jon, have you read the Declaration of Independence
Bruce Reilly
We are here. Like it or not, for good or bad, we are here. Who are we? We are the
downtrodden and dispossesed, the self-torturing, the disenfranchised convicts,
drug and alcohol addicts, the unemployed and unemployable. We are the children of
poverty, financial and spiritual. We have and will have children of our own,
grandchildren too. We are ex-cons, uninsured, homeless, of many colors and speaking
many tongues. We are the enemy in what has become a domestic war against ourselves.
And who are you? You who like the tough talk of Tough on Crime? You who watch as
budgets are cut in education and health care while you militarize a police force?
Bullet-proof vests, automatic weapons, helicopters, tanks, robots ... the
testosterone is oozing through the streets, more prisons, longer sentences, tighten
the belt, spartan conditions, task forces, gang units, gun courts. And what is there
to show for it? Unemployent stays low because half the population oversees those
"out of the workforce", the dregs, the rabble, the enemy? Please tell me there is a
deeper reason. Do you feel safer? More humane? More like a cohesive society with a
shared sense of purpose, who can identify Us and Them? Do you live in a gated
community or gentrified neighborhood? By the way, have you read the Declaration of
Independence and US Constitution - or do you only know the first phrases?
It's about time we got together. Please know that I have yet to meet a convict who
wants their child to be a thief, an addict, a dealer, a prostitute, or a violent
individual. Most of us still have hope for ourselves even when stuck in the darkest
dilemmas, ruts and catch-22s. Most of us believe in crafting laws and instilling
order. Many of us have burrowed beneath the surface to find a spiritual sense of
being, an understanding force at least as powerful as those we succumbed to, and many
of use wouldn't escape if you opened the front door. Did you know that approximately
10 million Americans are either incarcerated, on probation, on parole or once were in
those categories? Each of those 10 million have families, friends, neighbors ... and
so closer and closer does the We interface with the You. Don't you think it's time we
talked?
Are you ready? Can you accept that the road we are travelling points toward a grim
and painful future? Do you have the heart to face monumental failures while bravely
struggling beyond where we are now? I know that some of you are, and that some of us
are, and this is what gives me hope. You need our insights just as we need your
structure. It is never over, especially when a real solution, a real treatment for
our sickness, is yet to begin.
In Solidarity,
Bruce Reilly (a.k.a Bruha)
P.O.Box 8274
Cranston, RI 02920 USA
P.S. - I am trying to conceptualize an effective guerilla media campaign to promote
this cause. Ideas are welcome. Collaboration is prayed.
configurations, your .signature file must be
world-readable, and your home directory world-executable, for
your signature to be included correctly in your articles. If
your .signature does not get included, try running these
commands:
chmod a+x $HOME
chmod a+r $HOME/.signature
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Subject: I'm on BitNet -- can I connect to the Usenet?
Many BitNet sites also have connections to other networks. Some
of these sites may be receiving Usenet with NNTP or by other
methods. IBM VM/CMS sites which only have a connection to BitNet
may still gain access to Usenet if they get a software package
called NetNews, which is available from Penn State University at
no charge. The PSU NetNews software allows sites to receive
Usenet news over BITNET. Talk to your local site administraters
to find out if your site has this software installed and how to
access it from your account. Also, contact your favorite BITNET
LISTSERV and get the list NETNWS-L. That list carries info on
the necessary procedures and software.
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Subject: What is a "flame"?
A "flame" usually refers to any message or article that contains
strong criticism, usually irrational or highly emotional. Avoid
"flames", and if you do get "flamed", relax, calm down and decide
if it's really worth "counter-flaming". Usually, it isn't worth
it -- a complete waste of bandwidth and time; it also gets you
perceived as a "flamer