McAlester OK State Prision; and Big MAC OK

Oh once again I had a remarkable reception and great time in Choctaw Nation! This time with the Pittsburgh Co. Child Abuse Task Force hosting a conference for those who work with children and adults all over the place, in the darkest of times, that hardest of situations and seeing the worst of the worst as they advocate for the children attempting to keep them from harm. OR as they remove them from harms way....
Where I spoke was also a stone's throw from the State Prison that has today made the news across our Nation! I had several conversations while in "Big Mac" about that prison; maximum security, where the death penalty is carried out, where to escape those 4 sided sharp razor steel coils that appear as barbed wire would take some doing.  

Where I spoke to some awesome folks was also the place that an intertribal Pow Wow was held the very next day. Oh my goodness... was I blessed, but interestingly once again I heard about the prison!

 An ominous place, with the cell blocks in the background, the armed guards in the towers, the baddest of the bad inside. Yes, it may look like barbed wire... but it is much more than that and I'm certain that inmates know just how sharp what it is really is.

 In talking about this prison, a friend let me know that she has a woman friend who has worked there as a guard since the 70's.  The cell blocks have little window holes just enough that perhaps prisoners can see outside or light can get inside. That prison is known by just about everyone I met on this trip. Some had relations that had served time there, or at the minimum security prison in Steigler. 

Imagine my surprise when the news today featured the very same prison that I laid eyes upon and talked about; the inmate that died after execution that seemed to be "botched" by the new cocktail used. 

Clayton Lockett, 38, was declared unconscious 10 minutes after the first of the state's new three-drug lethal injection combination was administered. Three minutes later, though, he began breathing heavily, writhing, clenching his teeth and straining to lift his head off the pillow.

The blinds were eventually lowered to prevent those in the viewing gallery from watching what was happening in the death chamber, and the state's top prison official eventually called a halt to the proceedings. Lockett died of a heart attack a short time later, the Department of Corrections said.  It seems that drug makers who oppose execution have found a way to stop selling to correctional facilities or loop holes that have now made it harder for both the inmate dying and the ones bearing witness to it.
"Tuesday was the first time Oklahoma used the drug midazolam as the first element in its execution drug combination. Other states have used it before; Florida administers 500 milligrams of midazolam as part of its three-drug combination. Oklahoma used 100 milligrams."

Lockett was a four time felon, a man who shot  19-year-old Stephanie Neiman with a sawed-off shotgun and watched as two accomplices buried her alive in rural Kay County in 1999 after Neiman and a friend arrived at a home the men were robbing.  He has been waiting on death row a long time it seems to me, as do most who are placed there.

In McAlester there is another prisoner who was to face execution yesterday but it has been postponed as a result of the drug combo difficulty.  An inmate named Warner had been scheduled to be put to death two hours later in the same room and on the same gurney. The 46-year-old was convicted of raping and killing his roommate's 11-month-old daughter in 1997. 

Interestingly, Lockett and Warner had sued the state for refusing to disclose details about the execution drugs, including where Oklahoma obtained them... later the high court dismissed their case and their stay.

So as I reflect upon my time in McAlester OK, or as it is lovingly known as Big Mac or MacTown... I was also quite shocked to read about the very prison I set my own eyes upon just a couple days ago and the happenings there.  To think the felons involved are on death row for heinous crimes against children; one 17; one just a baby made me sick in my heart.  I can only imagine how those I spoke to at the conference feel.

WE must stop violence against our most precious resources; our children. 

 

After attending the Pow Wow and seeing the children there dance, seeing the tenderness shown by Mothers/Fathers/Elders/Community; I truly believe that ALL children should be exposed to dance as an outlet of creativity, of oneness with spirit, of the Universal Connection to Creator and to community.

Much to think about; whether you are opposed to the death penalty or for it, or neutral in your stance. It is just ironic that today's news would let us know of the same place I heard so many stories of just 48 hours ago along with the crimes of those involved.  

The question of the day?

Whatever has happened to swift justice? Sitting with three hots and a cot all those years at tax payer's expenses, working out, enjoying television, playing cards, getting "buff" while a 17 year old was shot and buried alive, and a baby was abused and killed leaving families behind to mourn with a community.

Just a question, perhaps it is rhetorical.

Have a most joyous week:

Thank YOU all in McAlester OK for your hospitality and treating me as family, I look forward to returning.

Walk in beauty,

DRSES

Words/Sights/SoundsThank

Baby Gator

of

Lake Tarpon

Sure is good to see the sun

after the Thunder Beings

and

cleansing rains of last evening!

Just a thought:

Sometimes even the most powerful of words

seem lost in the pictures and

actions of others don't they?

I think of some of the great photos I've been able to capture and enjoy sharing here

and

of the sights AND people watching that I so enjoy...

AND

it reminds me that even as much as I love words

their power

and intention behind them

often

it is so true

"a picture is worth a thousand words"

and

I can't help but be reminded

that sometimes

our daily movements

are misinterpreted by others

as we move into our days

depending on what we have on our minds

at the time.

Those movements

can be seen as

"flighty", "angry", "giddy", sassy"

or just plain out

"silly"

but oh for the love of words

even if at times they may

wound

they may be found to be

powerful and sharp like a knife

or harsh

they also can carry profound healing

and messages of love and wonderment

just a photograph

that takes your breath away

or

makes you think

"oh my"

like that baby

gator,

just knowing

if there is a baby gator

just laying there

in the canal's edge

there must be a big ole Mama Gator

somewhere nearby!

OH MY GOODNESS!

"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning." Maya Angelou

So then,beauty

is all around us

whether the swimming ones, the winged ones

the four leggeds

and

two leggeds

and

if we approach it and all in the circle with

great respect, tenderness and

admiration

we can all just get along real fine!

The music is there for you

but

you must find your own steps

for the dance

and be willing

to risk the steps involved

and

with that said

this day

enough said!

Enjoy this day,

embrace it

dance on friends

and notice

that words are powerful

as are actions

as

are the photos of your minds' eye

Enjoy!  Something to chew on today!

After months and months of planning... it's time to board that big plane and head back to the great state of OKLAHOMA! I am honored to be speaking to the Pittsburg Co. Child Abuse Task Force and hundreds of Professionals that put in some hard work with those that need them most in McAlester Oklahoma! McAlester is in Choctaw Nation and I am honored. Yakoke! Our children have some strong advocates there, who are seeing and doing remarkable work.  Not everyone can do what they are doing.... I hope to remind them of that. WE MUST STOP ABUSE!

*thanks for the continued vibes, prayers and thoughts... I'm upright, and oh boy does that feel better, still improving!*  Take best care of YOU out there!

Walk In Beauty,

DRSES

HAPPY EASTER

Blessings to all

today

as families friends gather

both near and far

and

children

find

that

that Easter Bunny

has been there

leaving a basket of goodies

and wonder

the sounds now will be heard on the winds

all around.

Although I have heard that the news that cold weather is still holding on to some places in our country and even that stuff known as

Snow is making the Egg Hunt a bit of a challenge for some!

I guess the ole Bunny will not be deterred

and

families will still gather

to celebrate

to see the sunrise over the mountains, the waters, and to stretch into a day of wonderment,

and

to sit around tables

while sharing time honored traditions. Others may be starting new traditions, doing things differently.

"Easter is not a time for groping through dusty, musty tomes or tombs to disprove spontaneous generation or even to prove life eternal. It is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising, to revel in the faith which transports us out of ourselves and the dead past into the vast and inviting unknown."

 ~Author unknown, as quoted in the Lewiston Tribune

So whether you are coloring eggs, throwin' the ham in the oven; deviling those great eggs or getting your Easter bonnet out to get all dressed for a day of rejoicing on the mountain or by the seaside,

or reflecting upon the New Beginnings of Spring

and thanking the Creator or Goddess of and for your many blessings in your life

May your day be richly blessed

no matter your thoughts, your beliefs

or your faith

today.

From my home to yours

Happy Spring

with heartfelt wishes to you and yours

today

and always.

Today

may you celebrate your traditions

your cultures

and remember those no longer with you

by saying their names

and recalling times gone by.

May you know that miracles are all around you, you are living proof of that. 

May you rejoice in knowing

there is

NO distance;

hearts once joined in love and connection

cannot be separated

unless by your choosing

they stay connected

through time

with each beat of the heart.

Today we also celebrate life,

we celebrate spring

the New Beginnings and the moment

this moment

right here

right now

by the choices we make

and

those we have in our lives

and the way

we choose to love them

and

honor them

by our actions

our treatment of them

each moment

and

with each breath we take

and

each conscious action we make.

Life is for the living

Live well

Laugh so much your face hurts

Eat every flavor of pie you can find

and

start the exercise program on Tuesday

when you share with your friends at home

the new discoveries you made during the

Easter visit

and

all the new quirks of families and friends

you discovered.

If you go to church

remember to not go to sleep

and

if you saw the sunrise

at the sunrise services

you  attended

wasn't it just amazing?

He/she just went and did it again

for us...

Brought that sun up just for YOU

and oh boy what a sight to behold it is.

and

remember

you can never ever ever have enough

Love, laughter, good friends

good times, music

or

suga!

Just so you know:

The name Easter derived from the Saxon Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). The ancient Saxons in Northern Europe worshiped the Goddess Oestre at the time of the Spring Equinox. The Goddess Easter represents the sunrise, spring-time and fertility, the renewal of life. The name Easter derived from the Saxon Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). The ancient Saxons in Northern Europe worshiped the Goddess Oestre at the time of the Spring Equinox. The Goddess Easter represents the sunrise, spring-time and fertility, the renewal of life.



Pagan Anglo-Saxons made offerings of colored eggs to her at the Vernal Equinox. They placed them at graves especially, probably as a charm of rebirth. (Egyptians and Greeks were also known to place eggs at grave-sites). Just a little history to start your holiday today...












For those who are out and on the roads traveling this weekend- remember there are many out there as well, be safe, buckle up and keep those doors locked! Sing songs and play games while you travel, take breaks and enjoy each stop along the way! It's holiday time, avoid the stress by knowing GAS PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS, SO SET YOURSELF FREE ON THAT ONE!


To those who have served and are serving this great Nation, I thank you and your families.




We BELIEVE IN YOU.


WE THANK YOU. WE WANT YOU HOME SAFELY.


We are together in prayer, in thoughts of all that is needed to remind you we are WARRIORS... gentle warriors of kindness and compassion even during times of stress.


May you find comfort in knowing we are with you always:


AND for that I give thanks, and so it is!
FOR: OUR Ancestors; where would we be without them.

For those who have asked, the blog and I will continue on... just a hiccup the last month or so have kept us "off the grid" so to speak!
Thanks for checking back often, you are cherished.