Email from Jay J. Johnson-Castro
Hey ya’ll…
For the sake of round numbers…there’s about 2000 steps to a mile. 60 miles adds up to about 120,000 steps to walk from downtown Abilene, along Hwy 277, to the target of my walk a week ago…a place where helpless people are imprisoned for money.
Walking through West Texas/Central Texas to Governor Perry’s home town of Haskell to protest the prison camp, I had a lot of time to observe the culture of this region of Texas…and to ponder. I took a variety of pictures. I took the attached picture of this flag that flies along Hwy. 277. For me, it has become the symbol of what I saw and what I experienced on my way to the Haskell for-profit prison camp for immigrants.
The symbolism is of a state ripped and torn…faded. Lacking dignity. Soon to be a State of Shame.
Governor Perry…and his predecessor Bush…along with the cruel arrogance of Chertoff & ICE are reflected in this flag. No real pride. No real dignity. Just blatant shame…waving in-your-face. It also represents the region’s poverty…which is being supplemented in Haskell by the federal government imprisoning…for profit…sincere and innocent people who want to be Texan Americans.
Just as this Texas flag is in shameful condition…so is the City of Haskell and Haskell County. So is the silence of Governor Perry. His hometown and home county will long be remembered for imprisoning the victims of his predecessor, Bush…orchestrated by Chertoff & ICE. And to think that Perry has national aspirations! But he can’t stand up in behalf of the downtrodden in his hometown, home county…home state where he serves as the highest elected authority of the great state of Texas. What does that say about his leadership? Would you want another guy like that in the White House?
Then, how about the Haskell City Council and the Haskell County Commissioners and the County Judge…who would not allow one law abiding Texan American walk the county roads that run along side their sacred Haskell Prison camp. What shame. What are they trying to hide? Why did they send out all of the law enforcement officials…even unmarked cars and plain cloths officers…to prevent the exposure of their obscene prison camp?
They will no longer be able to hide their dark dirty secret…of demented abuse of immigrants for profit. Sure…Chertoff and the ICE Company…and the Emerald for-profit prison system baited them with a little money in their coffers which provides their city and county with jobs and income. But at what price, really? A buck per person per day? Is that all it takes to sell out the America we’ve believed in our whole lives? How sad! Better yet…how debased! How depraved!
The dignity of the sincere residents of the City of Haskell and Haskell County were betrayed. At what other price? Selling out on the American dream that their ancestors enjoyed…for a fast buck. Every elected official that has been complicate in this immoral crime should be fully identified and charged with violating what Texas and America was and should be all about.
Unfortunately, “Haskell” has sold out America by doing what is the norm. Anything for a buck. “It’s all about the money”. What’s worse…is that the elected officials of Haskell…took the bait of the money laundering scheme offered by Chertoff and ICE…who are nothing more than an agency of greedy profit and doom for our country…with the smoke screen of “national security”. ICE pays nearly $7000 per month for each victim…and that money goes to private companies. They make all of this money…yet can only afford to provide Maalox to a young innocent woman…who has already been sexually abused…and who now has pain in her chest and is loosing feeling on the right side of her body.
Since it is a for profit entity that ruins these people’s lives…they THINK that they are not answerable to “WE THE PEOPLE”. Local, County, State law enforcement and prison guards protect them from a few grass roots Americans who are appalled by the very purpose of their existence…let alone their practices. They think they can play with the hearts, minds and bodies of young women with impunity. But they’re wrong. If they think that the walk last week was not noticed by the world around them…This is only the beginning of the exposure of their dirty little secret.
There will soon come an end to the “for-profit” prison systems in America. We will soon have dignified and humane treatment for the poor and the downtrodden who seek to be Americans like our forefathers did. The for-profit inhumane systems will be shut down. They’re simply immoral and un-American. What will Haskell do then?
My ultimate belief is in the “grass roots” citizens of the city and county of Haskell. These are hard working, God fearing folks. Once they fully understand what inhumanity and indignities are being committed by their elected officials…right under their noses…there will be no for profit prison camp with innocent immigrants. There will be a jail. Perhaps, in that jail, they’ll put some of those corrupt officials in the cells…that will be vacated by the innocent immigrants.
The elected and government officials have violated the principles of our country. “Give me your tired your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free., the wretched refuse of your teaming shore, send these, the homeless tempest-tossed tom me. I life my lamp beside the golden door.”
Y’all have taken these very same people who believed in that promise of liberty…and made a mockery out of the international promise of hope…and figured out how to make money off of these people by imprisoning and treating them like criminals. To repeat…you have violate the international promise of liberty. You have violated human rights and dignity. You have exploited the poor, huddled masses yearning to breath free, the refuse on our shore, the homeless and tempest tossed. You take our hard earned tax money to funnel to your corrupt and immoral accomplices. You have shamed us.
Shame on Bush.
Shame on Chertoff & ICE Officials.
Shame on silent Perry.
Shame on the Haskell County Judge and Commissioners.
Shame on the City Council of Haskell.
Y’all have shamed Texas. You have shamed America. You have brought shame and reproach upon our country and our history. But our history books will show that true Americans…”We the people”…refused to share your shame. We will NOT share in your shame. We will not go along with you. That too…history will show. And it starts now!
Jay
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The Border Ambassador
Connecting.the.dots…making.a.difference…
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Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Sr.
Del Rio, Texas, USA
Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila , Mexico
jay@villadelrio.com
http://www.villadelrio.com
Texas Civil Rights Review 