Today is Flag Day and I see very few flags flying. When I was growing up, Flag Day was a big deal but as my grand-daughter stated, “it’s the 21st century and nobody cares!” How true it seems.
I’m second generation here and my immigrant grand-parents and my parents where so proud of this country and proud to fly our flag. These days it seems to take a tragedy like 9-11 to wake people up. I saw lots of flags flying then and no one took exception when you said “God Bless America.” Today people are all caught up in political correctness but from my point of view it’s more like political IN-correctness; and what does politics have to do with moral conduct, good manners, and common decency anyway?
As I drive through my community of Clairemont, I can count the number of flags I see on my one hand and I’m very saddened. It’s a beautiful day and I decide to take a drive over to Coronado to the Hotel Del, one of my favorite places in San Diego; for me going there is mental therapy. As I turn onto Orange Street (the main drag there) I am totally amazed. To my surprise there are flags, lots of flags, they line both sides of the street from one end to the other and isn’t that a beautiful sight.
It did my heart good to see them and to know that in this place, this hamlet, has not forgotten.
Today is my 64th birthday. How is it possible and where did the time go. In my mind it seems like just a few days ago my friend Marie and I were sitting on the front steps eating lemonade, there was only one flavor in those days and it wasn’t called Italian ice either. We’d sit there talking about the latest dance craze and then we would go down to her basement, play the radio and teach ourselves the new dances.
When I stop to think of all the technological changes that have occurred in my lifetime I am simply amazed. Things, that as a kid, was the stuff of science fiction are now part of our everyday existence. Microwaves, cell phones, IPhones, IPods, space stations, and what about the advances in medicine, did we ever imagine that we would see organ transplants; now is that just a page out of Frankenstine or what?
When I look in the mirror these days I honestly don’t know who that is looking back at me, surely it can’t be me. Not with those jowls and the dark circles under the eyes it couldn’t possibly be me. But it is. I sit and wonder what happened to the girl I once was, where did she go? Then again I’ve been luckier than a lot of other people, I’m still in pretty good health and I manage to keep busy and keep my mind from going sour.
I also look around me and see all the empty places that once held those who have passed. Gone are mom and dad, aunts and uncles, and fat to many friends. There are too few left who share the memories that I have; too few who can laugh away the hours reminiscing of childhood games and teenage folly. I cherish deeply those who remain with me now. Each passing day brings us closer to our own end of time; so we must live and love each day that we have, constantly moving forward dealing with whatever life hands us and making the best of it.
As for me on the 64th year of my birth I am grateful to God for loving parents who gave me so much I can never count it all. What they gave me is far more lasting than any material thing. The love, the laughter the family gathered around the dinner table every night and the chatter that was part of it all. The strength they showed in the face of adversity which taught me to never give up no matter how hard things get. The charity they showed others that taught me the real joy is in the giving. To never let go of the child in you, it’s what keeps you young at heart. The laughter and taking pleasure in the simple things in life; a drive in the country on a beautiful day, the summer picnics and doing belly flops on the sled down the hill after the first big snow storm. This and so much more remains in my heart and will forever more.
On this day of all days I am happy to be here and I guess after all I do know where the time has gone. If I were asked what wish I would make today, my wish for myself is to be around to celebrate another birthday. What I wish for everyone is peace, love, laughter and many, many happy memories to share with even one person who remembers you when.
Have you ever thought that sometimes the real criminals are not all incarcerated? Well this blog is for any of you who have ever entertained that thought and for those of us have more than a passing acquaintance with the prison system in this country. More than that, anyone who has had the misfortune to have encountered MCI and its monopoly on the telephones in the California prison system and in other prisons across the country.
How this company has slipped through the cracks and managed to stay a step ahead of the law boggles the mind. Perhaps its because not enough people are filing complaints with the FCC and their state senators and representatives or maybe it’s as simple as too many palms are being greased to look the other way. In any case for those of you who haven’t a clue as to what I’m referring to allow me to enlighten you.
Sadly many of us have a family member incarcerated in a California correctional facility or a facility in some other state. My particular experience is in California. We have all heard on the news about the over-crowded situation in the prisons but for those of us who have a loved one inside the situation is made worse by the fact that often these men and women are sent to a facility far from their home area making it almost impossible for them to receive family visits. Aside from letter writing the only other form of communication with family and friends is by telephone. To this end MCI has placed an even bigger burden on these families than is already in place.
Irregardless of what crime these people may have committed, being able to speak with family and friends is an important and often critical means of connecting with family. Many of the inmates are very young people and many are from extremely low-income families and some are possibly illiterate and can’t write, so being able to phone home may be the only means of communicating.
Most of the long distance carriers have converted over to flat rate long distance or VOIP (voice over internet protocol) even for those folks who don’t have this capability most all carriers have one flat rate or extremely low rates for long distance calls. Of course there is always the option of the ever ready and available calling cards at very low rates. So why then is MCI, who has captured and I don’t say that loosely, most of the telephone operations in these prisons charging outrageous fees for these calls?
Inmates are permitted to make collect calls from designated pay phones in within these facilities. As a rule collect calls are more costly than a direct call but with MCI monopolizing these phones they have set unreasonable fees. Basically it’s about $3.95 connection fee and $.89 cents a minute thereafter. However it gets better, here is how it works. You are first asked to establish an account with MCI by depositing a set amount of money, let’s say $100.00. This deposit is then deducted from your first bill; it’s a sort of good faith fee, that much I get. This account then allows you to receive a set number of calls in any month (let’s say six) and the length of calls in limited to about ten minutes. Once the set number of calls have been placed your phone number is then blocked from receiving any further calls until the first day of the next month. Also, if your bill remains unpaid the phone number remains blocked. For those who already have MCI as the long distance carrier it works about the same with the exception of having to make the initial deposit. In this case MCI determines how many calls you can receive based on your payment history with them. The same rules apply and the phone number can be blocked at any time they see fit.
If this isn’t bad enough, MCI eats up your minutes by playing a recorded message every few minutes during your conversation with an inmate. This message tells you that you have received a telephone call from an inmate at a correctional facility, as if you didn’t already know this. The purpose of this recording is anybody’s guess for certain the MCI representative couldn’t explain it and in fact didn’t seem to know much about it at all.
So there you have it. Life is hard enough these days and certainly for the many families who are suffering a member who has been sent to prison it gets even harder. It is, in my opinion, immoral and unconscionable that a large company like MCI or any company should be permitted, under the auspicious of the law, to place and even bigger burden on these families by monopolizing the prison phones and charging unnecessary and outrageous fees for their use. As one person put it. “Prison is an industry” and certainly it is.
From the standpoint of the prison system I guess they consider it a privilege for inmates to be able to make telephone calls at all and that maybe so, but from the standpoint of many of these families it may be the only lifeline available to them.
Imagine how hard it must be for anyone of moderate means who simply can’t afford these fees to not be able to speak with a loved one or even for a friend reaching out to another friend for support.
Now I know that some of you out there must be thinking that if they did the crime then tough they deserve it. However not all of the men and women incarcerated are hardened criminals and in fact many, even most, are young people who have made bad choices whether through drug abuse or due to getting involved with the wrong people and have ended up in prison. A system that, for the most part, is warehousing these people with very little rehabilitation in place; but that’s another story. Whatever the why and wherefore the issue remains that having been given the opportunity to be able to make telephone calls why should the cost of these calls be so excessive?
What can be done about it? I’m not certain if things can ever change because it is such big business, but I do know that there has to be a better way. We can start by encouraging every person who has someone incarcerated in a prison and has experienced this situation whether it be through MCI, Correctional Billing or any other company to file a complaint with the FCC (Federal Communications) and with your senators and congressmen; even begin by contacting your local representatives. Do whatever you can. Get a petition going and forward it along with your complaints. Maybe if enough people speak out a change will be made. Remember the old adage, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” well let’s put it to the test.
So there you have it, the answer to your question is not all criminals are in prison, most of them are operating about a minute behind the law and getting away with it at the publics expense.
To everyone reading this blog, thank you; and to all the many families out there who are experiencing this problem my heart goes out to you and yours. Why and how a loved one ends up in prison, well the reasons are as wide and as deep as the ocean but once inside why should the situation be even more of a burden on those waiting to hear or just waiting. Remember even E.T. wanted to “phone home.”