The Hole In the Fence

A Day at Edgefield Prison Camp "The Hole In the Fence"

What a strange place this is! I shake my head in disbelief many times each week over things I see
and hear in here, but today ...well, let me try to explain.

Yesterday, about 9 A.M., the staff called for everyone to go back in the dorm. (Our housing unit
is described in the Nov. 3, 2009, Knee-Mail on www.cseblogs.com "Dear Joyce.") Apparently, they had
discovered that someone had cut a hole in the 10' fence that surrounds our camp's approximately ten
acres. Most camps don't have any fence. They assumed (probably correctly) that someone had cut the
hole to bring in some "contraband" which is typically cigarettes or cell phones. These two items seem to
drive the staff ballistic so, after searching the yard, they ordered everyone out of the dorms for a "shake
-down" to find whatever was brought in the night before.

Apparently, they still didn't find it, so they called us in one by one into one of the four staff
offices to be questioned. They had scripted questions like: "Do you know who cut the hole?" "Did you
see any contraband?" Etc. They must have gotten some leads because at least three guys were taken
out to "the hole" next door while they do "an investigation." One of the guys was Jeff Southerland, from
my unit. He’s the one I asked people to write to since he never got mail. He got over 150 letters! Thanks!
He goes home in 40 days anyway and would still like to get mail in "the hole." ·

Anyway, my "interrogator" was a sweet, godly Christian lady (yes, we do have a FEW of those
working here). After her standard questions, I stuck my neck out and said, "Ma'am, would you like to
know my real opinion about this problem over the hole in the fence?" She very unwisely said, "Yes, Mr.
Hovind. I would."

A Well, being my mild-mannered, non-confrontational, meek, introverted self (I can hear my
wife from 450 miles away saying, "HA!"), I told her the following (with a few afterthoughts thrown in for
good measure):

"Here is my humble, totally unbiased opinion of the problem and the very simple solutions. I
think that the BOP (Bureau of Prisons) and the U.S. Government are mostly to blame for the hole in the
fence and the solutions are quick and easy to implement, but I doubt many staff will agree or even
understand what I have to say.

1. First, let's get back to the organic Constitution of the united States. According to Art. III Sec. 2
cl 3, the trial of all crimes is to be "in the state where the crime occurred." 95% of the men and women
in Federal prisons did not commit any crime on Federal property. They should never have been tried in
Federal court and should not be in Federal prisons at all. Let's scrap the silly overuse of the "commerce
clause" the Feds have used for years to get into everyone's business. The Feds have no business getting
involved in many things they are involved in. Send those 95% home today and they can get their own
cigarettes and cell phone and you won't even need to worry about it. If the states want to lock them up
for their crime, they can, but states typically give out LOTS less time for the same offenses, because they
can't print money to balance their budget. They understand that locking people up COSTS money and
harms families. The Feds however, use this system to MAKE money from the taxpayers and create LOTS
of jobs, like yours. If the Feds only locked up people who really committed crimes on Federal property
(Washington, D.C., military bases, post offices, etc.), all 210,000 now in Federal Prison could be reduced
to just a few thousand, and it would be easier to watch them so they don't cut a hole in the fence. ‘

2. Second, the Feds should get out of the drug war business. There is NO Constitutional or
Scriptural or common sense reason for them to get involved with drugs AT ALL. If the states want to
make drugs a crime, they can, but ALL Federal prisoners in here for drugs should be released. I don't and
won't take drugs, but I can't find any scripture or any logic that should make the use or possession of
ANYTHING a crime-especially at the Federal level. If ALL drugs were legal-like rubber cement is now
nobody would be committing a crime when they "got high" and the cost to get drugs would drop to
near zero and so would the crime rate for drugs. If drug users injure someone or cause property damage
to others, THAT would be a crime that the STATES F could prosecute if they wish. Just doing this would
send 90% of these guys home today and we could lay off 80-90% of law enforcement and prison guards.
Let those who take drugs take them 'til they die and rid the gene code of defective genes. See
www.darwinawards.com. Feds have NO business in a "drug war." See Article 10 of the Bill of Rights.

3. Then, shut down the IRS and get the feds back on a diet imposed by the Constitution. This
makes the income needed to provide services called for in that Constitution about 2% of what they use
now. We could follow the clear taxing guidelines given by the founding fathers. If more is needed,
maybe a Fair Tax or VAT could be considered. The original plan is simple and worked great for 150 years.
All current IRS political prisoners could be released. The current IRS code should be ruled "void for
vagueness" since no human on earth understands it all. Existing copies and all IRS forms and booklets
could be used for fuel to supply power for the whole east coast for years! Letting the people go
mentioned in #1-3 would GREATLY reduce the number of Federal prison lockers to search for
"contraband."

4. Four - For the few real Federal prisoners that remain, let them have 3,000 minutes of phone
time each month rather than the current 300. This 300 minute policy is a major cause of the problem. I
have a wife of 36+ years, three grown married children, five grandchildren, four different attorneys
involved in various parts of our case, and lots of friends around the country. Through no fault or choice
of my own, I was moved 450 miles away from them and am now expected to "maintain close family
ties" (as BOP says they want to promote) on 9+ minutes each day of phone time?! The BOP policies of
"inmates within 500 air miles of home cannot be transferred closer" and "300 minutes of phone time
each month" are causing people to want cell phones. Maybe an illustration or two from history will help:
During WWII, the Japanese captured and imprisoned many thousands of soldiers in Bataan, Philippines,
camps. Thousands had malaria and the Japs refused to give them quinine to treat it. Hundreds were
dying, so the local Philippine people smuggled the drug into the camp in scores of ingenious ways. Were
they good or bad for doing that? When Hitler was starving the Jews, people worked out ways to smuggle
in food. Were they good guys, or bad guys? If your mother was starving or dying of malaria, would you
smuggle stuff in to save her? If people are concerned about their family being destroyed because the
BOP "starves" their contact time with these silly policies, and they bribe a guard to smuggle in a cell
phone, are they good guys, or bad guys? In 1944, the German and Japanese guards were frantic to try to
stop the "smuggling in of contraband items" (i.e., food and medicine). They were very zealous in
"following orders and doing their job," yet in 1945, they were prosecuted as war criminals. Think about
it. Either increase the minutes or just let everyone have a cell phone. Then they won't cut a hole in the
fence to get one. I heard the story about the gang leaders in prison that used a cell phone to order
somebody killed many years ago. That's always the story they tell to explain why they are banned in
prisons today. Ten seconds worth of thought will show that this is a silly reason to ban them. Anyone
could still arrange a "hit" right in the visiting room, through the mail, or obviously on a "contraband" cell
phone. The BOP should quit being so paranoid about them and focus on more important issues.

5. Fifth, sell cigarettes on the commissary and let those few that are dumb enough to want to
put a butt in their mouth do it outside where the rest of us don't have to smell it. Be sure to charge
enough for them so they pay for their own health problems that are sure to develop later. It's not right
to make those of us who take care of our health pay for those who don’t. 70% of all health care costs are
from problems that are self-induced, like drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol. Shut down welfare at the federal
level and scrap this silly national health care idea and let those who hurt themselves willingly pay for it.
See www.darwinawards.c0m again. If they could buy cigarettes, they would not cut a hole in the fence
to get them.

6. Six, GREATLY shorten Federal prison terms! Stop rewarding prosecutors for cases they win
and instead promote them for seeing that justice is done and the Constitution is followed. Make it a
crime for any judge, lawyer on the government payroll in any way, or any government employee
anywhere (including Congress, etc.) to own stock, in or profit in any way from the prison system. They
should not sell or lease land for prisons, sell food, clothing, concession, transportation between prisons,
or even construct prisons or supply utilities. There is quite obviously a conflict of interest when judges or
prosecutors or Senators profit from longer prison terms! Think about it! Let’s also make every judge or
prosecutor or lawmaker and all prison staff at any level spend 30 days locked up every 3 years in
identical conditions that prisoners face daily. This will remind them of exactly what their long sentences
do to families. God’s Word NEVER authorized prison as a form of punishment for crime. Either fine
them, give them a beating, or execute them, depending on the crime. This silly system punishes children
most of` all. Could the real child abusers be the lawmakers, courts, and lawyers?

7. Seventh - Don't punish the entire camp of 450lZj men because one guy cut a hole in the fence.
Take away the guard’s computer and office chair. Have them spend their shift walking around so they
can catch things that happen and only have to punish the offender instead of all of us. It is not
reasonable to blame us for not ratting on people we must live with 168 hours/week and make us stay
inside for 2 days. p 8. Eighth (and last!) - Don't fix the hole in the fence. Tear the fence down! While we
are at it, tear the prison system down. For the above mentioned reasons, America has violated God’s
laws and advice. This system invites abuse from all sides and harms the wrong people—like innocent
children and grandchildren who don't understand I why they can't take walks and naps with Dad and
Grandpa anymore. I fear that our gross disregard for God’s Word will bring on His wrath to our country
soon. If, after conviction, people were at least given the option of having a biblical form of punishment,
costs and problems would drop to near zero. Suppose a man was able to choose 20 lashes (in the court
room so the judge can see what their sentence really does!) or 5 years. I guarantee that 95% would take
the beating, save the taxpayers a fortune and be "deterred" from doing that crime again! The current
system is REALLY EXPENSIVE, seldom works, and hurts the wrong people. Shut it down! I wrote a book about the prison system and how to fix it. I wrote it under the pseudonym "Elijah Green" (a preacher the king hated-who wears green). And that, M'am, is my opinion about the hole in the fence!"

She just nodded and smiled as I walked out.

Epilogue

To make my "Day at Edgefield" even more bizarre, at 3 AM I woke up to go watch the news and answer
mail. A fellow inmate came in and told me that there was a I rumor in our dorm that I had snitched on
Jeff and got him locked up! I have no idea what he got locked up for. He goes home in about 40 days.
I've done nothing but good to him and for him since he came here (including getting him lots of mail and
new friends). I would never snitch on anyone unless they were planning to kill or injure someone and
even then I would probably talk to them first.

Here I am trying to build good relationships with people so I can win them to Christ or influence
them to live for God and one stupid lie like this will now take a long time (if ever) to overcome.
Wow! Let’s see: Nero blamed the Christians for burning Rome so he could kill them and steal
their property. Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany's problems for the same reasons. Stalin, Pol Pot,
Mao Tse Tung, Castro, and hundreds of others down through history did similar things to blame the
wrong people and cover their own crimes.

This has been a very interesting day at Edgefield! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Kent Hovind

Additional Thoughts about the Prison System.

The American prison system is the largest in the world by far. We have 5% of the world's
population, yet 25% of the world's prisoners! To help, you could contact your Congressman or Senator
to make the common sense changes listed below. They have the power to do it NOW. Be sure they
make all changes retroactive to release people currently imprisoned. For some of the suggested
changes, contact Harley Lappin, Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons, FBP 320 1st St NW, Washington,

http://www.2peter3.com/Court_Docs/A%20Day%20at%20Edgefield%20Prison%20Camp.pdf