“There’s glory for you!”“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory’,” Alice said.Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant, ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!'”“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
We are all brothers, and we are all suffering the same fate. The same smoke floats over all our heads. Help one another. It is the only way to survive.
Listen to me, boy. Don’t forget that you’re in a concentration camp. Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Even of his father. Here, there are no fathers no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone.
Rejected by mankind, the condemned do not go so far as to reject it in turn. Their faith in history remains unshaken, and one may well wonder why. They do not despair. The proof: they persist in surviving—not only to survive, but to testify. The victims elect to become witnesses.
this pitiful sound, which sometimes, goodness knows how, reaches into the remotest prison cell, is a concentrated expression of the last vestige of human dignity. It is a man’s way of leaving a trace, of telling people how he lived and died. By his screams he asserts his right to live, sends a message to the outside world demanding help and calling for resistance. If nothing else is left, one must scream. Silence is the real crime against humanity.
It is true that totalitarian domination tried to establish these holes of oblivion into which all deeds, good and evil, would disappear, but just as the Nazis’ feverish attempts, from June, 1942, on, to erase all traces of the massacre—through cremation, through burning in open pits, through the use of explosives and flame-throwers and bone-crushing machinery—were doomed to failure, so all efforts to let their opponents “disappear in silent anonymity” were in vain. The holes of oblivion do not exist. Nothing human is that perfect, and there are simply too many people in the world to make oblivion possible. One man will always be left alive to tell the story.
During the terrible years of Yezhovschchina I spent seventeen months in the prison queues in Leningrad. One day someone recognized me. Then a woman with lips blue with cold who was standing behind me, and of course had never heard of my name, came out of the numbness which affected us all and whispered in my ear— (we all spoke in whispers there):“Can you describe this?”I said, “I can!”Then something resembling a smile slipped over what had once been her face.—Anna Akhmatova, Requiem
Thomas Whitaker 999522 Polunsky Unit 3872 FM 350 South Livingston, TX 77351 |
24 Comments
Deborah
January 26, 2023 at 5:58 amThomas, it’s not a tiny victory, it’s a huge victory! I’m envious of your writing skills and lucky I found MB6.
Anonymous
February 26, 2016 at 5:51 amI'm late as hell on this but damn, the word flow in the first half of this post is tight. It's v interesting to hear about this sort of prison-specific variation of the bystander effect.
Thomas is probably my favorite contributor on here, he's gotta write more
A Friend
October 14, 2015 at 1:43 amI will find out how many books Thomas is allowed to have and get back to you
Anonymous
October 14, 2015 at 1:40 amI believe this to be the best entry on the site. I am a regular visitor and this is my first comment. Thomas has quoted from several sources and I am wondering how many books are allowed in the cell at any one time?
Joe
October 9, 2015 at 8:57 pmI agree with you. I would only add that I'm a bit puzzled as to what fiction entries anonymous has in mind. I read this blog religiously, Thomas' entries in particular, and can only recall two 'fictional' posts, and both were quite profound and offered presented dramatic insights into the life condition on death row as effectively as any of his purely non-fiction entries. In fact I think one of then either won or was nominated for a PEN award.
One was a very moving piece on which the narrative oscillated between the writings of a fictional death row inmate and the words of prison guards. The other was a sort of Kafkaesque piece in which Thomas describes acmeeting with a psychiatrist I'm a free world office which it is made clear us actually all happening in his mind in his cell on death row.
Two of the most moving and profound pieces that have ever appeared on this blog and as effective at documenting the death row experience as any of his purely non-fiction entries.
Joe
October 9, 2015 at 7:46 pm"No Mercy For Dogs" isn't fiction. It's an account of his life as a fugitive in Mexico.
Anonymous
October 9, 2015 at 1:41 pmThanks for getting back to me Catana (if I may call you that), and thank you for disagreeing with me in such an agreeable way.
You're correct of course on a number of levels and actually, having reread my posting, I'm not completely on board with what I said either.
My point I guess was simply that it seems to be important to Thomas that he engages with his audience, and I was laying out what has caused me to be less engaged on occasion.
In terms of any call to action I may have made, my view is that Thomas is pretty much preaching to the choir in terms of the visitors to this particular site. We are generally in agreement (I think) that the Death Penalty and indeed long term solitary confinement are abominations. We are also appreciative of the fact that DR inmates are human beings, and that there is very rarely such a thing as an irredeemable human being.
So it all depends what Thomas' intention is. If all he's aiming for is a "phatic communication" with the select few of us who visit this site, then these few complimentary comments from us will suffice to confirm that the communication channel is at least processing language correctly.
If however, Thomas is looking for more than that; if he wants his writing to be a lever and this blog to be the firm place from which he may move the world, then he best choose the strongest lever he has to hand. In my opinion that lever is not the fictional story, but the well researched and educated journalistic article which in its turn leverages his situation and his ability in the most effective way.
Just my thoughts really, and hopefully not offensive to anyone, or more importantly upsetting to Thomas.
A Friend
October 8, 2015 at 8:27 pmA heartfelt thanks to each of you who took the time to leave a comment for Thomas this week. I will mail them out to him tomorrow and I know your words will mean a great deal to him.
Please know that your comments are important not only to Thomas, but to all of us who work on MB6. We hope that our efforts each week matter to you, and so your feedback touches all of us. Thank you.
The books from Thomas’ current wish list have all been purchased. Your incredible generosity is appreciated – on behalf of Thomas, thank you!
CS McClellan/Catana
October 8, 2015 at 4:52 pmTo anonymous: While I respect your opinion, I can't agree with it. There has always been an introspective side to Thomas's writing, and it's just as important as the more journalistic work. If for no other reason, introspection that doesn't concentrate on the person's sense of guilt, remorse, etc., helps to humanize our view of someone on death row and overcome the impression that DR prisoners have nothing more valuable to say. A good deal of classic prison literature is introspective, and I believe that Thomas's essays fit comfortably in that category.
As a last word, I have to say that there is nothing passive about introspective writing that can move people to action.
Anonymous
October 8, 2015 at 3:53 pmAs an addendum to my last "perspective" post, I visited Thomas' wish list with the intention of making a contribution. The list now seems to be empty, which I assume means that everything has been purchased.
Please don't hesitate to post when/if any additions are made to the list, and I will hope to add my contribution then.
Anonymous
October 8, 2015 at 3:35 pmI'd like to inject a little perspective if I may.
Thomas is indeed a competent writer, and where he excels is as an embedded journalist of sorts within the walls of Polunsky Unit. He is most valuable when documenting the daily activities, the human face of the inmates, the realities of the system from within.
Sadly however, it feels to me at least, as if he has moved away from this role (perhaps for very good reason) and moved towards fictional narrative. In my opinion, he is less able here.
For very understandable reasons given his situation and the reality of his day to day life, his fiction groans a little under the weight of internal monologue which, while hopefully cathartic, is not particularly engaging to the reader.
I believe that if Thomas is indeed looking for redemption, it is to be found in a more outward looking perspective.
As for support of his studies, I will indeed be contributing a book. Again however, my hope is that his studies are directed more in supporting outward focussed action rather than adding yet more sophisticated frameworks to a passive introspection.
Joe
October 7, 2015 at 11:41 pmPlease continue the No Mercy For Dogs series Thomas. It's one of the highlights of this site.
People don't tend to comment on the entries because they are chapters I'm an ongoing series, as opposed to posts where you are 'speaking in real time' so to speak about a particular issue.
It's akin to reading serialized chapters of a book in a periodical; people don't tend to think of those entries as expecting a comment.
Don't for a minute let that make you think they are ignored or unappreciated or overlooked.
I've never commented on a NMFD post and I love the series.
I look forward to making a significant contribution to your education fund in the near future.
I urge you to continue the NMFD series Thomas. It'a fascinating and brilliant. Classic.
Joe
October 7, 2015 at 11:13 pmI wholeheartedly agree. He is a gifted writer and thinker and all of his posts are full of profound insights about not just life on death row but on the human condition and life in general.
I'm convinced that if one were to publish a book of Thomas' insights, with no clues as to his identity or the fact that he is a death row inmate it would be lauded by mainstream free world literati. He's truly a great writer and a great intellect.
Thomas has in the past expressed admiration for writers such as Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. I admire those writers as well, and I honestly think Thomas stands shoulder to shoulder with them.
Jenneke
October 7, 2015 at 11:13 pmI have to say that I check this site daily for updates on No Mercy for Dogs. As for the feedback: I can only speak for myself but sometimes I wonder:"What can I say(or write) that makes it sound like I understood what he wrote, does that make sense? If I wrote stories like that and someone merely responded with:"That was a good read", I'd be like:"Is that all you have to say, I spend hours on this!" I think I speak for many people when I say that, Thomas, we would really like you to finish that serie.
Anonymous
October 4, 2015 at 11:56 pmThomas, we are here, and we are listening!
Anonymous
October 4, 2015 at 8:14 pmI have read Thomases writing for the last couple years and I very much enjoy his articles. Thomas discusses a variety of topics and issues that involve his life on death row. However, Thomas is such a gifted storyteller that his writing is able to transcend his current condition and relate to every day life. As is evident in the current essay describing all humankind's struggle to be heard and to find meaning in their life.
I too, reread many of Thomases stories and find new meaning, hidden wisdom every time I review an article. The mark of a powerful author.
Thomases growth as a developing human being is evident in his writing. It is time to publicly express my appreciation and gratitude for all the contributors of this site and to those who keep this site up and running. Thank you. Nan R.
A Friend
October 2, 2015 at 8:42 pmYes, all comments are forwarded to MB6 contributors. Thomas will appreciate what you wrote – thank you. All feedback on MB6 is welcome, so if you have suggestions to improve site navigation, please share them. You can email or write the contributor directly, leave comments, or email dina@mainutesbefore six.com.
Anonymous
October 2, 2015 at 7:29 pmI am thoroughly enjoying his story, I never considered leaving feedback on the site would actually get back to him. Please let him know that he is a very compelling story teller and I've really become vested in finding out how that story progresses. I only discovered this site a few months ago and I was thrilled to be able to read it from Chapter 1 – current. While the site navigation can be a tad clunky, the story he tells is extremely interesting. I would definitely love to hear more on that.
SaneJustice
October 2, 2015 at 4:24 pmPlease let Thomas know that I personally love the No Mercy series. So much so that I've re-read it several times. I think we forget how much feedback can mean, so here's mine. Hopefully more will follow, not just on that series but on more posts from more contributors. I'm sure it means a lot to the guys to know they're being heard.
A Friend
October 2, 2015 at 3:18 pmCurrently there are no more chapters of No Mercy For Dogs to post. Thomas has received very little feedback on the series and is wondering if anyone is actually reading it. If you enjoy his writing, then consider letting him know, either by leaving a comment or sending a letter or jpay. This goes for all the writers and artists who contribute to MB6. A little encouragement goes a long way.
Anonymous
October 2, 2015 at 2:56 pmWhere is chapter 20 in his story? Has he not sent in a submission to continue that story line?
gord
October 2, 2015 at 2:42 amThey disappear after purchase
A Friend
October 2, 2015 at 1:53 amSaneJustice, if anyone decides to purchase a book for Thomas, please email the title to dina@minutesbeforesix.com and I will remove it from his wish list. Thanks!
SaneJustice
October 2, 2015 at 1:51 amQuestion: if we want to buy Thomas a book, how will we know if he already has it or not? Do items already purchased disappear from the wish list? (Clearly I've never used one before so I apologize if this is a dumb question.) thanks!