Taylor was asked to write something for a news letter- here it is…

 Nietzsche once said “the purpose of criminal law is to punish the enemies of those in power”. The black community has long complained of  ‘unequal justice’, the Muslim community after 9/11 endured abuses under the guise of ‘guilty by association’ (watch the movie The Report for reference) and now J6ers are feeling both ‘unequal justice’ and ‘guilt by association’ with the overwhelming weight of the federal government bearing down on us.  

In all that is suffered and endured, we must not loose ourselves, if we do, all this pain and turmoil will be for nothing. Victor Frankl wrote about prisoners in concentration camps who walked the huts giving comfort and sometimes their last piece of bread as proof “that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”.  Dostoesvki said “There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.” 

As we J6ers bear the weight of the Department of Justice, DC Gulog, and the bureau of prisons, burdens of incarceration and our families who must carry on without us, let us CHOOSE! May we be worthy of the burdens we bare, find meaning and purpose to show by example how to bare these burdens and the challenges we face with grace. I have heard more than one guard say the J6 pod is “the best pod of all”. Blessings to those who endured the early days to improve conditions for all to come. 

Nietzshe also said “our crime against criminals lies in the fact we treat them like rascals”.  My hope and personal purpose is to prove those in power wrong, to never let them take my choice to live a “good life” from me, no matter where current life plants me. May we blossom where we are planted. 

Taylor

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The power to choose is a gift. I had a realization the other day, that some of my internal sorrow was produced by feeling like I too was a prisoner. When you experience something along with someone, it’s easy to live through them. In some way I think it helps us feel connected to that person There is fear that a person fights, that that connection could be lost or changed if you aren’t feeling everything that a loved one is feeling…How does this serve me or either of us? Well, frankly, it doesn’t. The connection has to be made in some other productive way, in a way that I consciously choose. This is such an experiment…who knows what the ‘morrow will bring

I think there’s also a level of guilt. It’s almost hard to enjoy anything, because you know that the person you love most is in such a terrible situation or place. What is  remedy to that?

This last Sunday went to a friend’s home to make ginger bread houses and go see the Christmas lights downtown at the marina in Kingston. It was beautiful, they do such a good job with the lights, and it felt good to be out with such sweet friends. While there I got a call from Taylor. It was a really sad call. He is fighting loneliness and trying to figure out purpose. There’s a lot of time to think in a jail cell and not much to distract from painful or bitter thoughts. Out here we have so many distractions when we want to disconnect from something painful…not in jail. Thoughts can haunt and pester and all that is desperately wanted is to shut up that inner voice, it can be so menacing. 

Maybe it’s not that we can shut up or quiet the inner voice (because it just keeps talking) but maybe it’s that we don’t give it any power…

Marie