1) The barbarian architects behind these sickass designs had (have) serious mental problems dealing with their own inferiority syndrome and dealing with peoples in the world.

2) These holes were purposely designed as a torture chamber to break you mentally and physically into submission and to abandon your own beliefs, etc.

3) The isolations and restrictions in these dungeons that our captors like referring to as Control Units vary from state to state, prison to prison - some more isolated and restricted than others - however, their structure and use have the same malicious intent, and that is to control your existence and way of thinking.

This brings me to another very important point that I would like to paraphrase from Carter G. Woodson:

If you control a man's thinking, you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think, you do not have to concern yourself about that. he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do nor have to order him to the backdoor. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one...

You recall the old adage - cliche: don't let time do you, you do the time. There is great truth in that above cliche.

I have now been in prison 20 years and 18 of them have been spent in various SHU's (holes) - from D.V.I. Folsom State Prison, San Quentin (briefly), then to the new more high tech isolation chambers at Corcoran State Prison and now Pelican Bay State Prison. I have now been here since 1990.

I have many years of experience in these hell holes and have witnessed a great deal in terms of seeing individuals giving up their inner strength and beliefs because in their minds they could no longer deal with the mental torture, isolation, the materialistic restrictions, etc.

These individuals gave up and broke themselves because they were missing the key essentials to their inner consciousness that give them the power to survive isolation.

I have been asked over the years: "How have you been able to survive all this and still be mentally intact?" My answers are very simple:

1) I know who I am and where I am going.

2) I don't let time do me, I do the time.

3) My mind and thinking are far beyond prison walls.

Only my body is being held captive. To put it more plainly, 95% of time daily is spent writing and thinking outside of prison.

Now I would like to share with those who are new to this or/and those who have not yet developed the inner consciousness that give them the power to survive - here are my pointers on how to survive and use isolation to your advantage:

1) Regrowth - begin with studying your history, culture and yourself.

2) Make a real commitment to your inner consciousness.

3) Think of ways you can make positive contributions to our peoples in the communities.

4) Write letters with your ideas and input to unify yourselves with the young and old. Send your letters to family members, friends, churches, publications, progressive newspapers, radio deejays, artists, college students on campus, lawyers, etc., etc. Keep writing, don't stop. You may not get responses from every one you write to, but you will get some. In them some may be referrals to our peoples, or they may like your ideas and be willing to help you get it going.