Browsing: Prison Blog

In lieu of the imminent passage of Bill C-10, the crime bill with mandatory minimums for all drug offenses involving manufacture and distribution – which the Harper Conservatives are set to pass in the Canadian Parliament – it is reflective to consider how the US criminal justice system has gotten completely out of control with these mandatory minimum sentences.
Activism

Dearest Miss: This was such a good week! You were magnificent in capturing the zeitgeist of the current politics affecting Canadians. In the last two weeks alone you've been quoted in newspapers, appeared on TV in Vancouver, were interviewed on Toronto and Vancouver radio, did a London, England podcast and the Free Talk Live radio broadcast (talking about your upcoming appearance at the prestigious New Hampshire Liberty Forum on February 23-26), and confirmed a Sun TV news appearance for Monday, and a radio interview in your hometown Kamloops Thursday.

In my 20-plus months in prison for this 'legalization' offense (to quote DEA head Karen Tandy), I've received about 3,000 letters from supporters, 95% of whom I have never met, and responded to about 1,250 of them.

It's election time again in Canada, what with BC's municipal elections in two weeks, and the campaigns for the US primaries for President, Congress, state officers down to local sheriffs are underway. In Mississippi all candidates for every office assert they are pro-life but in favour of prohibition. Irony and contradiction abound.

Today is November 1, 980 days to go till my release on July 9, 2014. There are two possible hopeful scenarios that could shorten that wait. One is the petition to "Pardon Marc Emery" which appears at www.WhiteHouse.gov in the "We The People" section. On September 22, that petition initiative website was launched and any petition that obtained 5,000 signatures within 30 days was promised a response from the White House.

Dearest Jodie: That was a wonderful three day visit we just had, the only three day visitation weekend I'll have until Memorial Day next year, when you'll hopefully visit me again for the three day weekend. We took ten photographs today on Labor Day, and I'm hoping they turn out as well as we think they should. The next photo day is when you visit me on New Years Day, January 1st, 2012. By that day I'll be near the half-way mark of my sentence, and the downhill slide to my release day of July 9th, 2014 begins.

Since 1969, when hash-smoking Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau assured the nation that decriminalization was imminent, we've had a succession of promises without action from Canadian political leaders. After Trudeau reneged on his pledge and ignored the recommendations of his appointed LeDain Commission (which recommended legalization), Prime Minister Joe Clark in 1979 failed to do the same after he committed to decriminalization.

February 8-14: On January 6, Warden Booker told me I was to be reinstated to my job in the law/reading library. After three weeks of waiting and going to the library daily in any case, I saw on the call-out sheets (daily assignment sheet) in late January that I was assigned to pick up garbage on the compound in the afternoon and evening.

I am very pleased to report that I am in good shape, sleeping well, and very busy getting some good work done. Today, Tuesday June 1st, I received six letters from individuals, and about 25 or so from our amazing activist friend Chris Goodwin and supporters at Vapour Central in Toronto, where Chris is manager. Jodie sent me a bunch of photos, which I'm really happy to have! The guys here are impressed by pictures of me with Tommy Chong, ZZ Top, and Sean Paul.
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