No choice

Bernadette made a wonderful point in her comment yesterday: Perhaps the difference between prison and meditation simply comes down to volition. Meditation is a voluntary – a choice – whereas prison is the absence of all choice.

In retrospect, I should probably not have been so flip in throwing around such a potent word as “prison”. Most of us take our freedom for granted. Within certain bounds imposed by economics and practicality, we go where we want, when we want, and we don’t give much thought to this precious freedom.

But of course freedom can be taken away. Reasons vary, from medical to political, but in many ways the result is the same. Does anyone have any direct experience with this? Is there somebody you know, someone close to you, who has had their freedom, their very control over their own life and destiny, taken away?

2 thoughts on “No choice”

  1. My brother was very recently (about two weeks ago) sentenced to three concurrent seven year terms for some relatively minor drug offenses. I think he has some paraphernalia and passed a joint to someone in the presence of an undercover officer.

    I know that he violated the ‘law’, but his prison term is a little extreme for something so innocuous. Now he will sit and meditate for a couple of years, surrounded by more violent offenders in an over crowded facility. Though they have reasonable mental health programs at the department of corrections, I somehow doubt he will come out of this for the better.

    The upshot is the every single individual in my extended family now realize the ridiculousness nature of drug sentencing laws in this country. Also, maybe, just maybe, he will get some much needed help for mental health professionals.

    Maybe I will send him some books to read. Ho Hum.

  2. There are very alarming things going on in Austria at the moment: 10 animal protection activists (some of them are my friends) are currently in detention, without any concrete accusation against them.

    May 21st, 23 flats and houses were stormed by special units of the Austrian police, phones and computers were confiscated, no phone calls were allowed. All data of several animal rights organizations was taken, their work was brought to a standstill.

    Ten people are imprisoned, although there is no concrete accusation against them. ยง 278a StGB has been used in order to hold the people on remand, wherein detainees are assumed to be members of a criminal organisation (aka “the mafia-article”).

    In the examinations, the activists were told it would help them if they said things against the other prisoners and against animal protectionists. Detainees were not allowed to wash, one was neither allowed to shower for a whole week nor change his clothes. A non-smoker was confined to the same cell as a chain smoker. Prisoners were moved to separate prisons without informing defence lawyers (suspicion of complicity). Seven prisoners went on hunger strike, and DDr. Martin Balluch still refuses food (and is force-fed). On June 7th, detention was prolonged for another 2 months.

    More and more people are supporting the activists, politicians and human rights organizations amongst them.

    Please help, sign the petition!!
    http://vgt.at/actionalert/repression/petition/index_en.php

    Read more here:
    http://vgt.at/actionalert/repression/zusammenfassung/index_en.php
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/05/animalwelfare.austria

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