Please Come and Show Stan Support on August 28th

Stan will be sentenced in the Federal Courthouse (old Whittle bldg.) on August 28th. When we get a little closer to that date, I'll post the time, directions, etc... This will be the last time Stan will be in Knoxville for maybe many years. I know many of you are frustrated by not being able to see him in jail so this might be a good opportunity to give him a little wave, smile, and pray for justice in the sentence that will come from the Judge. Please consider doing this small thing for Stan; let him know there are many of us out there who remember all the good he has done and for his friendship we've enjoyed through the years. On behalf of Stan, thanks for considering this... patrick

3rd Visit, July 21st, Day 83

My visit to Stan last Monday was the best ever. He was filled with stories, "from the inside," as he calls it. He still looks pretty much like he did wen he went in, albeit a little pale from lack of sunshine. The jail is filled with characters. Some are mentally ill, most are very poor, almost none are educated, and Stan sees all this with great sadness. He told me that some of the guys he's in there with should be in a hospital rather than in jail.

He seems to be better off these days in terms of his own mental health. I don't mean to imply that he's happy in there, however, and he's very nervous about the sentencing that is coming up on August 28th. He constantly hears about what other offenders have been given in terms of time for violent crimes and then is quick to tell me about the more harsh sentences for sex offenders. He points out that people convicted of manslaughter can often make parole in half the time or even less than what he might receive.

He continues to be clean shaven with his hair in good shape each time I come. This is in spite of the fact that he is allowed to shower only twice per week. We've spoken about shaving before, and in Stan's mind, he wants to keep up with any practice that allows him to remain human. He also goes outside each time they allow it. Last week, they called for the guys that wanted to to go outside and he was the only one that wanted to go. It was his first time alone since going into jail eighty three days ago.

One bad thing that has happened is the jail lost the preacher guy who used to move the book cart through the jail. The people with Stan haven't been able to get a book for the last four weeks, which is really hard on Stan, as reading is a great solace to him. Please pray that the jail will appoint some new person to this task so the guys can get new material to read.

All in all, I think he is resigned to be locked up for a long time. He seems to be slowly accepting that fact and is much more even now, with his emotions more under control during our visits. He told me once that the nights are the worst, and so I always try to see him at night. Since I can go anytime, I also try to keep my visits away from Saturdays when he can be seen by others on the regular visiting day.

If you are reading this and consider yourself a friend to Stan, your greatest gifts that you can give him right now are twofold.

First, your thinking about him and praying for him are of real importance to him. Your prayers will be heard by God who is with Stan while in jail. Stan feels support from many of you in this regard and talks often about how many of the men he's incarcerated with have no one that cares for him on the outside. Don't kid yourself into thinking that your simple prayers to God asking for Stan's protection, safety, and good mental health are doing nothing. they mean everything to him so please think of Stan often and ask God to make His presence known to Stan all the time.

Second, the greatest currency for Stan at this point, comes not from what's in his account at the commissary, but rather what comes in the mail each day. Stan LOVES to get letters and since none of us can call him and only five people can visit him (including his lawyer), receiving mail is the highlight of each and every day. Each new person that writes him will let him know that another person cares for him in his old life and doesn't think of him as a monster. But the greatest gift in that act won't be your letter to him, but rather his letter to you. Stan is an awesome writer. He tells hilarious stories that ring sad after a few days. His diction is tremendous and he can turn words with the best of them. His insights about jail life, the people he spends time with, his thoughts about his future, and his ebb and flow of depression and hope, are excellent. I'm encouraging him to think about writing something serious about his experiences. But I guarantee that he will not disappoint. His letters are worth keeping and re-reading. Stan has a real gift in his writing that will replace photography for a long time, but the same creative muscles are in use, so if you enjoyed his photos, wait till you see what he can do with a letter!

Last, on the letter writing front... Time passes for us a lightning speed. I can't believe how long it had been since my last visit. Time for Stan is forever. It creeps along at 1/10th of our normal slow motion. Our letters to him provide Stan much needed respite from his reality; please don't blow this off. When you write to him, seal the envelope as normal and then add a few pieces of scotch tape, one on top of each other making maybe three layers. They don't allow normal pens in jail as they can be sharpened and used as a shank, so they remove the hard plastic barrel and give the prisoners only the floppy ink tube and the very bottom of the pen. Stan can use the tape to wrap around the ink-tube and make it more comfortable to use.