The
New Year began with a vengeance. I can’t even remember the last time I
really got sick, but I spent the entire first weekend of the new year
sick as a dog; to the point where I didn’t even want to get out of my
bunk. I didn’t get anything done and I am so far behind on writing
letters to all those who have sent me cards and letters that I doubt I
will ever catch up. And so let me begin this update with my thanks to
all those that sent cards and letters as they truly mean so much.
In an earlier update I
asked for a few jokes ~ and I got a fair share, so many thanks for
those too. But I gotta tell you all, the best laugh I got as I read
through them was that I didn’t realize just how many really bad jokes
there are out there! (Big Smile!). Really, thanks for all the jokes as I
did get a few really good laughs. Surprisingly nobody sent me any
really dirty jokes, nor did I get any blonde jokes which is probably as
good thing as with my mom and sister coming for a visit next week, I
won’t be tempted to get myself in trouble by sharing a blonde joke or
two.
Having survived the
New Year’s weekend fighting my way through a cold like i’ve never had
before, we then went into the week counting down to Oscar Bolin’s
execution. It wasn’t easy being housed down here on death watch only a
few feet away as this act of deliberate murder unfolded and as most of
you know, on January 7th they did kill Oscar Bolin. But I would like to
think that he was at peace in the end and far more worried about how his
wife would cope than his own fate. He showed true dignity and strength
and I have to believe that he is now in a better place. But his wife,
family, and friends will continue to struggle with the loss, so please
keep them in your thoughts.
As an involuntary
witness to the events that transpired, it wasn’t easy as they proceeded
to carry out this act of deliberate murder with me housed in my own
solitary cell just a few feet away. At the same time, though, I have to
commend the prison staff as from the warden on down, they went out of
their way to keep Oscar comfortable and the stress and anxiety to a
minimum.
Much to my surprise,
on Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Secretary Dixon (second highest Dept of
Corrections official) personally came down to death watch, accompanied
by Warden Palmer, and spoke to Oscar (and briefly to me) and then a few
hours before the scheduled execution FDOC Secretary Julie Jones sat down
at Oscar’s cell front and talked with him too.
But for all the
efforts they put into sterilizing this execution process, I’m left
wondering whether it compromises the significance of their objective.
Has all of this become so routine to them, that they no longer
appreciate that they are methodically taking a human life?
They had Oscar
scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday (January 7th) and at precisely 4 p.m. they
removed him from his death watch cell and escorted him to the east side
of the wing, where they have a single cell used exclusively for housing
the condemned prisoner until the courts clear the way for the execution
to proceed. But when they took Oscar to that holding cell, they were
still waiting for the US Supreme Court to decide whether they would
allow Oscar’s claim of innocence to be heard. As a result, everything
remained on hold until shortly before 10 p.m.
Once the Supreme
Court finally gave the go-ahead, they moved quickly, taking Oscar from
the holding cell into the adjacent execution chamber only a few feet
behind the cell I remained in, and with practiced precision, they
quickly strapped him into the gurney and put him to death. Just that
quickly, it was over ~ and no court was willing to allow review of his
innocence claim before they killed him.
Execution chamber at Florida State Prison
For obvious reasons, I
didn’t get to sleep that night, but sometime in the early morning hours
I did fall asleep ~ only to be awaken a few hours later and told that I
had to immediately move from cell Three (the end cell) to cell One, the
cell that Oscar had only recently vacated a few hours earlier and I
really didn’t want to move into that cell so quickly, but it wasn’t like
I had a choice.
That Friday (January
8th) morning I has a legal visit and quickly threw my personal property
into a pillow case and got ready to walk the few steps up to cel one.
Before that legal visit, I was allowed a short social phone call with my
long time friend Jan Ariens (in England) and I can’t begin to say how
much it meant to hear a friendly voice just at that particular time.
See, here’s the thing
~ for all the perception of how well we are treated on death watch ~
and we are treated exceptionally well compared to “normal” prison life ~
the undeniable truth is that they treat us as they do to facilitate
this “process.” I appreciate being treated as they do, but I’m not in
denial ~ I know only too well that they have their own agenda and that
is to keep those facing imminent execution calm and avoid any problems
and so the bottom line is they don’t treat us this good without reason
and that reason is so that when the time comes to kill us, it won’t be a
confrontational process.
It is for that reason
having family and friends there to support you through this becomes so
important just like that Friday morning, the sound of a friend's voice
brought me that measure of comfort I so desperately needed and although
only allowed a few minutes, it brought an unexpected peace to my spirit.
After a long visit up
front with my lawyer’s investigator Lea ~ another friendly face in the
eye of the storm ~ by early afternoon I was on my way back to my death
watch cell and learned that within hours of executing Oscar Bolin,
Governor Scott had already signed yet another death warrant; this time
on Mark Asay, who everyone that knows him calls “Catfish.”
Again, it makes me
wonder whether they realize that they are methodically taking human
lives. Florida’s execution process has become nothing less than that of a
slaughterhouse, each step of the process intended to efficiently move
the line along. No sooner than one person is killed, they move the line
up and sign another warrant with the methodical efficiency of a
slaughterhouse ~ and with 23 executions in a row, you wonder if those
responsible for this process have forgotten they are taking human lives.
When we as a society become so indifferent to that fact that we are
killing people as if they are nothing more than meat delivered to
market, and we do so in such an efficient process, then what does that
say about the society we have become? Should taking any human life
really be this easy? And shouldn’t we all be troubled by the apathy?
And now I’m next,
moved up to the front of the line, with barely a month to go (as of this
writing) and each day brings me one step closer to that scheduled date
of February 11, 2016, when with that same measure of professional
indifference, they will proceed with this machinery of death to end my
own life. And like a head of livestock led to slaughter, I will be put
to death.
This coming week my
lawyers will file the appeal in the Florida Supreme Court seeking a stay
of execution and DNA testing of evidence substantiating my claim of
innocence. Additionally, we will file appeals challenging the summary
denial of my innocence claim in the Federal Court. All I can do is wait
and see if any court will even allow review. All these legal actions
will be posted at
www.southerninjustice.net
for anyone who wants to read them. And in closing, I again thank all of
you who have been there for me ~ you are my strength and I am truly
blessed - Mike
