mrs rimoldi

This post is actually the same as a comment I just left in response to one made by "mrs rimoldi" to my post of May 8, but I think it deserves more prominent placement as a separate entry addressed to all Whit's readers:

mrs rimoldi,

I can't tell you how much your comment means to me. Whit himself saw his blog writing as having a three-fold purpose: to entertain, to expose the horrors and injustices of life in a federal prison, and to find his own voice in the process. Responses like yours confirm that he accomplished all three of these in a way and with an impact that has never been done before. The third part - finding his voice - was key in gaining self-understanding. As he began to see how his voice resonated in the world at large, it reassured him that he was in fact a worthy human being with something to offer the world. That, combined with unwavering love and support from some family and certain friends, had allowed him to see a future for himself after incarceration, and he was making plans and ready to go home. Tragically, the horrors and injustices he experienced and was writing about became overwhelming, even for someone as unbelievably strong - and loved - as he was. 

Now there is nothing left but his legacy. Which makes it all the more consoling to me, his father, to see that Whit's words are still having an impact on others in prison, their families, and those with no connection to the American penal system but with the sensitivity to recognize what a beautiful soul and spirit he was - and is. And it is only thanks to people like you, who take the time to write, that I can feel consoled. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, what's left of it.

Jeff

Thank you...

... to new readers from West Virginia, Norristown, Kealakekua, Seattle and Hermosa Beach, for taking the time to read so many of Whit's pieces. As always, please feel free to comment or PM me.

No, I have no idea who you are, the stat counter I added - to give Whit an idea of how many readers he had and where they live - simply tells me where the server is located. Now it helps me to know that people are still finding SuperFriends, and hopefully that they are finding it rewarding, even inspiring.

Also a sincere thank you to Prison Talk for being a channel for Whit to have been discovered early in his blog writing by a lot of really great people. Even today he is finding new readers from the thread that Nina began when she learned of his passing.

Jeff

Streets of London

This was always one of Whit's favorite songs, going back to when he first heard it at age 12 or 13. He had an enormous sense of compassion for the underdog. He didn't listen to my folk and acoustic recordings much, but there were 3 or 4 songs that really got to him. At Terre Haute he became enamored of bluegrass music, especially the old-time stuff. He and I would listen to the same program at the same time on a local Terre Haute radio station, he on his little transistor radio and earphones, and I on the computer streaming broadcast. 


Here is the original version of "Streets of London" he knew, written and performed by Ralph McTell. I can't listen to it anymore without....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctb-SrwL884

Just added: A link to McTell himself performing the song 1986.

The legal barriers

Well, it's pretty much official that the Bureau of Prisons is denying the administrative claim my attorney filed. No settlement, no information of any kind forthcoming from the BOP. No handing over of the investigation report they wrote of the circumstances of Whit's death. The only thing left is to file suit for wrongful death, and try to make a case for negligence and/or liability. There is no other way the BOP will make known the facts of the case. 


Doubly disheartening because my attorney has taken a new job and will no longer have a solo practice; he'll be off the case soon, and I have to find someone to pick up the baton. There aren't many attorneys who are good at wrongful death suits against the BOP, and even fewer who have the time. It's also a money question: these cases are always handled on a contingency basis, so a potential attorney figures out what the chances of winning damages are. Obviously just learning the facts and truth of what happened is important only to me, and doesn't make any money for an attorney if there ends up being nothing to take a percentage of. 


It just hurts that a federal entity like the BOP can be so callous and dishonest, that they don't care about Whit or his family.