Thoughts on the Governors

Governor Bob has had his whole life exposed during these past 5 weeks. We’ve learned his marriage was in disarray and his wife was a loud, abrasive, near psychotic who could have given Lady Macbeth a run for her money. We’ve also learned Bob was corrupt.

Now, the Gov.’s future, his freedom, rests with a jury. Hey Gov. – I’ve been there. The difference between you and me is I knew what I was doing was wrong; and, I “manned up,” admitted my wrongdoing and took the heat. I didn’t defend my actions on the back of my wife and our problems.

I had a bemused reaction the other day when I heard Mr. McDonnell say he wished he acted in a different manner, but all of us do things we regret. No kidding. As Governor, he could have applied that philosophy to thousands of men and women behind bars who deserve a “second chance” and who shouldn’t be doing time just for time’s sake.

But he didn’t. He supported the present criminal justice system that sends way too many to prison for way too long; it’s a system forged in retribution and vengeance that costs the commonwealth dearly in destroyed lives and communities.

A quote about liberals goes like this: “A liberal is a conservative who’s been arrested.” Governor Bob will soon learn his fate. Perhaps this will be Mr. McDonnell’s Damascus moment when he will find his real calling and his soul. That would be a better result than sending him to prison. I know from personal experience. 

And out new Gov. – Governor Terry? He’s presiding over a budget meltdown. He has the chance to do something extraordinary and change the money-sucking criminal justice/corrections operation in the state.

Like Moses to the Pharaoh, hey Gov., “let these people go.” Institute meaningful early release. Restructure sentencing. Fire your DOC head and his sycophant managers and bring in real reform-minded leadership. Re-establish a parole system that rewards good behavior.

What is happening is DOC has to find $43 million in immediate cuts. “Buy less office supplies” is the message to staff. Are you kidding me? Virginia’s prisons are too full, too expensive to run, and have too many non-violent offenders just “doing time.”

Come on Governor Terry. Be courageous; be bold; make real savings happen. 

The Senator's Son

A lot of attention was directed toward State Senator Creigh Deeds as Virginia’s new Governor – Terry McAuliffe – was sworn in. In less than one week, the outgoing Governor recognized Senator Deeds return to work during his farewell “State of the Commonwealth” address. Face it; Senator Deeds presents a compelling story. It is a story, unfortunately, that is widely ignored and swept under the proverbial rug except when violence erupts. Then – and only then – do we ask “why?” Why indeed.

            As everyone knows, shortly after Thanksgiving week a 911 call was placed by a neighbor of Senator Deeds. The Senator had been discovered staggered and bleeding as he walked along a rural roadway in Bath County. Deeds had been stabbed numerous times. Police went to the Senator’s house and during a guns-drawn search, found the body of Deed’s son, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

            Within a day the public learned that the Deeds’ son had suffered from serious mental illness. Interestingly, it has not been disclosed what this actual diagnosis was. A bright, quiet kid, his mental disorder led him to leave William and Mary College and – just days before his suicide – a failed attempt by his father (Senator Deeds) to have the young man hospitalized. For another few weeks (just like after the VA Tech massacre) Virginia’s mental health apparatus was on full display. The picture was not good.

            And now, with Senator Deeds healing from his physical wounds while grieving the death of his beloved son, the politicians gather again in Richmond to kick off yet another session of the General Assembly, and they say, “Something must be done about mental health.” Please, give me a break.

            His name is Gary. Of course, it could be Thomas or Tyrone or a dozen other names. Gary is thirty-five and suffers from schizophrenia. Each day, both morning and evening, Gary takes a combination of psychotropic medications. The pills dull his senses to the point that he sleeps upwards of twenty hours a day. It’s the only way DOC has found to turn off the voices in Gary’s head. That’s right; Gary hears voices, multiple voices. The pills work most times. But, there are other times, like last week …

            So Gary’s up three days straight. Even doped up with enough crap to stun a bull moose, he’s up twenty-four straight hours for three days. He’s fidgety. “What is it?” I ask, when a friend of Gary’s asks me to write up an emergency grievance to get him to medical. “It’s the voices,” the guy tells me. “They’re talking non-stop and telling him all kinds of crazy shit.” So I file the emergency grievance and I put in it, “psychotic breakdown,” words Medical knows Gary doesn’t know, and an hour later he’s called to medical. I see him a short while after that. “How’d it go?” I ask. “Ok. I’ll see the Psych tomorrow on video conference and he’ll adjust my pills.”

            That’s right; the psychiatrist isn’t actually on site. He handles multiple prisons via “video conference.” Five minutes on camera and a new script is written. More pills prescribed. It’s economics. You’ve got over one-third of the men here on psychotropic meds. That’s the extent of DOC’s psych treatments unless you’re unlucky enough to find yourself sent to Marion – that’s the state prison for the criminally insane.

            How bad do you have to be to end up in Marion? Try this: I’m at the receiving unit, also known as “hell,” and there’s a nineteen year old kid so wacked out that every night he’d scream “help me Jesus, they’re killing me!” He’d yell like that for hours until 4:00 a.m. when he would shout like a rooster “cock-a-doodle-doo.” And, paper, bars of soap, and profanity would be unleashed against the front of his cell. That young kid was shipped to Buckingham a level 3 prison. He was crazy, not criminally insane.

            Yeah, mental health should be a priority for the state. Almost half the Virginia DOC inmate population suffers from some mental disorder or illness. Here’s the irony: Tens of thousands of Virginians suffer from a mental disease or disorder and the state uses the criminal justice system to control them. Schizophrenic? Hear voices? That’s no excuse. You break the law, you go to prison. Then, all the prisons do for your mental condition is load you up with drugs. You need mental health services in the Commonwealth? Go to jail. At least you’ll get meds.

            I’m sick of politicians and private citizens wringing their hands every time a young Mister Deeds appears on the scene. Collectively, we don’t give a shit about mental health. It’s only after the poor, sick bastard acts out that we talk about it. You want to see how much Virginia cares about mental health? Come inside a prison during “pill call” and watch the hundreds of zombies stand in line for their hit of Prozac, or Thorazine, or Seroquel, or all three.

            There’s another young Mr. Deeds out there and Virginia’s only solution right now is to let him act out then watch him kill himself or send him to prison. That’s harsh, and vulgar, and way too accurate.

 

The Governor and The Gospel

The other night, Governor Bob McDonnell gave his final “State of the Commonwealth” address. At noon Saturday, with the swearing in of Terry McAuliffe, McDonnell’s term will end. McDonnell faces a challenging post-office future. The prospect of Federal indictment hangs over his head. His future in politics – what was once thought of as a lock for vice-presidential nomination and a senate seat – seems almost certainly destroyed. He leaves office quietly, wearing the strain and stain of scandal.

            And his remarks took on a sedate tone. He thanked members of the General Assembly – Republicans and Democrats – for working together. He spoke about his administration’s accomplishments without sounding pompous. And then he cited the Gospel of Matthew. The Governor talked about Matthew 25, and the poor, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners. And he said. “Virginians have done for the least of these among us.” I shook my head and smiled. Only in America, I thought, can we create a civil religion and ignore the real political action while citing the most radical, profound call Jesus made. We try and co-opt the Messiah and His message without giving a moment’s thought to the radical, life-altering words it contains.

            Years ago when I first started this blog I wrote an open letter the then newly-appointed Director of the Department of Corrections, Harold Clarke. It was in response to Clarke giving an interview suggesting his Christian faith dictated how he conducted himself as director. In that blog, I bluntly asked Clarke, “What kind of director of corrections would Jesus be?” I may be wrong, but somehow I don’t think Jesus would be involved in corrections, not in the way Virginia operates it. Jesus, you see, is about rebirth, and forgiveness, and sacrifice, and hope. None of those things are evident in Virginia’s prisons except in the hearts of those who believe, believe that there can be a resurrection to a failed life.

            But the Governor said “Virginians have done for the least …” Really? Governor McDonnell, have you seen the conditions in your state’s prisons and jails? How many Virginia children live below the poverty line? What is the status of mental health care in the state? What, Governor, would Jesus say about your administration?

            Here’s the thing – the Gospels of Jesus Christ are not for the faint of heart, nor should they be co-opted into some inane political sound bite. None of us can say we are living His message. His message – of radical love and service and forgiveness – is so consuming, we all fall short. Instead of telling each other how Christian we are, we should be like the tax collector in prayer, with head bowed saying “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Heaven, the Lord said, awaits that man.

            We believers are called to take the words of the Beatitudes to heart, to forgive “seven times seventy,” no matter what, to not worry or fret and know that the Lord is near, to give everything for God. That message is beyond anything the Governor or any of us could ever do. It is a message of hope and perfection, and woe to any politician who tries to claim it as his or her own.