20 Oct 04

Convict Cannon Fodder

Dear George W. Bush,

I have pondered conscription, and I have an idea that may help.

Perhaps you should consider the millions of men in America's prisons and jails. If you do so you may find cunning men, plenty with prior weapons experience, and some who relish the prospect of killing.

I hope that the following conversation between some of my neighbours helps demonstrate my point.

With great respect,
Your dawg,
Jon


Diego, Manny, Scooby, and a new arrival, a young Chicano with an affinity for the expression "Know what I mean?" kept me up late last night with this conversation.

“They’z gonna reintroduce da draft, ese,” Scooby said.
“I’d go, ese,” Diego said.
“I’d fuckin’ go as well, ese,” Manny said.
“I’d love to go. I’d be free. Know what I mean?"
“Fuck da draft. I’m an anarchist! 'Specially after readin’ deese philosophy books, ese,” Scooby said.
“I wanna drive a tank, ese,” Diego said.
“I’d go just so I can shoot my own people and escape, ese,” Manny said.
“I ain’t riskin’ gettin’ killed so these politician vatos can make money for their homies runnin’ the military and oil companies,” Scooby said.
“But we’d be freed. Know what I mean? Maybe they wouldn’t send us to the Middle East, ese. Know what I mean? Maybe we’d get to kill those Korean vatos before dey nuke us. Know what I mean?"
“Yeah, lets bomb dose bastards!” Manny said.
“Nah, day aint got nukes, ese. Day did a few shitty missile tests and day even fucked dem up, homey. Dose Korean vatos are still using weapons manufactured in the seventies. Days broke-arse muthafuckas, dats wot day is,” Diego said in a slow emphatic tone.
“It be sayin’ dat dey wanna nuke us on mi radio, ese.”
“Yup, day be sayin’ dat on mi radio as well. Day are sayin’ dat because our government and the military vatos want to keep military bases in dat area so they can spy on the Chinese and Russian vatos, ese,” Diego said.
“He’s been listening to Coast to Coast. He thinks dat he’s George fuckin’ Noory,” Scooby said.
“I do. I listen to Coast to Coast every night on mi radio, ese,” Diego said.
“You know a lot o' shit though, ese,” Scooby said.
“That’s because I wuz studyin’ this shit on the streets, ese, unlike you who wuz robbin’ Circle Ks,” Diego said.
“Fuck you, ese! I wuz studyin’ too, homey,” Scooby said.
“I listen to all kinds o' shit on mi radio, ese. Know what I mean?"
“Yeah, on mi radio, when he said that, ‘We attacked Iraq because they attacked us,' and that gobacho Kerry den said, ‘Nah, Osama bin Laden attacked us,’ Bush got pissed off, ese,” Scooby said.
“Yeah, Kerry got the better of Bush in dat debate, ese,” Diego said.
“I think dat Kerry’s gonna win, ese. Know what I mean?"
“It don’t matter who wins, ese. According to my Plato book, the strong homies are always gonna shit on the weak homies, ese,” Scooby said.
“Yeah, Kerry’s a military vato all the way,” Diego said.
“Nothin’s gunna change, ese. People just think that it is. It’s all a big chess game to those fools, ese. Anyway, I’m gunna get back to readin’ my Machiavelli book, ese. Orale!” Scooby said.
Orale!” they jointly replied.

Note from Jon’s parents: We heard on Thursday 4th November, via an email from Jon’s Aunt that he has been moved from SMU2 to Buckeye prison. The address is below. Mail sent to his previous address will be forwarded.
Thanks again, we know your correspondence keeps him going.
He can now have hard back books.

Shaun Attwood ADC 187160
ASPC-Lewis
Morey Unit 2-D-22
P.O. Box 3300, Buckeye, AZ 85326, USA

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:57 AM

    Hilarious blog, Jon, best yet!
    Jayne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:11 AM

    Thanks for letting me know about the move. I hope Shaun is OK and I am in the process of writing a letter to him. I really enjoy his writing and I hope you two are also keeping well during a worrying and trying time for you.

    Best Regards
    Ian Cook

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:10 AM

    I just read the latest blog and here's my comment... What can I say? That was extremely intruiging and amusing and I feel as though I have had an insight into some characters, a society, and a political system, all at the same time - there are few situations in which the interaction between these three can be observed. Keep up the good work. Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  4. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing
    Edmund Burke

    FYI - This is another reminder that it is important to attend the Arizona Sentencing Reform Mobilization Event

    More Women Are In U.S. Prisons Than Ever

    Number Of Women Inmates Tops 100,000 For First Time
    POSTED: 6:15 pm EST November 7, 2004
    UPDATED: 7:05 pm EST November 7, 2004
    WASHINGTON -- The number of women in U.S. prisons is at an all-time high.
    >
    There are still far more men than women in state and federal prisons, but the government says more and more women are ending up behind bars.

    The number of women prisoners topped 100,000 last year for the first time.That compares to more than 1.3 million imprisoned men. And women are being imprisoned at a rate nearly twice that of men.
    Marc Mauer, of the Sentencing Project, said longer sentences, especially for drug crimes, and fewer prisoners granted parole or probation are the main reasons for the growing U.S. prison population.
    >
    >The Sentencing Project is a Washington-based group that advocates alternatives to long prison terms for many kinds of crimes.

    Arizona Sentencing Reform Mobilization Event:

    Saturday, November 13th
    From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
    At the ASU Downtown Center
    Bldg. A, in Rooms A225-228.
    502 East Monroe Street, Phoenix, AZ

    PLEASE RSVP for the Event to 1.520.623.9141or email
    mailto:cisaacs@afsc.org cisaacs@afsc.org
    >
    Carill Ina Nicoll
    AzCEG Executive Director
    Arizona Coalition for Effective Government
    VM - 602.234.9004
    mailto:azceg@cox.net azceg@cox.net - www.azceg.org

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:53 AM

    I dont know if you knew or not but Joe (Hitler) Arpaio won again. I have never once voted but this year I did hoping to help get rid of the b******! the only thing we can now hope for is that he leaves us soon. He is 72!
    BH

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous2:31 PM

    Keep it up, Jon. Remember how many other Brits have been through prison and come out better men on the other side – Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Aitken, even Jeffrey Archer! Surely you could write a better book than him…

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous2:41 PM

    Well I just admire your courage.Keep your chin up and your chest out.One day you will enjoy the freedom to live life on your own terms.I will keep track of your experience and be thinking of you.I'm from Dublin Ireland.
    Des

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous12:08 PM

    Jon's writing is funny, perceptive and suffused with humanity. I enjoy reading it immensely though very sad for his confinement.
    Ian

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:52 AM

    You cannot be serious about wanting the release of criminals so they can have the honor of fighting for our great country?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:06 AM

    ...to the previous blogger concerned about the release of prisoners to fight US honourable wars, I'm sure Jon is writing 'tongue in cheek'...

    ReplyDelete