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WORKING TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE LIVING
CONDITIONS FOR DEATH ROW IN FLORIDA
NEWSLETTER, MAY 2003
Britta´s Poetry Corner
Friendship is like a rainbow between two hearts! Anon Tripe
Hello friends,
This little quote describes so much and maybe our newsletter could be like a small rainbow...This time I would like to share a poem from a wonderful friend of mine. Please share your thoughts with us. Lets see the rainbow together !
Visit Poem – Author unknown
I empty my pockets and take off my shoes
then I enter the world of visiting rules
My dress can't be short nor my blouse cut too low
the time will move fast while the guards will move slow
I can't kiss him too long or hold him too tight
hands shall stay on the table clearly in sight
At the end of our visit five minutes--good-bye
I tell him I love him vow not to cry
I may take nothing in, I must take nothing out
though there's one thing I leave they know nothing about
No search can reveal that each time we part
he keeps some of my soul and all of my hear
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Where do I go from here – by J.M.D.
What happens to a person when he loses everything, tries to make a comeback but the bells refuse the ring ?
I can´t even get started the right way down the road,
everytime I turn the corner they pile on a bigger load.
Where do I go from here, please tell me, where do I go from here ?
People don´t like to listen to a person´s sad sad tale,
say hey buddy I’ve got my own troubles why don´t you go to hell.
I really can´t blame them these are pretty tough times in life, they tell me they got three kids of their own and a not so happy wife.
Where do I go from here, please tell me, where do I go from here ?
I don´t mean to be complaining, but it’s been such a long sad time,
I can´t even get turned around I’m still on my downhill climb
I ain’t got no one else to blame except me, myself, and I.
But I just can´t make it work out no matter how damn hard I try.
Where do I go from here, please tell me, where do I go from here ?
Did you ever feel so lonely you just didn´t care anymore,
didn´t care if you kept on living or dropped dead on the floor ?
Well I´ve been that way now for a little over seventeen years,
can´t hold on much longer now, tell me where do I go from here ?
Where do I go from here, please tell me, where do I go from here ?
Where the hell do I go from here?
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Joachim´s Art Corner
As I wrote in the last Art Corner, today we meet the wonderful Mrs. Jane Morris, the wife of William Morris, a co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Jane Morris was Rossetti´s lover for many years, although he erects a memorial to his dead wife Elisabeth Siddal with "Beata Beatrix".
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The subject is from Dante Alighieri´s "Divina Comedia", Canto V of the "Purgatorio". Pia de´ Tolomei was the wife of Nello da Pannocchieschi. In 1295 Pia was incarcerated because Nello thought, Pia would be unfaithful to him. But others said, he wanted to marry another women, and so his reproach was just a trick. In Dante’s "Divina Comedia" Pia was killed by her husband. In other stories she was deliberated. However, here we see her toying with her wedding ring, beneath the breviary are old love letters. We don´t know if her eyes are the staring into the past or into the future? She is very pensive. And – in my opinion – she’s finding her self-esteem and she knows, that her spirit is immortal.
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Dante Gabriel Rossetti La Pia de´ Tolomei (1868 – 1880 ?)
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One day a small opening appeared on a cocoon, a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly, he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. .
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. we could never fly.
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I asked for strength.........
And I was given Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And I was given Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity........
And I was given Brain and Brawn to work. I asked for Courage.........
And I was given Danger to overcome
I asked for Love.........
And I was given Troubled people to help. I asked for Favors.........
And I was given Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted...
I received everything I needed...
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Hannah and Lynne’s Spiritual Corner
Within each of us, is a spark of Light, which connects us to our Creator. This “corner”, is not about religion or conversion. It is about each of us...our humanity... how we each at times, lose our direction and personal power, and how we may find them again. Our purpose for this segment is to encourage empowerment, discernment, hope, Oneness and the integration of spirituality into daily life, regardless of the name by which we call the One in the darkest nights of our souls. We welcome both comments and suggestions.
The Primary Sources of Islam”...
(R. McCoy, FSP)
The two key elements of Islam supporting and interlocking, are firmly and unequivocally located in one book and one life. The Holy Qu’ran is the single divine Book of the Muslims and the life is that of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Sunna of the Holy Prophet is his behavior, practice and values forming examples every Muslim should follow. Together they form the Shariah. (Islamic Law) the path for all Muslims. The prophets own position is central to Islam. The fundamental Islamic declaration of faith rests in belief in Allah and acceptance of Muhammad as the Prophet. Together the two, a book and a life with the Qu'ran in our right hand and the Sunna in our left, define and inspire the Muslim affecting his life from birth to death. They are the primary sources of Islam. `They provide us with a good idea of how a Muslim ought to conduct him or her self be called a Muslim. The idea aims at paradise in the next world and satisfaction, if not success in this one. This gives the Muslim away of looking at the world and living in it. Islam has much to give to the twentieth century. Perhaps not in terms of politics, but on another level traditional rural and tribal life reflect continuity and stability in contrast to Islamic politics. Islam did not engender the modern world, but it may yet of all the faiths turn out to be the one most adapted to it. .We must be able to draw from Islam its core values of peace, truth, knowledge and brotherhood so that they serve humanity. Islam is a dynamic force in Muslim society, checking growth in certain directions, encouraging it in others. Unlike those societies which have regulated religion to the place of worship only Islam will continue pervade all aspects of life in Muslim societies. Islam carries a message of peace, of universalism. Of brotherhood of the unity of human beings. This is contained in the Qu’ran: “There shall be no compulsion in religion“. The biggest problem that faces the Muslims are, not all Muslims heed the Qu’ran and the Sunna of the holy Prophet. One need only look no further than the condition of the Muslim people in the Middle East to see the fall of. The general tone of the Qu’ran is somber and meditative. It is a dialogue between Allah and humanity. At the core is a moral earnestness, it is not an academic thesis, it needs no structure, no order, no introduction and conclusion. It is a vibrant out pouring of divine messages, of powerful bursts reflecting different moods. The Qu’ran warns, advises and exhorts in flashes. It’s impulses, arriving like claps of thunder cover he entire gamut of life. It’s language it eloquent, it’s imagery awesome, it’s scope is human kind and no less. Man and woman are
given the highest man and women are given the highest possible status than of vicegerent of Allah on earth. Allah has one hundred attributes of which ninety-nine attributes we find in the Holy Qu´ran. Here are a few: Truth, forgiver, justice, mercy, compassion, provider, avenger, peace, pardoner, gracious, protector, all-forgiving, all-goodness, the light, loving, patient, wise, etc…..(To be continued in June)
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Earth Based Blessings!
The month of May brings upon us the season of Beltane or May Day. This day occurs halfway between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. It is said the veil between the two worlds-life and death is as thin as it is between October 31 and November 1. This heralds the beginnings of summer and honors Life or passage into the growing season, hence fertility. Our earth needs the sun because we yearn for renewal of summer and growth. The May Pole Dance is an event in celebrations and it encourages the return of fertility to our earth with our energy. On a spiritual level the unifying force of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine brings forth the third consciousness and on a physical plane it is the union of the Earth and the Sun.
Below is an excerpt about the Green Man (a nature spirit):We do not only look at his leaves and blades of grass: we hear them singing and speaking to us; we touch and smell and taste his vegetation and his fruits. When an affection for a particular plant or tree is aroused in us we are linked through an emotional bond, more subtle and immediate than the effect of a scent, to the greater world of vegetation of which the plant or tree is a part. It is a deep, wise world, one to which we can only respond because we possess it in our own natures and in the instinctive symbolism of the soul; in the tree of life that forms the spinal column, in the roots of our feet and legs, in the branches of our arms, and in the flowering and fruiting of our thoughts and feelings in the crown of the head.
In Light and Peace, Carie "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light,
not our darkness
that most frightens us.
"We ask ourselves,
who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
"There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people will not feel insecure around you.
We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not in just some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."
- Nelson Mandela
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Fun Stuff
PART II of
You're Probably a Redneck if...
by Jeff Foxworthy
- The diploma hanging in your den contains the words "Trucking Institute."
- Your mother keeps a spit cup on the ironing board.
- You've ever worn a tube top to a wedding.
- Your favorite Christmas present was a painting on black velvet.
- You think that Dom Perignon is a mafia leader.
- The most commonly heard phrase at your family reunion is "What the hell are you looking at, Shithead?"
- You think that beef jerky and Moon Pies are two of the major food groups.
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You think that Campho-Phenique is a miracle drug.
- The first words out of your mouth every time you see friends are "Howdy!" "HEY!" or "How Y'all Doin?" (If they respond with the same... they're a redneck too!)
- You have more than two brothers named Bubba or Junior.
- Your father encourages you to quit school because Larry has an opening on the lube rack.
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You think a Volvo is part of a woman's anatomy.
- You think that the Styrofoam cooler is the greatest invention of all time.
- You've been too drunk to fish.
- You had to remove a toothpick for wedding pictures.
- You've ever used a weed eater indoors.
- You have a rag for a gas cap (on a car that does run.)
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You look upon a family reunion as a chance to meet 'Ms. Right.'
- You have to go outside to get something out of the fridge.
- Your richest relative invites you over to his new home to help him remove the wheels and skirt.
- You've ever financed a tattoo.
- Your idea of a 7 course meal is a bucket of KFC and a six pack.
- You go to a Tupperware party for a haircut.
- You have spray painted your girlfriend's name on an overpass.
- Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
Caroline’s List of FDRAG Services, Information and Resources Legal Magazines/Newsletters
As some of you may be aware, the Florida Prisoners’ Legal Aid Organization publishes a small, bi-monthly magazine called Florida Legal Perspective. The cost is $9 for a one year subscription. Copies may be obtained from:
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Florida Prison Legal Perspectives,
P.O. Box 660-387,
Chuluota Florida 32766
(A public division of Florida Prisoners' Legal Aid Org,. inc),
fax (407)- 568-0200,
email:
fplp@aol.com
Website. www.fplao.org
Legal In USA Newsletter
A small team of British women currently put together a monthly publication called Legal In USA. This is a free newsletter that is now circulated in over 48 States and contains articles on justice, legal rulings and the abolition of the death penalty. At the moment, all their distribution is carried out by a network of volunteers. Several FDRAG members already regularly receive the Legal In USA newsletter. We have a team of volunteers within our group who can mail a copy directly to you each month. To arrange this, please write to our FDRAG Box number at the bottom of this page and we will set up delivery for you as soon as possible. When writing in, please include your cell location – this is solely for the purpose of distribution being aware of the even circulation of the newsletter.
New Information Package
Topics covered in the pack include Welcome with contacts, unwritten rules about visiting, copy of visitation form, copy of visitation rules, direction to the facility & lodging info, how to send money to your loved one + more, rules about books and magazines etc., Mail rules, Innocence projects, Appeal process, useful links and much more. To get the package contact Jolanda, mentioned below.
For convenience and easy shipping, two of our members have also put the info package onto floppy disk and CD-Rom which can be obtained free of charge (although donations of stamps are always welcome) and sent directly to family members. Simply send your request details to either Lynne Baldwin (for disk version) or Jolanda Arends (CD Rom version), c/o FDRAG, 137 N Walnut St Box 10, Starke, FL 32091.
Other Bits and Pieces
In last month’s edition of the newsletter we printed a list of projects across the US that supply books free of charge to inmates. Due to space limitation within the newsletter it won’t be possible to reprint those address details each edition. However, if you are interested in applying to these projects, FDRAG has produced a print-off sheet with the contact details for you to refer to. You can obtain a copy by writing to us at the FDRAG address at the bottom of the page. Please enclose a SAE or postage if possible.
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