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Families cost a Paradise Lost

2004-07-12 - a crucial time

I'm ruined. I watched a documentary last night at the suggestion of my brother Rory. He said it was an extraordinary story, and all I knew of it was that it involved some Metallica head kids and a triple murder, but I didn't realize the kids would be sent to Prison for life and/or death row. I was crying at the end, probably 8 years after the rest of the country had seen it, but I knew I had to call Rory and tell him the news today.

"This is Rory."

"We have to get those kids out of there, they're innocent."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do. There's no evidence! You can tell! I'm very sad and they're gonna need help."

"Yeah, and what's going on with your other friend in Prison? Maybe you should pick one, and work on that."

"I'm serious, don't you remember the movie?"

"You know, it was a while ago, I don't remember all the specifics. Maybe they are innocent. But you kill me."

Listen, if it were you in there I'd do the same thing for you. What, do you think I should just stay home and do nothing?"

"No, no, Ohell, of course not, I always knew you had a conspiracy theorist inside of you."

"Just don't tell (our brother) Zap, he'll have a field day with me."

"Trust me."

"I know you think I'm kooky."

"Think?"

I let Rory go pretty soon, he said he was sorry, he was just in a bad mood. He called later to apologize and told me to go for it.

I posted awhile back about the lurking feeling that I was going to be unable to stop, once I saw all the innocents that were sent away. Granted, most of them are guilty. But really, some of them aren't. Welcome to America, was I thrilled to find out they made a sequel to the first film about this case, yes I most certainly was. After seeing the first movie, scores of people were moved to action, which prompted the second film.

It was never my intention to scour institutions for inmates who were unjustly served, it wasn't. But while a movie tends to be inanimate on the shelf, apparently this one came alive once it ended up in my VCR yesterday.

Well looking into the case, I saw we have a lot of people who support these three guys and have been for years. I say we, because at some point last night, I silently auctioned myself into the group of supportive active individuals on the outside. The three boys are all alive, and well past their boyhood at this point. One is still on death row. He got married not that long ago, and she is a massive force in helping to ensure his release, if you were wondering.

It's not that I feel guilty because I'm free and they aren't, it's that I would feel inanimate in the worst kind of way, now that I know, had I decided to do nothing. I feel the same way about my high school friend who is locked up, and anyone else who crosses my path and that thing in my chest called my heart. Except my cousin, I know he's guilty. While I don't think he deserved such a heavy sentence, smuggling drugs on a plane after serving time for arson is just a candy coated dare for the court to can you once and for all.

On a not much lighter note, my (prisoner in training) brother Rob emailed Rory today (but they call each other the Sheik) to tell him,

"I have a great idea for a reality show.

It's called, 'Is He A Tweaker Or Is He A Genius?' Hurry Sheik, before I die."

I didn't like that little bit at all, funny as he may be in tweakerville. I was just thinking today about how no one can call him, no one even knows where he is, we only know that he has access to a computer for some strange reason, he says he's working, and Jesus, those people who hired him back a fourth time have to be out of their minds. I said to Rory why does our family have to be nonstop comic tragedy?

Rory emailed him back, 'the crazy thing is, buddy, you're one of the sane ones. Like our mother always said, "hey, when you're ready," and I think you may be.'

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