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Don
has aided the freedom movement since he helped founded it way back in
1969 when he organized the draft card burning at the Young Americans
for Freedom convention which is known as the start of the libertarian
movement. He is known for being an activist, petitioner, theorist,
songwriter, humorist, organizer of events and a networker to the pagan,
green and legalization communities.
He is quoted or described
in at least 4 books including Brian Doherty's book Radicals for
Capitalism and his autobiography was published. While he is in prison
for conspiracy to sell MDMA and hemp he would love to hear from you. He
has no access to a computer.
Don is a man of varied interests,
talents, needs and interesting stories. Here's what you can do to help
our old imprisoned friend, writer, theorist, organizer, fund raiser and
humorist. You do not have to do all that's here.
1. Don would
love to know what is happening in the world. Developments in the Paul
campaign, the drug war, the war in Iraq and other issues. No need to
write long letters but these would be gladly appreciated and answered.
Just download interesting stuff from the web and send it to him. He
will comment on your writings if you like. He would like zines,
clippings and humor as well. Soft cover books may also be sent. Write
first for instructions about hard covers
2. If you do not want
to write then send your submissions to his e-mail
addressfreedonnow@yahoo.com. and others mayl mail it to me - or he will
respond when he gets out of prison in 2008
3. Read his stuff on
the net. Don has written for Liberty, Reason's Hit and Run and numerous
blogs. He would like comments and copies of his work sent to him so he
can edit and add to them and show them to other inmates. Send
people to this web page http://geocities.com/freedomnow
4. Don
would like to know what is happening in the movement as well since we
are now experiencing exponential growth due to the Paul campaign. Any
comments about what changes are happening now in the movement and in
the world would be appreciated so that Don can hit the ground running
and help immediately when he gets out.
5. After getting out of
prison in 2008 he will require help in finding work and a place to
live. He is willing to move to just about anywhere in the US. He has
taken a Microsoft Office course and would like to help in fund raising
and organizing for some libertarian organization at some point. He has
had experience in fund raising and sales. Don is not sure whether he
may have to live in a halfway house or exactly when he may get out. Don
cannot work in any commission only jobs. To know more about him read
his autobiography or write him. It was printed in Liberty magazine
called Present at the Creation in June 2004.
6.
He is not just interested in libertarian politics but is also
interested in goings on in other movements such as the Green Party, the
anti-war movement, taxpayer organizing and the possibility of a
conservative third party attempt in 2008. In 2002 and 2004 he organized
booths at Green Party conventions and would like to know that this
tradition will be continued.
7. He has also spiritual
interests and writings as well and would love correspondence on this
subject especially the convergences of spirituality, social change, art
and technology. Do read his stuff on this and send replies and anything
that you find interesting on these subjects. Don is a pagan and
involved with the Unitarian Church and is happy to conduct
correspondence with anyone of any or no religious affiliation. He is
especially interested in well written novels that reflect ideas
spiritual or political
8. Don is also interested in how
libertarianism influences or pervades relationships. While Don is not
involved in such right now he is writing a novel and is looking for
anecdotes.
9. He has been to and spoken at many Rainbow
Gatherings, Burning Man, various Pagan events, New Age, hemp rallies,
psychedelic conferences and other similar events. He hopes that there
are others in the movement who do the same and would love to hear
reports and correspondence about these phenomena as well. We should
look at these folks as not just an area to recruit from but as brothers
and sisters to work with and for in their struggles against oppression.
10. Don would like help in research since he cannot Google. He
would also like help in editing and transcribing his writings and
creating a website. He also needs comments for hisdevelopilng writing
career.
11. He would be willing to call you if you were to send
him your phone number and best time to call. Just remember that all
correspondence and phone calls are monitored. He cannot receive phone
calls and that phone calls are very expensive for him at 23 cents a
minute. Since he earns less than 20 dollars a month this is a lot
12.
So if you would like phone calls or would like to aid Don in helping
him buy vitamins, granola, toiletries, stamps, envelopes etc do send
money in the following ways.
A. Call Don's friend Balthazar Spreng in Philadelphia at 215-222-6323 and ask about my pay site on Yahoo or
B.
send a money order (only) to my commissary account at the Bureau of
Prisons address below. Please put my name and inmate number on the
money order.
Donald Meinshausen IN 08496-050
Bureau of Prisons Des Moines 50947-0001
You can write me personally at:
Donald Meinshausen
(Inmate #) 08496-050 FCI Ft Dix
PO Box 2000
Ft Dix, NJ 08640
Don
would like to thank all of those who have written to him in prison and
helped him and looks forward to hearing from you. See also: Cognitive Dissident (PDF) |
Many
people here comment that it's like Ground Hog Day here-every day is the
same. Maybe that is why we have ground hogs here and feed them. Why do
inmates feed the ground hogs? While in prison you always want to be
friendly with the guy who is making the tunnel. You dig? Some people
are always indulging in escapist fantasies and it usually involves
something cute and fuzzy. This underground culture brings out the
beast.
I saw one guy who had been feeding ground hogs for a
long time and had gotten one so tame that he was able to persuade it to
eat out of his hand and to sit on his lap. I asked him how much a table
dance was. I later found out that he was in prison for smuggling women
from Russia into the USA and so it all made sense (Seriously). Being
cute and furry allowing yourself to be petted will get you far, as many
women have found out.
It is illegal to feed ground hogs here.
Ground hogs might bite you and biting inmates is a prerogative reserved
solely to the corrections officers (COs). Still the existence of the
ground hog and his shadow is somehow proof that one day the winter of
prison will be over and the spring of freedom is not far away.
We
also have seagulls here. Since we are right next to McGuire Air Force
base we believe that they stop here on the way to learn bombing
practice. Perhaps the inmates feed the seagulls in order to train them
to find targets of opportunity like the warden's car. This is unlikely
since seagulls are gray and white similar to the unifoTIns of the CO's.
I think that the seagulls are fed in order to determine whether the
prison food is edible. Corrections officers (COs) are also similar to
seagulls in that they also eat the prison food even though they have
more options and therefore know better. But COs continue to return here
every day even though an intelligent prisoner would never return. There
is also the idea that since COs are like seagulls that by feeding the
seagulls one can also make the COs tame in a form of sympathetic magic.
But all they do is hover over us and squawk and grab our food. So
rather the seagulls become like COs and shit even more on us.
Inmates
here also feed squirrels. Squirrels are also like COs in that they
gather and guard nuts and jump out at us from trees expecting something
from us inmates. All these animals know how to get through the fence
but you think after all we feed them that they would help us? There is
no way an inmate can get a break here. We're surrounded and get it from
all sides. It's like a zoo here and the four legged animals here just
make it more so.
There are even inmates who feed feral cats.
It seems natural since the first place an inmate wants to go to when he
gets out of here is a cat house that is fur away from here. We share
our fish with cats. Inmates here eat a lot of fish since when we open a
package of fish we can remember what a woman smells like. The cats have
a right to be here and no one would take them away since they have a
claws in their contract. The cats know they have it better than us
inmates; no waiting in line, an occasional pat on the head and no
service with a snarl. Maybe it would be nice to be treated like an
animal. Occasionally the cats will fight the ground hogs but I know
enough to stay out of gang violence in the prison yard. We break it up
before the COs come and tell the cats to hide their claws. The animals
know enough not to talk which is more than some inmates know. And they
say that animals are dumb.
It is said that vultures come to
the yard. I doubt it since lawyers are confined to the visiting room.
If! don't see you tomorrow -may I wish you a Happy Ground Hog's Day.
And if! don't see you the day after that may I wish you a Happy Ground
Hog's Day
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