At the time, he was in solitary confinement for 21 days after breaking an unwritten rule about prison phone use. During one of his brief phone calls to his wife Jodie, she recorded a message from him to his supporters that would be released via podcast. Well, apparently people are not allowed to record phone calls made from prisoners... and yet, phone calls can be recorded by the media. Isn't a podcast classified as media? Or at least social media?Not to mention, solitary confinment for 21 days seems a little excessive as a punishment! Phone privileges, fine. (Which were also suspended for 51 days.) But seriously... solitary should be reserved for murderers, rapists and child molesters. Not an extradited Canadian seed seller whose wife simply recorded a short message (which was never even released to the public).
Okay.... I'm getting on a bit of a pissed off rant here, so I'll finally get to the point of this post...
While Marc was in solitary, the only thing he could fill his days with at that time was reading mail. There was a big push for people to take the time to write a letter. So I did. I wrote a really long letter that took him on a walk through my neighbourhood. I figured that since he was stuck in that dark cell, subjected to no outside contact except the non-stop screams and yelling from the other inmates locked in their own solitary quarters, maybe I could try to take him away from that terrible place for just a little while. So starting with our apartment, I took him down the stairs, out the door and down along Brandt's Creek Linear Park. (Or what I call, "the duck path".)
I took the time to describe every detail, stories, and passing thoughts as if he were there with me. I figure that if you're going to take someone on a tour without pictures, you better add a little colour.
Anyhow, today I was pleased as punch to see that Marc had taken the time to write me a three page response. It sounds like he enjoyed my letter. :)
Here is what he wrote:
10:00 P.M. Saturday, July 17, 2010
Dear Melodie,
I admired you advocacy of my release in the first part of your letter and would encourage you to keep at it. I'll be submitting my Canadian transfer application immediately after I get sentenced on September 10, 2010. So at that point the Canadian government will officially have my transfer on the desk of the Minister of Public Safety. Once parliament resumes from its summer recess in September, my application will show up on Vic Toews and that's when you should write letters, emails and phone calls urging that he accept my transfer application. Indeed!
(*Melodie side note: More info on how to contact Vic Toews here.)
As to your delightful travelling idyll through your neighbourhood, that was wonderful. I bet "it's stinkin' hot on that 4th floor" now as you read this!
Strange how your ravaged garden was juxtaposed with the Free Marc protest. (* I was telling him about how the news story on our trashed garden came right before a segment on the Free Marc rally downtown... which I was totally unaware of.) Once my transfer application is officially in and parliament resumes, I would greatly appreciate a "Bring Emery Home" rally outside of the federal building in Kelowna! Hopefully all the vegetables will be harvested from the community garden without further vandalism. I would walk 5 miles to have some asparagus or broccoli now - we never get fresh vegetables here.
You are fortunate to have so many bird species to observe in your lovely meadows walk along the river. I'm not sure I've seen a purple martin. (*Actually, me either. I recently learned that what I've been calling a purple martin all this time is actually a brewer's blackbird. Ha. ;) Swallows consume huge amounts of insects to power their relentless swift flights. The swooping and diving and wild movements are all about consuming insects. They have incredible vision for insects.
When I get out, Jodie and I will come to Kelowna and we can walk that wonderful nature walk with you. (*Oh no! I think I build Brandt's Creek Path up into something far more impressive than it actually is! Of course, I've seen it almost ever day for the last 5 years. Maybe I've just come to take it's beauty for granted...) It would make a great narrative if you decided to videotape that walk; sort of like Kelowna's own David Attenborough (or Melanie Attenborough of sorts).
I really enjoyed the virtual reality tour of your neighbourhood. I haven't seen a bird, a bee, a Starbucks, a tasty treat, chocolate pastry, a Subway, a Blendz, a baby duck, a German bakery, geese, a waterfall, a cedar waxwing, a calico coy, a robin, a chocolate covered banana, a London Fog... this year...
(*In the margin beside this paragraph, he drew an arrow and wrote: Loved the trip even on paper! Next time for real!)
Believe me, being out of solitary after 21 grueling days is a relief. I stay very busy! I have subscriptions to 3 daily papers, 9 magazine subscriptions, I have some excellent books to read (Currently reading Hitch-22, a memoir by Christopher Hitchesn, Mr. Natural Comic by Robert Crumb, The Armageddon Factor about the Christian fundamentalist takeover of the Canadian gov't.) I do 3 hours of email on Corrlines the prison email system. So from the time I get up at 5:45 a.m. to when I close my books at 2:00 a.m. I sleep from 2:00 a.m. - 5:45 a.m. On weekdays a bit more from 6:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. ~ We are locked down at those times.
I get my phone privileges back next Saturday after 51 days of no phone use (21 days in solitary and 30 days suspended use once released.) Jodie and I's 4th wedding anniversary is next weekend, on the day my phone use is restored.
Jodie visits me twice on weekends; it's 11:00 p.m. now Saturday night and I see her at 8:00 a.m. in the morning in just 9 hours! I'm always so excited. We get to kiss for 30 seconds at the beginning and the end, and for the 2 hours we can hold hands and stare into each other's eyes and we talk, talk, talk!
That's one of the good things about this place, it's not too difficult for Jodie to get here to visit me; and the visits are so nourishing to me. Time goes quickly for me here when I am bathed in her love, whether in her visits, her emails, our 10 minute daily phone calls (I get 300 minutes a month maximum once my phone privileges are restored ~ 10 minutes a day.) ~ She keeps me motivated. And I do keep busy. I write 6 - 8 letters a day also!
The food here isn't good by any standard of the outside world, but I eat everything I get. I'm working hard and I get hungry.
Thank you for caring Mel. Write me again, won't you!?
Peace and Justice in our time,
Marc Emery
P.S. Hope that oil well stays capped!
No comments:
Post a Comment