His older brother was on his way to being a warden having started out as a guard at Soledad.

In high school, the older brother was a redneck from hell. We're from Idaho. Their dad had long since been divorced from their mom and had stayed in California working as a prison guard all those years. It was astonishing that soon after going to work at Soledad, the older brother married a black girl. I was soon to learn that he was a pretty sharp guy and all his experiences had taught him a lot. I have to hand it to one of his redneck buddies though. His wedding present was a CD. The Best of Charlie Pride! That there was funny!

Talking to the older brother as he worked his way up in the prison system the several times I was around him, I didn't hear what I would have expected, all the more reason that it's a shame we lost him. He died from complications after what should have been a routine surgury. He should have ended up the big boss at one of those prisons.

Partying at his little brothers wedding years ago, he clued us in on all kinds of things. He said he knew all kinds of guys were locked up that really didn't do anything and how cops made it happen. He knew all his little brothers buddies were at least part-time stoners, we knew we were cool as long as we didn't do it right in front of him, it had always been that way, even when he was in college planning on being a cop.

One thing he told us was that if you are ever pulled over, being investigated for what might be a serious crime, keep your mouth shut! The kind of thing that really doesn't concern a middle aged white guy living in Idaho. It's really not the same for us. Say my vehicle matches the description of someone wanted for a serious crime and I get pulled over? Our local cops see who it is, I'm the blood drive driver dude, they know me, I didn't do it and that's the end of it. Some kid in a big urban area, especially a minority, does not get the same courtesy. If they ask him where he's been and he happens to say he was anywhere near where the crime was, they already have him pretty much at the scene of the crime. He told us not to tell them anything until you see a lawyer. Knowing you didn't do anything and thinking you should cooperate in any way can get you screwed!

Another thing he was all about was his prison weight room that he was in charge of at the time. Some see this as a waste of money and even dangerous, like it builds inmates into super criminals. He called bullshit on that! He had no problems with his. The inmate trustees ruled that with an iron fist. You didn't even dare use a dumbell and not put it back on the rack where it belonged. Exactly the kind of training some of those guys really needed to get back out in good shape and be able to follow rules.

Work details were also one of his things. He claimed they always got all the volunteers they ever needed to go out on any project. Even in the heat, even busting their asses all day. Thinking you'd gain anything by forcing slackers to go out was pointless. Then you get an asshole out there that would rather be hanging out in the yard smoking or making trouble and a good guy stuck inside that wanted to work. Tell me which guy might eventually be worth something when he got out?

We lost a good one that may have made a difference.

The assumption this man is making is that conservatives, or we'll call it the real powers that be, want to save money and make the world a safer place. I'm not so sure about that.

Going back to Iran/Contra we can see that the rogue elements of government controlled by conservative, the CIA for example, clearly thought it was a good idea to funnel highly additive drugs into the inner cities of America. Chaney saw to it that only a few lower leave operatives were punished for doing so. Evidence of this activity surfaced again in the mid 90's and it was completely swept under the rug this time with the mainstream media playing a central role in punishing the whistle blowers.

By seeding the inner cities with highly addictive drugs they promote lawlessness and economic blight. Clearly this is something conservative saw as a winning situation for them.

It's really a grand protection racket. In a classic protection racket is a thug comes into a small business and asking for money from the business owner so his windows don't get broken. Of course it's the thug who will be breaking the window if the business owner doesn't pay up.

The GOP appears to be the 'law and order' party. While in actuality they are stoking the disorder by flooding black neighborhoods with cheap highly additive drugs. That creates crime. Upset citizens support an increasingly militarized and privatized policy state. Money flows to the private prison system and to the military industrial complex in the way of equipment. Remember the highly militarized police in the aftermath of Ferguson, Mo? Every one of those guys was wearing thousands of dollars worth of gear.

And, of course, the drugs generate off the books cash they can use in their various nefarious deeds around the globe.

The benefits are many. Blacks are disenfranchised (stripped of voting rights) which means fewer democratic votes. And it keeps middle class whites fearful of blacks who might otherwise become allies in the effort to create a more equitable economy. Same with Hispanics. Divide and conquer.

I'm sure the useful idiot types are completely sincere in their believe that these draconian system are what's needed to keep us safe. But I can't help be feel that the real 'powers that be' are gaming the system for endless profits off of perpetual human misery.