Murtari Update / After jail plans -- what a mess!

jmurtari@akidsright.org

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Good People & People of Faith,

This message contains info on:
1. Murtari update & newspaper coverage
2. After jail plans -- what a mess!

1. Murtari update & newspaper coverage
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On Friday John was moved to the medical area of the jail.  Later that
day he was taken to a hospital for IV fluids.  He told the hospital
personnel that he didn't have a problem accepting food or water from
them.  He ate 3 tuna sandwiches, some fig newtons and drank a lot of
water.  They returned him to the jail the same day.

John had a visit with the warden, Chief Barry Virts.  He isn't happy.
He's been getting lots of telephone calls about John.  (John says,
PLEASE KEEP IT UP!)  He mentioned the possibility of shipping John off
to another jail.  One with a bigger medical facility so he would stay
behind bars instead of going to a hospital.

John is going to propose that he serve his time on weekends only.  He
should only get sentenced to about 2 weeks anyway, and he's already
been there a week.

John has been trying for awhile to get a provisional drivers license
so he can drive legally.  He lives in such a rural area that driving
is a necessity.

John says THANK YOU for your calls on his behalf.  He just received
word that the Wayne County Public Defender will be trying to get his
Court date moved to Dec. 3rd.

A newspaper article was published today in the Finger Lakes Times
(Regional Paper --

http://fltimes.com/articles/2008/11/25/news/doc492c2258b585d003486248.txt

2. After jail plans -- what a mess!
----------------------------------- 
The jail ran a blood test late Friday (21st) and they didn't like the
kidney levels.  They brought me to the hospital in Newark, only a few
miles from the jail.  I was to get an IV and be rehydrated.

I was concerned about that since it would be fluids, but no
nourishment and my body would just consume itself.  I told the ER
doctor I'd accept the IV and also eat anything they could give me
since it was the hospital.  I must have drank over a gallon of water
and also ate three small tuna fish sandwiches and a small pack of fig
newtons.

The next day my head spinned with questions.  What were they going to
do?  I would not eat and drank only very little water in the jail.
Would we repeat this cycle every 5-6 days?  I didn't think that would
be good for me -- and a few sandwiches is not a week of food.  What a
mess!

My head really started to spin when I thought about hopefully getting
out of here on Dec. 17th.  My son, Domenic (15), will be coming for
Christmas Vacation on the 20th.  What type of Christmas would it be
when Dad can't drive because the police are "looking" for him.  We
have a good excuse not to visit the relatives!

For the last several years Dom and I have also brought food to the
Oxford Inn homeless shelter in Syracuse.  We do it at Christmas,
Easter, break, and in the summer.  We make about 90 ham & cheese
sandwiches and also bring fruit and orange juice.  We won't be doing
that either!

Groceries shouldn't be too big a problem.  Lyons is a small town,
about 5000, and we live on the edge.  But it has a decent supermarket,
about a 10 minute walk -- still not a lot of fun in the winter.  You
don't want those bags to break while you're walking back!

Probably the biggest thing is the embarrassment.  Having to walk two
times to the store past neighbors, when it could have been one quick
car trip.  I'll be getting good exercise!  Also a chance to learn
humility.

What about the stuff you have to drive for?  That's going to be a
little tricky.  I usually turn to an elderly cousin who lives in town
and a good friend from High School.  They've been very supportive to
what Dom & I have gone through.  But this is not their battle.

I only go to them for emergencies.  The problems I face are a
consequence of my decisions.  I knew years ago when I first "resisted"
the system that I could lose everything.  It now appears that bill may
be coming due!

Cause for depression & despair?  You bet!  As you hear my brief
complaint, I know so many of you mothers & fathers have been through a
lot worse struggles -- mine looks like a cake walk!

I was talking to one of the Guards and he summed up I was in "a heap
of trouble."  But you know what, I told him it was all worth it and an
easy trade!

I know so so many of your stories.  The worst of all is not to have
your children around you for the holidays -- especially Thanksgiving &
Christmas.  And the worst of those, at the coldest level of Dante's
Hell, are those moms and dads that have (adult) children who despise
you.  What a terrible tragedy.  I am so fortunate that Dom and I have
remained very close through it all.

Easy to be depressed?  You bet!  A time perhaps to rediscover a loving
God and to cry to him for help and to be inspired to new hope and
action.  I'm still reminding myself of that here!  Still afraid of
what the future could bring.  I cry for the faith and wisdom to see it
through.

Are children alienated forever?  I don't believe that for a second.
Do I believe parents & children give up on each other because it hurts
too much to keep trying?  Yes.

You can't control how someone feels.  But I hope (and it's easy for me
to say) that any alienated parent would keep trying to call, write, and
send the holiday gifts to their kids.  Don't let them forget you are
there and that the door is open.  Never let that little fire of faith
& hope burn out!  And if you have stopped, there is nothing wrong with
starting again.  There is an old Roman saying, "Hope springs eternal!"

Again, thanks for all your efforts to help me.  It is a good model of
how NonViolent Action can work: A small group of people that can make
sacrifices.  A larger group providing support to those people and
using their efforts to call public attention to injustice &
indignity.  History has proven this can be a winning combination.  No
name calling or anger required.

For background information please visit
http://www.AKidsRight.Org/support/traffic_jm.htm.  

Best regards!

John

Here are the phone numbers of the local officials:

* DA Richard Healey , Hall of Justice, Suite 202, Lyons, NY  14489
    (Phone: 315-946-5905 / Fax: 315-946-5911)

* Mr. Richard Wunder, Ass. District Attorney, 54 Broad St.  Lyons, NY 14489
    (Phone: 315-946-5905 / Fax: 315-946-5911)

* New York State Assemblyman Robert Oaks, 10 Leach Road, Lyons, NY 14489
    (Phone: 315-946-5166 / Fax: 315-946-5229)

* Judge Nicholas Forgione, 79 William St., Lyons, NY 14489
    (Phone: 315-946-1204)

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