Page 17 - Winter2009

Letters

I wanted to return a quart jar to her for (TVP is soy), and we get no fish, liver tion before and it beats this. We had
more cream but that all of mine were and no fruit at all. They don’t give us real food, they took it away! We’re not
full since I had made so much kombucha milk; they replaced it with a form of being picky. We’re caring for our health.
recently. She asked whether I had any powdered milk which some people say We would just like back what we had,
extra “mushrooms” since she wanted is soy yet others say is creamer. Why nothing more! Tell the state governor to
to start making it again. That led to a would we be getting creamer in place of give us back our gardens, give us work
discussion about the mushrooms them- milk? Portion size also seems to be an in farming and institute creative ways to
selves. She uses hers three times then issue. Also, we once had a garden, but save money while giving inmates new
throws the oldest one away and cuts her they tore it up. The food is unseasoned skills.
others into smaller pieces and then uses and we are given at most five minutes James Clark
those three times, etc. That way she’s to wolf down our tray. Florida
always using fresh mushrooms. When Some of the other changes they
she first started making kombucha, have made are to cut back on our show- REPORT FROM THE EAST
someone told her that they were good ers, give us razors that barely work and I have just returned to my home in
for septic systems so she was flushing double or triple canteen prices. Ukraine from a business trip to Mon-
her old mushrooms down the toilet. This is my response to the unin- golia. It is a truly fascinating place,
A couple years later the septic tank formed opinions of some of the web like nothing I have ever seen before.
guy came to empty out her tank, and he page members who say we have it too They consume a very healthy traditional
opened it up to stick the hose in to start easy in prison. However, I agree with diet, mostly consisting of pasture-fed
draining it, but he couldn’t. He was to- “no work, no eat.” But in prison every- meat and dairy—wheat was introduced
tally baffled and had to get out his knife one is assigned a job. Some of us work in relatively late, and fruits and vegetables
and hack away at the large, tannish, the kitchen preparing meals, some mow were unheard of until mid-1950s. I met
leathery thing that was floating at the the grass, and others do grounds labor, many traditional nomadic herders there,
top of the tank! She was quite sure what some do the laundry. We all work. and had a chance to experience their
it was and she was quite sure she was Yes, we are being punished, but is it lifestyle, which is still very much alive
not about to tell him! Can you imagine? right to poison us as well? That amounts and even dominant in the Mongolian
A kombucha mushroom the size of a to cruel and unusual punishment. And countryside!
septic tank! If only someone in the sci-fi not everyone in prison is a monster, When joining the World Trade Or-
industry knew about SCOBYs! maniac, or rapist. ganization, Ukraine was forced to pass
Lee Burdett Are you in a building with seventy several draconian laws with regard to
Alemonte Springs, Florida others of your own sex with no privacy raw dairy and individually raised meat
even in the showers or stalls, are you products. A ban on raw milk dairy and
FROM A FLORIDA PRISONER subject to being yelled at continually individually butchered meat was sup-
Thank you, WAPF, for your soy by officers and told not to talk, to sit on posed to become effective on January
prison lawsuit. I am glad someone is your bunk for hours a day? It is better to 1, 2010, but the government was able
standing up for the wrong treatment live homeless on the streets than in here to appreciate the economic devastation
many of us have to go through being where they take everything away from and the probable magnitude of popular
incarcerated. After reading about what you, even your dignity and any hope to unrest after such a ban, so it was just
other states are going through it seems make a life for yourself or loved ones. postponed until 2015. I guess the WTO
that in Florida we are getting it worse. For us, it’s either starve or eat toxins. is not going to be very happy about this,
Yes, they have also replaced most of our Honestly, I’d rather be picking out of and some sort of sanctions may follow.
meals with texturized vegetable protein garbage cans. I’ve been in that situa- They have also quietly passed an animal

WINTER 2009 Wise Traditions 15