The Birth of Prison Pete. [Editor] No, not literally. This is how the Prison Pete blog was born. The following is from a letter Pete wrote to me earlier this year. Although I knew nothing about blogs when this adventure started, I was intrigued by the idea and agreed to create the blog for him. It has been much more work than I expected, but I think the results are worth it. Your comments help keep us motivated, so Thanks! Keep those cards and letters coming.

Saturday, March 27, 2004

I read an article on female bloggers, and I was wondering if you would be interested and able to scan typewritten rantings of a frustrated and e-challenged individual to a blog? The nom-de-plume could be Prison Pete.

Topics might range from:

Does anyone actually read these books?
Is Grisham's latest any good?
Guess how much the taxpayers are ripped off in the building of prisons?
etc.

I always thought a good cartoon would be of a prison under construction with Brinks trucks lined up on the road leading to the construction site. The caption would explain that they were there to pick up the bribe money.

The number of stories I have heard from inmates who have gone inside the walls to work on the internal stuff, plumbing and A/C etc., and not found what the plans called for (and I am sure the invoices show were paid for) are no small chunk of change.

This does not include the ongoing waste (how many copiers) and Federal law violations (Copyright? We don't need no stinking copyright!) that go on.

The article lists a couple of female writer blogs and perhaps you could send me some downloads using that four-on-a-page system you have used in the past. They are:

Eurotrash (http://www.upsaid.com/eurotrash/) -- This is a 35-year-old former London tabloid journalist and current Hoboken resident. The article says the site is not for the easily shocked, and her own description reads: "Loony slut from Hell masting her life and writing drivel".

Also another, Maccers (http://www.maccers.blogspot.com/) written by a lawyer.

Well, if you are inclined to send me some of this stuff, that would be cool.  ¶ 8:01 AM