Tag: Indiana

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LIFE NEAR AMERICA’S DEATH ROW

Next week,  three federal death row inmates will be executed in  my city. There haven’t been any executions since 2003, so this is apt to bring a lot of reporters and protesters here.  Because of covid-19, we’d just as soon they wouldn’t invade our town.  It’s come as kind of a shock.  Most of us weren’t aware that these notorious criminals had been living nearby for so many years.  Do you wonder about life near America’s death row?  What is it like to live so close to America’s only  federal execution facility?

First and foremost, the United States Federal Prison Complex has been seen as a great source of stable employment in a town that’s weathered many economic ups and downs.  It opened here in 1940, when we were just coming out of the great depression.  They had an open house, and our family went through the facility.   The father of one of my grade school playmates came here as a guard. They were Irish, with a family of eight children, and came from New York City.   One of the sons later became a Hollywood screenwriter.   The prison employs about 700  people from every educational background.  If you’ve lived here a long time, you probably knew at least one or two people who worked at the prison.

Working for the feds has a lot of perks, including great benefits and pensions.  They also have a beautiful venue that employees may use for special occasions.  Over the years, I’ve probably been to parties at the prison at least ten times.  Weddings. Graduations.  Baby  Showers. Birthday parties.  And yet, as far as I know,  I never saw an  inmate.

I once knew a dietitian who worked there as a part time consultant.  Her pay was outstanding. I think she made about triple the going rate for dietitians in the area.  But after awhile, she had to quit.  She never discussed her  work days or any of  her patients(prisoners). Obviously, privacy laws were in place.  All she said was this: ” I got so I couldn’t stand those gates closing behind me,  one after another, as I went into work.  It was giving me nightmares. “

The three men who will die next week in the United States Penitentiary by lethal injection are all white:

Wesley Ira Purkey, who raped and murdered a 16 year old girl in Kansas and killed an 80 year old woman.

Dustin Lee Honken of Iowa, who killed five people, including 2 children.

Danny Lee of Arkansas, convicted of killing a family of three.

Scheduled to be executed in August:

Keith Dywane Nelson, who kidnapped a 10 year old girl in front her Kansas home, raped and strangled her in a forest.

Life around America's Death Row. living near the boston bomber and Charleston church killer
Life Around America’s Death Row:  Left: Dzhokhar Tsarenaev; Right, Dylann Roof

Other death row prisoners at this  men’s prison  include:  Dzhokbar Tasaraev, convicted for his part in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.   Dylann Roof, who shot and killed nine parishioners at a church in Charleston, SC. In 2015. They’ve been there for several years, now.  You wonder what they talk about.

60% of Americans are in favor of the death penalty.  Others, like the Sisters of Providence oppose it, and will stage a protest.  I guess I’d be against something like a beheading, hanging, or crucifixion.  But lethal injection sounds tolerable.  And if someone in my family were one of their victims, I think it would seem right and just.

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SALUTE TO UNCLE REN & COMPANY D

What does Memorial Day mean to you?  When I was a kid, it was the first big summer holiday.  It meant picnics, flying flags, and the end of school. As a teenager, it still hadn’t sunk in.  Yes, I knew of people who had lost their menfolk during World War II. but Memorial Day was a time for fairs, graduations, and parties, mainly.  My mother always went to the cemetery to decorate her parents’ graves, but it didn’t seem like anything I would want to do.  And then, one day, it all kicked in. My generation’s boyfriends, husbands, and brothers fought in the Korean War.  Some of them came home wounded, or not at all.  The Korean War Memorial is my favorite in Washington, DC.  But at Clinton, Indiana  it’s a simple monument erected by my great, great uncle after the Civil War.   Here’s  a Memorial Day salute to Uncle Ren and Company D. 

 Memorial Day is special for me.  Many of my ancestors and immediate family are buried in a small country cemetery.  Usually, my husband and I drive up to a nearby shelter for a picnic, then over to visit the graves. That’s a hard time for me—missing them so much that a hollow feeling rises in my chest and tears blur my vision.

 After arranging the flowers, the highlight of the day awaits me at the top of a hill, under a towering oak tree.  For there, my great, great, great uncle, Ren White, came back from fighting in the Civil War to erect a memorial to the men who served with him in “Company D.”  Every man in the company is listed, but it doesn’t say which ones didn’t return.  Uncle Ren wasn’t a captain, either—just a mere sergeant.  But when he came home, he spent the time and money to erect this memorial to the men who fought to free this country of slavery.  Wow! Gives me the shivers, just thinking of how proud I am of him.

Memorial Day Salute to Uncle Ren
Memorial day salute to Uncle Ren and Company D. After the Civil War, he erected this monument to Company D.

I wonder what motivated him to enlist. Knowing that branch of the family, I’m sure his motives were not mercenary, because they owned thousands of acres of Indiana farmland. My mother, who loved genealogy, probably knew if Ren had a wife and children, but I don’t.

 Little did he realize that one day, a photo of that thoughtfully erected monument would be shown over the internet.  On this Memorial Day holiday, I salute you, Uncle Ren White, for your courage and patriotism.

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BUTTIGIEG VS. PENCE 2020?

Last week, this may have sounded crazy.  Mayor Pete’s chances of winning the presidential nomination were very slim.  But this latest debate might have been a deal breaker.  Buttigieg came across as the only candidate who seemed authentic.  He challenged Elizabeth Warren’s pie- in- the-sky promises as to the real cost of Medicare for all.  He calmly spoke with the voice of experience on the US withdrawal from Syria.  Now, there’s a real possibility that Trump will be impeached.  Therefore, it’s not a pipe dream to imagine a presidential election with two Hoosiers on the ballet . Buttigieg vs Pence 2020?  It could happen.

There's a possiblity that two Hoosier will be on the ballot in 2020
Two Hoosiers could be on the ballot during the 2020 election

Of course, I’m not at all biased (: However, I believe our country would be well served if we had a POTUS who brings some good old Hoosier Values to the table.

What are HOOSIER VALUES?  The very phrase brings to mind a dull, penny pinching, religious fanatic who’s never traveled more than 100 miles from his home town. I’ve surfed the internet and found that there are no clearly defined Hoosier Values.  Different sources say the following character traits define an Indiana native:  Patriotic, Honest, Responsible, Faithful, Humble.  Others  claim that  the typical Hoosier has  a strong work ethic, family values and a sense of community.

Wow! That’s a lot of good stuff.  Does that mean that no one in my state is cruel, vulgar, promiscuous, dishonest or rude?  Hardly.

When I think of Hoosier Values, I envision someone who doesn’t brag, or make false promises, and behaves with dignity in public.   In other  words, someone with just plain old common sense.

Buttigieg vs Pence  in the 2020 presidential election would be a win-win situation for Indiana. .  No matter which party prevailed at the polls, we could rest assured  that Hoosier Values are well represented  in Washington DC.

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ARE YOU DAZED BY DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?

In my state of Indiana, Governor Mitch Daniels pushed for Daylight Saving Time in 2009.  He said it was good for business. Turned out it didn’t make any difference, but we kept doing it anyway.  Mainly, it’s the golfers who like it, because they can play their game after work.  But most of us aren’t golfers.  Should the whole state’s time zone be determined by a sport?  Do you have daylight saving time daze?

Here’s how it went for me this week:

Some people would rather we we stick to one time
Should We Abolish Daylight Saving Time?

Day 1. We turned our clocks ahead the night before,  and  stayed up until our usual bedtime.   I’m used to a sliver of daylight peeking through the blind at 7:30., but it was still very dark the next morning when I awakened.     Felt confused. A bit dizzy. Stubbed my toe.   Spilled coffee. Knocked over a bottle of orange juice.  Went to library before realizing I  forgot books to return.  Too tired to clean kitchen after dinner.

 Day 2. Stumbled out of bed in the dark before going for morning swim.  Slurped  some coffee.  Skipped breakfast.   Made it  to the pool after a near-miss pulling out of my driveway. Forgot my purse and cellphone.  Came home in a daze.  Didn’t have enough energy to put my breakfast dishes in the sink.

Day 3. The fog continues..  It’s  like the jet lag you feel after a trip abroad.  They say heart attacks increase the week after DST begins, and I don’t doubt it. Next door, I see my neighbor putting his kids in the car to go to school.  The sun is just coming up, which means they had to get out of bed in the dark.  Luckily, their dad drives them to school.  What about the little kids who have to walk to the bus stop and catch a ride on the school bus?

DST  was supposed to save energy, because the sun would heat up your house later in the day, and you wouldn’t need to turn your furnace so high.  Turns out, you use more energy because you need more air conditioning.

Parents with little kids must dislike DST the most.  Putting the children to bed while it’s still light outside doesn’t work too well.  So, the parents don’t have as much peace and quiet time after 8 o’clock, the way they used to.

The whole thing is crazy.  I don’t care if we set our clocks back or ahead.  But let’s not go changing back and forth every spring and fall.

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A POLAR VORTEX ISN’T FOR WIMPS

If some old geezer tells you he walked to school in below freezing weather, he’s telling the truth.    We’ve been enduring the coldest weather that some younger people can ever remember, but according to records,  we’ve endured many colder days in the past couple of centuries.  But, here in Indiana, they’re not only closing schools, but banks, and city services, and of all things, the United States Post Office.  A Polar Vortex isn’t for wimps.

Should all city services be closed during a polar vortex?
MOST OCTOGENARIANS RECALL WALKING TO SCHOOL IN BELOW FREEZING WEATHER

During my school years,  our nation was half rural and half urban.  We were still coming out of the depression and World War II.  Times were tough, and if you had a job, you treasured it greatly.  The thought of staying home from work on below freezing days would not have been considered.

That tough philosophy extended to the children of those hard working parents.  In the winter, below freezing temperatures were often a fact of life.  Before getting dressed, we children would first put on long underwear,   and long wool socks.  We had “snow pants,”  which were loosely fitting woolen  pants lined with cotton flannel.  Along with those,  you wore a matching jacket, similarly lined.  I suppose those layers provided some extra protection.  Wool stocking caps, mittens, scarves over our faces, and boots completed our outer wear before we left for school.   Many families didn’t own a car, and so children walked to school.

My parents were Catholic, and we never missed a Sunday mass in the winter.  My husband was raised Protestant in rural  Nebraska, and his family always made it to Church on Sunday, no matter how cold it was.  He also  remembers getting up on many a below-freezing morning to milk cows before going to school.  In an unheated barn, no less.  He doesn’t remember ever suffering from frostbite.

This week in our Indiana city, all schools were closed for two days, at least.  I think that’s a good idea. But the post office?  Banks?  And trash collection?  Come on, these people are grownups with warm vehicles to get them where they are going. They have cell phones.  They don’t have to navigate icy interstates, and most main streets have been cleared by road crews.  It’s bad enough we just had to endure a government shutdown, and now this?  Come on,  Hoosiers, toughen up!   This isn’t Minnesota or Alaska.  Don’t let the polar vortex make a wimp out of you.

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LAST DAY FOR FREE KINDLE BOOK

This is the last day I’m offering a FREE KINDLE BOOK of my novel, TAKE THE MONEY: ROMANTIC  SUSPENSE IN COSTA RICA.

You  may wonder how an Indiana author decided to write a book about Costa Rica.  My inspiration came  the year after my husband and I retired and spent several months living in San Jose.  We had traveled through Europe and all over the United States by that time, but it seemed that Costa Rica had special charms we hadn’t found anywhere else.

When you think of Costa Rica,  you picture beaches and rain forests.  But in fact, Costa Rica is also known as “Little Switzerland” due to it’s verdant countryside and mountains.  The air is crisp and clear, the weather near perfect.  Visiting downtown San Jose , you hear numerous languages from all over the world.  Everyone loves Costa Rica.

fly away with me via Kindle to romantic Costa Rica
TAKE THE MONEY: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE IN COSTA RICA

Many Americans have permanent residences in Costa Rica.  We were tempted to move there, but realized how inconvenient it would be for our children if one of us got very sick.  Not to mention the legal hassles involved in passing away in a foreign country.  So, we came back home, and that’s when I enrolled in a creative writing class at Indiana State University, and began  writing Take The Money.

TAKE THE MONEY: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE IN COSTA RICA  is FREE today on Kindle @ http://amzn.to/1AgDW8a

Here’s a brief synopsis:

What would you do if you witnessed a murder and the victim gave you $60,000 just before he died? Should you keep the money or call the police? Julie Lawson has only moments to decide.

Julie goes for a drive in her boss’s new Porsche, but a joyride turns to terror when they’re rammed from behind and tumble into a ravine. Knowing he won’t survive, Kevin Dufrain urges Julie to take the money and run because, “they’ll get you, too.” She boards a night plane to the cosmopolitan city of San Jose, Costa Rica and meets mysterious businessman, Bud Jimenez, who helps her find a job at the “Memphis South,” a popular nightclub run by Texas beauty, Nellie Compton. When Julie discovers the killer has tracked her down, she heads for a beach near the Nicaraguan border.

Julie’s small plane is forced to land in a remote Indian Village where she meets the passionate and charismatic Dr. Enrique Rojas, a widower who runs a medical clinic for the impoverished natives of Costa Rica. Here, Julie thinks she’s found the secret thing she always wanted to do, but it may be too late. The killer is still on her trail and the DEA suspects her of drug trafficking. Her fragile hopes for happiness seem about to shatter. Now, Julie must lose herself to discover what’s really important in life.

Take the Money is a compelling tale full of passion and courage. It takes you from a corrupt, inbred, southern Indiana town to the mountains, beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, rain forests, and all of the fabulous natural wonders of beautiful Costa Rica.

Take The Money: Romantic Suspense in Costa Rica is FREE on KINDLE Jan 2, 3, 4. @ http://amzn.to/1AgDW8a

Enjoy!