"The Building of a Temple"

From the moment of our conception we begin constructing our legacy in life. We can picture it as the building of a temple, for we are sacred creations. Within us is the Divine just as we are with the Divine. It is our duty to build on a sturdy foundation and insure we do proper maintenance.

But we must be vigilant, for there is much in this life that can lead us astray. There are even those out there who seek to destroy the "temples" we are building but if our foundation is strong and we continue to build upon it, the towers will ascend to the heights. Construct a mighty fortress of wisdom and righteousness, then throw open the doors, so that those who seek truth may discover within...Blessed are the teachers for they give hope and guidance to a brighter future.

But give light only to those who tire of darkness, for many wish to believe in shadows rather than the realities that cast them and many create their own realities without regard to truth or consequences. Their minds are not receptive to wisdom and their response will be anger rather than acceptance. Though their foundations are weak and easily crumble, they choose to try tearing down anothers temple rather than rebuild their own.

Fools believe themselves to be wise, to possess truth. The wise man knows he is still a fool, for the wise man knows he is far from perfect and still lacks knowledge. The wise man never forgets he is incomplete and unless he can know ALL things, he understands that he can never be sure of anything. The fool accepts and looks no further, while the wise man continues to strive for the highest possible realms and then beyond. The wise man examines fully anything he discovers in order to fully comprehend. The fool sees only the surface, while the wise man digs to the depths to insure a sturdy foundation supports the premise.

It is our duty to continue building upon our own foundations and to insure the building blocks are sturdy enough to stand the tests of time. Be a shining example of structural integrity and when others look upon you, let them find no flaw.

"Declaration of Independance"

Several days ago a guy came to me and told me about something known as "the American Sovereignty Act". According to him, it allows each of us to declare ourselves independant, self-governed entities. A nation in and of oneself.

He went on to say that we are all currently "straw men" owned by the United States. Our social security number is basically our bar code...the deed to our person. For the price of $250 and by declaring yourself a corporation you are no longer a subject of the United States, for you have "purchased" yourself back.

Now whether any of this is true, I am unsure. I don't have access to the necessary resources to investigate. I do know that our government has slowly been tipping the scales of power. What was once "by the people, for the people" has become "by the dollar, for the dollar". The more we head to the government's will, the less control the people possess adn Democracy is lost. We must think as individuals to create a united society and when injustice rules, we must stand up for what is right.

Remember, revolution has always led us to freedom and if we don't fight for what we believe in, those beliefs will be stripped from us.

No man owns me! I may be in prison but I am free to do as I choose. I choose a path of righteousness, not because it says somewhere that I have to but because it is my duty. My rights are not granted by a nation, they are mine by birth. and no one can take that from me. In the past I chose wrong doing because I was ignorant, thus I had to be muzzled like a dog. I gave power to others. Now that the veil has been lifted from my eyes, I take back that power. The government may rule the land but I rule myself. No one holds any power over me on this plane.

Abide by the laws of the land while in the land out of respect adn if they impose no burden. Fight only laws that are injust and illogical. Never let anyone rule you or what belongs to you and never try to dominate others. Live and let live! Declare yourselves a free people, pushing toward a brighter future.

"Why Prison Is Failing (Part II)"

2. Avoidable sentences: Many of the guys I have met in here should not be here at all or should be serving lighter sentences. There are the guys who are first time offenders, who only made a mistake, either out of youthful ignorance or a bad string of events. Take the 18 year-old kid who stole his neighbors car for a joy ride now serving five years for grand theft auto; or the 26 year-old youth pastor who went to a friend's bachelor party, drank a little too much and ran someone over, now serving 24 years for reckless driving and vehicular manslaughter. How about another kid, barely 18, who slept with his 16 year-old girlfriend on prom night and is now serving 12 years for statutory rape. This list could go on and on. I could even include guys like myself who committed serious crimes but did so in impulsive ignorance and fully recognize the seriousness of their crimes. Guys that regret their actions and wish to do all they can to make up for their past....

Admittedly, all of us are guilty of criminal offenses but the severity of the punishments are often excessive and unnecessary. Take the joy-rider for instance; a notably bad prank on his part but just a dumb kid who made a mistake. Community Service would have been sufficient. Hell a night in jail with no charges would have probably been good enough to scare him straight. The youth pastor could have done far more outside of prison walls to make up for his crime. Do I need to even comment on the 18 year-old prom attendee? Maybe some of us believe in waiting till marriage or that they are too young but is prison really necessary when we have all suffered the raging hormones of adolescence...The 16 year-old by the way is now 22, married to the guy who "raped" her and visits him every weekend.

Then you have other guys, like this one friend of mine. He robbed a house and is now serving 20 year sentence. It was his first offense. He was a kid doing something incredibly stupid and yes he committed a crime but like the other guys I have mentioned, the sentence is far too severe. Each one of these guys should have either not received any time or charges or they should have gotten less time. Instead, a mistake or poor judgment has cost them their lives.

These sentences were unnecessary and the cases should have been judged with more logic. In this way, these guys could have avoided the trials of prison and worked towards developing a productive life on the outside. Their mistake not forgotten but also not something they should pay for with the rest of their lives.

"Why Prison Is Failing (Part I)"

One of the most pressing problems the penal system faces is over population. The fault lies as much with the system itself as it does with the criminals. We are responsible for our own actions and most of us are guilty of crimes deserving time in prison but it is the justice system that is to blame for unnecessarily lengthy stays, avoidable sentences and the law success rate of productive reentry into society. Allow me to explain:

1. Unnecessarily lengthy stays: Sentencing is not based upon the likelihood of re-offense, there is no rehabilitation system for the earning of early release (at least not in Virginia) and most institutions enforce a retinue of rules designed not with the purpose of running an orderly operation but with the intent to antagonize the inmates. This allows them to write institutional charges that cost us money or lengthen our sentences.

Many of us can look around and clearly see who will get out and never cause another problem in society and who will still be a threat. Those striving for betterment in their lives often are serving lengthier sentences. Many of the most corrupt, violent and ignorant individuals are the ones getting released soon. Speaking of which, a prime example just sat down across from me. He is serving his third sentence. The first two were drug related, this last one an attempted car-jacking. Everyday he tries to scam people, looks for drugs and masturbates in a place where female officers working in the building can see him (an act known as 'gunning' in here). Now, I'm sure we can agree that this is a sick individual, unfit for society. A con man, a drug addict and a potential rapist...Guess what? He gets out in less than two years.

Then there are the guys like myself who spend everyday working to better ourselves. Yet, no matter what we accomplish, we will still be here long after the men I just described above.

There are no policies governing how sentences are determined and no real method of evaluating an offender prior to the sentencing. We are subject to the whims of the judges hearing our cases. Judges vary from case to case, so you may find a murderer, a car-jacker and a child molester all serving 50 year sentences, while three others with the exact same charges are only serving 20 years. A rapist serving 5 years, while a drug dealer serves 15 years.

The State has made it abundantly clear it cares nothing for rehabilitation. So, they chuck us into these holding pins for various amounts of time and do nothing to aid us in our quest to mature into productive citizens. In fact, they often work to hinder us in our goal. Educational programs and institutes of higher learning are difficult to enroll in, particularly for any of us in with more than five years left to serve. Pursuit of personal interests are not encouraged. As a writer I have no access to a typewriter and publication requires me to jump through hoops, if I ever get a shot. Rather than encouraging offenders to strive for betterment and aiding us in this pursuit, they offer us no motivation. Now, I agree that this is not an excuse. Those who truly wish to change will be self-motivated but certainly by offering rehabilitative programs that allows one to potentially earn an earlier release date, will find those who are not as self-motivated working towards various goals. Of course, there should still be some form of evaluation to determine who is truly ready for reentry and who is not.

Finally, it should not be a priority for institutions to create numerous policies that are unnecessary or to antagonize inmates who are causing no problems. The institutions primary goal should be to work with the wards of the institution, as to see the operation of the prison run more smoothly and the inmates housed are encouraged in attempts of productivity and ultimately a successful reentry into society.