Here is the Skeptic’s Dictionary article on Cayce

I had the exact same question as you about a week ago and Mike Barskey (who is running mail to jail) responded to me saying that my letter would be sent. Though if you do sign up with the mail-to-jail website you can review your past letters, etc.

// was lead to these religious books after reading the true story of Edgar Cayce, who could diagnose complex medical conditions of patients he had never met; having only their name and address – by going into a trance.//

How can I get Sam some books about critical thinking? Who do I send them to? He’s starting to loose it.

I got to the …letter has been created page.

That should be enough, right? No sign in?

Thank you.

I mentioned that I was considering writing a letter to the judge and was wondering if that was appropriate. He assured me that a public citizen, outraged at the turn of events has every right to write to a judge – barring the obvious (threats &c).

I gave him a copy of my letter to look over. He suggested two small changes (which I made) and then stated that this might in fact have some effect on a judge. He also suggested that I send a copies to the Keene Sentinel and the NH Judicial Conduct Committee in Newmarket.

It’s my best attempt at a solution to the problem; specifically, it politely tells why the judge would find it in his best interest to change his position.

I’ve decided not to send the letter. It’s here below if anyone is interested.

(It’s a business letter, which doesn’t paginate well on a web form.)

, NH
May 12, 2009

The Honorable Edward J. Burke,
Judge of the Keene District Court
P.O. Box 364
Keene, NH 03431-0364

Dear Judge Burke:

I would like to bring to your attention information related to the case of Sam Dodson.

As you are probably aware, Mr. Dodson has been held as “John Doe” in Cheshire County Department of Corrections for the past 4 weeks. Per your order, he will remain there indefinitely unless he consents to give his name and address. During this time Mr. Dodson has been on a hunger strike in order to gain sympathy and publicity for his cause. He has lost 20 lbs.

It is my understanding that the Department of Corrections knows his legal name and address.

It is difficult to predict the time it takes to die from starvation, but a reasonable estimate based on Mr. Dodson’s situation shows a 50% chance that he will die within the next week, rising to near certainty about 4 weeks from now.

What you probably do not know is that in the intervening weeks there has been a growing tide of sympathy for Mr. Dodson’s situation. Initially blog posts and opinion articles with an immature tone, these have matured into a full-fledged campaign of sympathy for the plight of what I believe to be an innocent man. To take one example, Mr. Dodson’s supporters recently sent a well-worded press release to over 500 (!) news organizations around the country. Blog posts and articles are now numerous on the web.

If Mr. Dodson should die in jail, every aspect of the case will be brought out for public inspection, including his original charges, your court orders, and the jail house conditions that led to his death.

I understand that people should show proper judicial respect, but Mr. Dodson’s case appears to be a point of pride with vanishingly small value.

I urge you to consider whether it would be better to concede the point, and in so doing let the matter slowly dissipate.

[NB - By my reading of the situation, all the action in Sam's case is now with superior (and NH supreme) court, so that a letter to Judge Burke would have no impact on the proceedings at this time.]

I’ve been locked up with many people that “get religious” once they’re locked up, thinking that God will get them out.

From Sam’s perspective, I too would read through the various bibles as a study in different philosophies. I read most of the testaments when I was a teenager. I’m a little curious how I would view those writings now that I look at organized religion as a control device. I’d also read the Koran just to have an internal debate between it and the bible.

In jail you read or workout or think or be lazy. I read Atlas Shrugged in 3 days while I was locked up. Fortunately for me I was locked up for enough time to re-read it so it really sunk in.

I look at Sam’s recent blog post as a way to think maybe we should be donating books to the prison library. We can’t force people to read, but they can choose what books they pick up.

I’m going to donate these two books to the Cheshire County Jail:

Adventures in Legal Land

The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America

I’m not sure if No Treason, The Constitution of No Authority is available in copy, but if I find it I’ll send that too.

Atlas Shrugged was my rehabilitation, at least the start of it. Sam’s conversations with other inmates inspire me to believe that we have a better opportunity to help rehabilitate prisoners than “the State” could ever hope to.

Those incarcerated will have to choose for themselves, but at least this way I feel like I am giving them more of a chance to change their own thought process about liberty.

Our only other option is to be there with them.