My Slave Narrative by Timothy J. Muise, Prisoner Rights Activist
Did you ever wish you were blind? How about deaf? Did the thought ever cross your mind that your senses might be out of control? On overload as they say? The repressive and counter-productive madness of the modern gulag has made me feel that way and I am almost ashamed to admit it.
I make no excuses for my incarceration. I lost my way in life and committed crimes. Punishment is a word that has many facets, but not as many as hopelessness; my world today is one of massive hopelessness. Do you want to ensure that a man or woman never rises above their past? If you do, then just be certain to permeate their world with deep hopelessness. This is what the jobs program that is the prison does.
My life was transformed by the teachings of strong men who were able to rise above the fray; to escape the abuse and nonsense of the modern gulag. The work to expose the abuses of the system tasted like hope in my mouth and my heart filled with the blood of the battle for real change. I was no longer a slave to the hopelessness, I was free in my activist mind to develop plans and concepts that may work to like free others. I began to live again.
The voice of the informed and educated prisoner is what has been missing from the push for commonsense criminal justice reform for far too long. The men and women behind the walls and fences know what works, and equally importantly what does not work. We see the application of new ideas with a vision of clarity. A viewpoint not offered from the State House or conference table. A battlefield looks different from a bleeding soul.
When asked today who I am I gladly report that I am a prisoner rights activist. The Activist can take on many roles; I work with Constitutional scholars, organizers, promoters, and thinkers. I like to view myself as an agitator: one who gets the enemy – the jailer – to show their true colors. My success has been measured by some and I am pleased with their reports.
Race means nothing to me, neither does geographic loyalty. If you bleed “oppression” you are a brother/sister. If you understand the need for forgiveness and the ability of the spirit to bring personal change then you are a kindred soul. We can stand shoulder to shoulder in this war against hypocrisy and abuse. We can enjoy victories in battles against tyranny and treason; those are what the failures of our “governments” really are. We are not slaves and will never tolerate such a moniker. We are restored beings with dignity and value. We are the voice of the new century. We are hope.
Timothy J. Muise is a prisoner rights activist, founder of CURE-ARM, member of the Emancipation Initiative’s Steering Committee, and operates an activism blog at:
betweenthebars.org/blogs/101/
He can be reached at:
Timothy J. Muise, W66927
MCI Norfolk
PO Box 43
Norfolk, MA
02056-0043
tim.muise.63@gmail.com