil liberties. [caution: he's pretty peeved with Brother Obama...]

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan/2011/03/2011328633115847...

Prisoners don't have much of

we are stardust — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:19:12 +0000

In reply to My opinion, without links, is

Prisoners don't have much of a lobby, do they? ;o) It's axiomatic in this country to declare that every prisoner claims he or she is innocent, so the corollary is that they are all guilty. How many death row prisoners have been freed when the Justice Project or others uses newer DNA profiles to establish innocence, and Tada!, person X really was innocent.

Non-violent drug crimes, three-strikes and the second or third isn't much of a crime, 'convicted with no physical evidence by an all-white jury' cases, sub-clinical mentally ill convictions, crap or overworked public defenders. kickbacks to judges from private prisons, especially youth one, etc. Yeah; I'll bet you could reach 50% pretty soon.

AJE has an interview up with Brother Cornell West in which he says that the criminal justice system in the US is the third largest employer in the nation. He gets pretty down on Brother Barack, so you may not want to listen. But it's pretty freaking system, all in all.

I dunno; when the Dems had some of the legislatures prison reform wasn't on the list either, as far as I know. But no; even if the populace decided to care, there would sure be more R's against reform, I'd think. Law and Order for some; you're right.

most punitive nation/stateIt

jollyroger — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:53:13 +0000

In reply to My opinion, without links, is

most punitive nation/state

It is an addiction. And like all addictions, requires ever larger hits to quell the cravings.

It just happens to be sicker, uglier, and more shameful than most addictions.

the country is

jollyroger — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:41:10 +0000

In reply to Captivity. And the country

the country is magnificent

Well, maybe...but we still have a shortage of xx blond dna...(there's a shortage cause I'm short a few right now. I always like to have three or four in reserve...)

My opinion, without links, is

Richard Day — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:04:37 +0000

In reply to Solitary Confinement in the US: Too Much More National Shame [Updated]

My opinion, without links, is that half of those in prison should not be in prison.

California has been forced to release prisoners due to budget matters and other states have followed but privatzation has provided a way for those who seek to imprison more people. Corporations have discovered a way to make more money off of prisoners as an enterprize; through slave labor.

Now there are gangsters who need to be separated from the regular prison peopulation. MSNBC shows me that much. The program is to keep the virus in lock up.

I am more disturbed over the isolation of individuals WHO HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME as well as those who have not been tried.

With the manner in which our courts are currently constituted; with repubs running most of the legislatures besides the House, I do not see prison reform coming any time soon.

There are other 'priorities'. ha!!

If you go by the numbers, we are the single most punitive nation/state in the world and will continue to be.

The job of homeland security, the job of the state and urban police; the job of all Federal Agencies is to protect the top ten percent of the population.

And that is a damn shame!

Captivity. And the country

we are stardust — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:03:10 +0000

In reply to Apologies to DAGBLOG if this

Captivity. And the country is magnificent; it's the people who screw it up. Yes? Can we unscrew it is sorta the issue, but naming the crap parts is crucial as a first step. Too much is hidden.

Apologies to DAGBLOG if this

jollyroger — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:51:00 +0000

In reply to I have to assume you are

Apologies to DAGBLOG if this ends up being quoted by freepers, but I have to say it becase it's gotten to be true:

I HATE THIS FUCKING COUNTRY!

(And, yeah, you bet your ass I'm heading for Scandanavia first chance I get...(I can sense the presence of blond xx DNA in the dark at 1000 yards...)

Cruel and Unusual

jollyroger — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:46:11 +0000

In reply to I have to assume you are

Cruel and Unusual captivity?

Thanks for choosing the right noun--being as he hasn't been convicted of anything, and we deplore pretrial punition. So that let's out "imprisonment" or even "detention" as apposite.