[Sam wrote me a letter and asked that I transcribe it and share it with everyone who wrote him a letter in jail. The words in square-brackets below are my input, not Sam’s. – Mike Barskey]
Mike,
I can’t thank you enough for running Mail-to-Jail. The letters and postcards mean so much. You should have seen the look on the guards’ face the second day I got the bulk of the letters. I’m letting the other prisoners read some of them. They are amazed that letters are coming from everywhere. Around New Hampshire, Florida, California, Israel, the UK, and even Tasmania, Australia. The post cards that come in with the inspirational saying give me hope.
The words of encouragement and support give me strength and purpose in a place where hope is all but lost. The guards are constantly lying and deceiving me, hoping to break my spirit. That’s what this is all about. They hope to break me like Mr. Covey broke Frederick Douglass into submission.
I’m doing okay. The other prisoners are taking great care of me. Plus I have lots of meals to trade! : )
I’m a little weak from the hunger strike. I am drinking milk with a light sprinkle of Carnation Instant Breakfast. Another prisoner gave me some multi-vitamins. That has really helped.
I don’t know where this will end but the effects are already far reaching. One of the other prisoners is considering joining my hunger strike. They are ignoring my requests to use the law library, and the other prisoners wrote a request on my behalf. They are shocked at what’s happening.
I’ll keep my spirits up, and my focus on freedom. Let’s tell people what’s going on, so one day people can be treated with dignity, respect, and basic human rights.
[signed: SamIAm]
Mike, can you transpose and email back to folks that have/do write? Return address to my name, not the one on the envelope; they are not sending my outgoing mail out, but are letting me receive it. [The letter that Sam wrote me had the return address of another prisoner at the jail.]
