Heads Up

I’ve told you once before about my cousin, Tony, who is in prison, convicted of a murder that, tragically, he did commit. Tony has been in prison now for just over 30 years, and is a very different person than he was back then.

Tony’s mom, my Aunt Lori, recently began reading my blog, and had emailed me to ask if I might print and mail Tony the 3 part story about when I met my father for the first time. I did so, and wrote him a letter as well. Upon returning from our vacation in Oregon last Monday, I found a letter from Tony, including some lovely pictures of his wife, children, and grandchildren. I was so happy to receive it. In his letter, Tony told me that he also has a blog, that is posted on a website that his wife maintains, www.prisoners.org. Since Tony doesn’t have internet access, has never actually been online, I’m guessing that he writes his posts out, and mails them to his wife, and she transcribes them into the computer and online for him. If you have the stomach to learn a bit about what life is like in prison, check out his blog. (It’s not a fancy blog, just a button with the year, and you click it and go directly to his posts.) I think it’s important that we understand the criminal justice system, and the repercussions of our treatment of prisoners. Whether we agree with the treatment they receive or not, it’s not a bad idea to at least pay attention.

In that same vein, I’m going to be checking out the season finale of 30 days tonight. Remember the guy who ate nothing but McDonalds for 30 days, and then made the movie, Supersize Me about his experiences? Well, he has a TV show that is just wrapping its second season, and tonight’s episode is about his 30 days in prison. That’s one day for every year that Tony has spent behind bars. I hate to think of him there; hate to think of this being the rest of his life; hate to think of the life that he carelessly took from another man, and another man’s family, way back when. The waste of it all, it’s just too much. I hope I can stand it.