This Kingdom

I had visited a number of prisons in the DOC and could honestly say they were run like kingdoms. The wardens wielded ultimate authority over their individual facilities. Nothing was allowed to be accomplished in them without the warden’s approval. In my career I had worked for five different wardens, and visited with countless others. They all had their own way of managing, but they all acted like kings or queens of their kingdoms. They had the last say on any and all programming. Sometimes it was difficult when the warden was obviously not happy with what was being proposed by the school administration. However, the school administration still expected the teachers to carry out all policy and program changes to the letter regardless of what the warden or his staff wanted. It was what the bureaucrats in our states’ capital wanted. This continued conflict was stressful for the teachers.

My new neighbor had to find out the hard way. After removing his computers from the current administrations’ offices, warden included, they were not happy with him. His only leverage was the programming he was completing with inmates was sanctioned through community grants and had a reporting mechanism. If he was unable to fulfill what the grants required he would report it. His monthly reports would make their way back to the bureaucrats in our states’ capital, and anything unfavorable would be addressed. The king would not be happy getting calls from state capital bureaucrats so he would send out his assistants to fix it. Fixing it took on a whole different meaning depending on how much they feared you. If they feared you they fixed it in your favor. If they didn’t fear you, good luck. My new neighbor they feared. He had no problems with accomplishing what the grant’s objectives were. He got the kingdom’s full support . They reasoned: the faster he got completed, the sooner he would be out of the facility, and knowing he was gone, the better.

My neighbor was sharp. Before the program he was working on in this kingdom ended he had processed the paper work to begin another. They were never going to be rid of him, and he would be letting everyone know on how the kingdom was treating him. I found it to be entertaining. He was helping the inmates who were paroling to his county with housing, getting their credentials, and possibly work. Later in his career he would actually be running a landscape company using paroled inmates, tearing down blighted housing, and making furniture from the wood. I found him to be genuine. Our kingdom administrators didn’t care for his honesty. He was critical of the school and prison bureaucracy and would make disparaging comments on the amount of people our new education manager had working for her in our state’ s capital. She didn’t care for him and began making the Business Technology Instructors throughout the prison kingdoms duplicate what he was accomplishing in our kingdom. She eventually pushed him out with the creation of Employability Councilors who would be doing the same thing. It was her way of saying thank you, and goodbye, saving the kingdom from a truth seeking usurper. Unfortunately, still occurring today at a much greater consequence. To Be Continued ..

Psalm 139: 13-24

Putin’s army is now responsible for executing civilians. Satellite imagery has proven this to be the case even though they deny it as a western fabrication. The bodies have been found strewn through out the towns and villages. Some in mass graves, partially burned, and partially buried. The surviving civilians have reported this to be fact. Terrorist Putin’s army is beginning to use portable cremation units so as not to leave any evidence. If he cannot be stopped in the Ukraine, we will be fighting him in Europe.