{"article":{"id":25487,"heading":"Letter from a prisoner","author":"me","created":"2003-01-09 23:53:30","modified":"2013-11-10 23:48:03","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 06:48:03","article":"

Jon Doe,

Thank-you so much for all the wonderful mail! Your motivation that is quite apparent behind all the mail I get from you is so flattering. Honestly, I’m filled with so much hope & faith with each piece of mail I receive from you. All your stories, frustrations, plights, and your energy overall just makes me smile. I think yours might be the most energetic mail I receive, or at least there’s a good possibility of it being so.

When I receive your mail along with all the other wonderful mail I receive each day at mail call I often wish I could respond right away. I’ve learned rather quickly that that’s not completely realistic unfortunately. Especially as of lately, within the past month or so I seem to get about 10-20 pieces of mail each week. All this mail certainly has made this time a lot more enjoyable but I just never know where to start responding. Well, I’m having a lot of fun trying, at least.

I felt really bad after reading in one of your letters that you look forward to us meeting and sharing the letters. On inspection day and really every day your locker and your whole cell is supposed to be a certain way in accordance with the rules of this institution. Your only supposed to have so many books, magazines, paper work, mail, clothes, etc. So, I usually end up going through the mail that I’ve already responded to every few weeks or so and throwing most, if not all of it out. I figure I’ll do it before they do incase there’s a few that I’d really like to keep – well, I guess that philosophy goes without saying. I think if I had it my way though I’d save it all. I feel like I’ve created some terrible sin every time I throw a piece of mail away because of how much joy is brought with every piece of mail I receive in here.

Oh, and thanks so much for posting a few of my letters on the Spirit of Freedom website. I know it inspired at least one person to write me – so, it was a success! 

And just to set the record straight and to hopefully introduce myself a little better to you as an individual – I’m not interested in a democracy either. I’m not exactly sure why or where I was going with mentioning that this country is clearly a plutocracy rather then a democratic-republic as it states it is. Although, I’m not for any governing body, democratic or communist, one, because under any governed body the people will always be oppressed and as more of a general point there is clearly no need for any governing body. I’m assuming I brought up a plutocracy from following the current events so attentively as I do in here, I guess because I have time to. It seems if there was any doubt this is a plutocracy – now with Bush steering the wheel there should be no question as to what this country really represents. Speaking of current events and staying in tune with it all – I really think one of the main reasons I’m able to be in touch with it all is due to being able to catch the Pacifica radio station that comes out of N.Y.C. I’m almost positive there is a Pacifica radio station out of L.A. as well – do you ever check out the different shows they have on. The only thing I wish they’d talk of more or had a show about is environmental struggles and earth & animal liberation. The closest show I’ve found is on Wednesday afternoons called “Walden Pond”, it’s not exactly what I’m looking for though. --- Oh well, with all the different radical publications I receive I don’t feel too out of touch from what’s going on in any struggle really – earth, animal, human – which are all intertwined anyhow. Oh, speaking of receiving many different radical publications – I already subscribe to EF! Journal and Slingshot. But I handed them to this guy who’s telling me he wants to read more about those taking part in various forms of resistance, so, it certainly wasn’t a waste. I also gave him Derrick Jensen’s book “The Culture of Make Believe” after I finished reading it. I see him at least once every two days and we’ll always have these wonderful discussions of what part of the book he just finished or is currently reading. He might be the best company I’ve found here so far . Oh, now that I’m thinking of him – he seems to be under the impression that there is not many radical thought books out there in Spanish, since he’s Chicano and his English is not that great I think Spanish would be his preference. I told him a lot of radical thought type books are translated into many different languages. So, I was wondering if you could help me help him out with some Spanish reading material – it seems that some of his main interests are anarchism, indigenous struggles, anti-consumerism type stuff, oh, and I see him reading Karl Marx from time to time so, stuff like that. If you could help out that would be great! I’m going to ask a few others for help as well, so, all the weight doesn’t fall on your shoulders! 

That CrimethInc paper you sent with the Slingshot and EF! Journal was really impressive. I read it a few times! I thought it was well put together and even quite reachable for the people of the mainstream which is always good.

I also enjoyed the fliers you sent in a separate mailing, anything by Derrick Jensen I tend to really enjoy but John Zerzan I have, well, a slightly different opinion.

(Any news on that guy who was arrested by the FBI for an anarchist website that he allegedly put together – I think he was from the Long Beach area?)

You asked what I enjoy reading most and if I enjoy reading much anti-civ stuff. Well, I’ve really enjoyed all the stuff you’ve sent me so far and try to keep an open mind with everything I read. I just love to read and learn, always very interested in gathering knowledge or looking to provoke some thought with what I read. I guess what I enjoy reading most though is news on the progress of any one particular struggle, especially indigenous, earth and animal struggles. For longer reads I enjoy reading philosophical writers, literacy greats who go against the grain, like Leo Tolstoy and Mark Twain did, and other types of thought provoking friction (ex. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Tom Robbins). I also enjoy reading history especially points in history which are being repeated now to better under stand the present situation possibly.

Speaking of reading – I read in the paper that story on the tree-sit there in the LA area that you were telling me about in one of your many letters  - what I remembered most about reading the article is how completely mainstream it all seemed but yet how motivated and sincere the guy seemed. Do you have any more information on the tree-sit? Is it even still going on? I agree, that is so cool that the mothers were bringing him food – it seems like he was appealing to the community which is wonderful.

I liked your idea about being in solidarity with Winona Ryder during her court proceedings – has she gotten in touch with y’all yet? I think she needs massive court support and massive support protests in front of the court house on her court dates! 

Actually, I haven’t seen anything on her in a little while – what’s new with her court case?

Rest assure, I got your latest package with The Defiant zine and the Overground publication\/catalog – thanks for everything!

Yours truly,

Petey!*

Packages, letters and Spanish language radical literature for Peter’s friend can be sent to:

Peter Schnell #99476-111

Federal Correction Institution

P.O. Box 1000

Otisville, NY. 10963

<\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"Hello,\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s another letter from Peter Schnell. He\u2019s supposed to be released to a half-way house this spring!\r\nAlso, a friend of Peters is interested in Spanish language anarchist and other radical literature. See below:\r\n","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/01\/25487.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}