U.S. prisoners working for a computer-recycling operation run by Federal Prison Industries (FPI) are being exposed to a toxic cocktail of hazardous chemicals through their prison jobs while efforts by some prison officials to protect them have been met with stonewalling and subterfuge. Since 1994, FPI has used inmates to disassemble electronic waste (e-waste)—the detritus of obsolete computers, televisions and related… return to article
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Reader Comments (11)Page 1 of 1 pagesI find it hard “to be respectful in my comments” when I read the Great Empire is capable of doing that kind of thing to their own people.
Posted by Maria on Jan 17, 2007 at 6:59 PM Don’t worry about being respectful to the US Govt scum who run these programs. Nor to any of their apologists on this board.
Posted by blondemike on Jan 17, 2007 at 7:46 PM “Inmates working for UNICOR are paid between 23 cents and $1.15 per hour. In 2005 the company recorded $64.5 million in profits.”
What’s the difference between the US and China?
Posted by theloneous on Jan 17, 2007 at 9:18 PM How about don’t work breaking computers… as all prison work is voluntary…..sit in your air-conditioned cell…eat your taxpayer provided meals and enjoy free medical and dental care.
Posted by texasindependent on Jan 18, 2007 at 4:32 AM My cousin has been inside for years. Sold cannabis, then broke probation. He says it’s crowded, dangerous, and that it fucks with his head.
Doesn’t matter if anyone feels sympathy for him or not, just saying, it’s no picnic in there.
The problem with permitting exploitation of felons is little different from permitting exploitation of anyone else. If people are allowed to be dehumanized, it degrades the entire society, whether the neighborhood or the bureaucracy think they deserve it or not.
No need to give them cake and ice cream every day, but also there’s no need to fuck with them gratuitously, especially since nearly all will one day get out. If a man thinks his country sees him as a valueless piece of garbage, why should he care whether his future behavior disrupts or harms the lives of others? American prisons are nihilism machines, this article only describes another facet of it.
Posted by Kuya on Jan 18, 2007 at 9:41 AM Kuya, thanks. Texass is as stupid as a mule and that might be a grievious insult to mules. He needs to spend time in one of those prisons in Texass and he’ll get a different perspective.
Posted by blondemike on Jan 18, 2007 at 6:33 PM Tex,
You’ve obviously never been in prison. Your silly conception shows this most clearly.
Posted by cabdriverinchicago on Jan 23, 2007 at 6:43 AM FIRST intelligent thing you have said in months on the ITT board, Chicago Crabs.
Posted by blondemike on Jan 24, 2007 at 6:27 PM All prison work is compulsorary. I know, I worked for two years in a prison library. I never commited any crime, and eventually won my appeal after 2 years. I never received a dime for any of the work I performed, nor even an appology. When I got out I was $100,000 in debt, my house and car was in disarray, and I spent 2 months just cleaning up from everything having just sat for 2 years. What they did to me was beyond criminal. I can’t even find the words for it. It left me angry, and furious, bitter, and hostile to all people.
So yes, no matter what you want to call it, I was a white slave in slavery in the United States of America. Slavery is not illegal in America (check the constitution), as long as it is done by the state. Nor is murder, theft, or a whole slew of other crimes. The entire justice system is not setup to provide justice, but rather, to withhold and protect all criminal powers to itself, and project power on a fine grain level. Its illegal for you to kill, but not for them to kill. Its illegal for you to steal, but not for them to steal. And so on.Its an incredible reflection on the farcial nature of the corrupt brand of “American” justice and democracy , which is neighter.
I sincerely hope the entire world recognizes this, and does everything in its power to stop this growing criminal, corrupt, deadly, exploitive, corporate military industrial complex beheamoth before its too late for anyone to do so. American’s themselves seem to be caught in a paralysis of inaction, to top the eggregious excesses and violence of their own government turned police state out of control.
Posted by starguy on Jan 28, 2007 at 11:51 PM Starguy, thanks for sharing this and you are absolutely right about the nature of government, of the state.
Posted by blondemike on Jan 29, 2007 at 10:26 PM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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