Thirty-One
____________
Penalty of Death
Current Svalbard Super Y-MAX Perimeter Temperature: 1 Celsius / 34
Fahrenheit
After the formal introductions
ran their course, officers Thelma Krims and Vladimir Volchesky escorted the
visiting six teens to IRU, the prison’s Intake/Release Unit where the
group was separated by gender to partake in the customary unclothed body
search, the female officer searching the female teens and the male
searching the male teens. Only under extremely special circumstances is it ever
permitted for an officer to search the opposite gender in this manner.
Clothed body searches are not as restrictive, however.
Back in the staff lounge Poppy’s
coworker, Akiko, interviewed Cornell while Poppy sat and conversed with
Renwick, “I was not allowed to read yours or Cornell’s jacket, as it’s
called, but I was able to research your cases through news and court sources of
mine while back in the states, Renwick.”
“You can call me Renie, Miss
Fields.”
“Ok, Renie it is,” she
continued, “As an inmate yourself, what is your opinion concerning the death
penalty back in the USA?”
Renie thought for a moment
before answering, “That’s a big topic, Miss Fields… the Feds, the military and
about two-thirds of the states have the death penalty active—"
“Looks like you’ve kept up your
academics during your time in prison, Renie.”
“Yes, ma’am, I have. This topic
comes up a lot and me bein’ a Christian and all… well, I had to read my Bible
and think long and hard on what it teaches.”
“I’m proud of you, that you
think about things and your beliefs and don’t just follow what’s currently
popular or politically correct, even in Christian circles.”
“Thank you, Miss Fields,” Renie
smiled. “The Bible tells us that no soldier gets involved in civilian matters
and for me, bein’ a soldier of the cross in God’s army, I need to be
focusing on God’s kingdom and his purposes. I don’t have time or a life to
waste on all the secular matters of society.”
“I’m impressed,” Poppy leaned
forward.
“The Lord Jesus told Pontius
Pilate during his questioning that his kingdom was not of this world and that
he was indeed a king. So, Miss
Fields, that is where I started
my thinking on this subject, and also right after reading about the Apostle
Paul when he was questioned by a ruler named Porcius Festus. Paul said to
that ruler that if he was some kind of lawbreaker, or had committed anything
worthy of bein’ killed for, he wasn’t refusing to die for the crime. So
Paul submitted to whatever government laws applied to his situation without
complaint. The Bible also tells us to obey the governments we live in. Of
course, Christians draw the line when it comes to doin’ things that are against
God or his words in the Bible.”
“Where’s that thing about
obeying the governments found in the Bible,” Poppy questioned as she took
notes.
“The book of Romans, chapter
thirteen, ma’am.”
“Ok, Renie, thanks.”
“No problem, Miss Fields.”
“One more quick question,” Poppy
continued, “What are your personal opinions about the teens already housed
here?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, just the general thoughts
you have, and then if you could… your contemplations, if you’ve had any, from
your own personal Christian perspective.”
Looking off for a moment to
focus his thoughts, Renie saw a door had opened for him to express personal
secular views and views from a biblical standpoint.
“Take your time, Renie… we’re in
no rush.”
Renie straightened up in his
chair and replied, “I feel sorry that our world cultures and societies have
produced criminals of this nature. I am aware of the time-old war between
nature versus nurture, and I believe they sort of go hand-in-hand. Why two
people from similar circumstances respond in two totally opposite ways
perplexes me sometimes, but I see what the Bible says about the nature of
humans and that helps me to understand a bit.”
“You are quite an analytical
young man, Renie, something one, especially who is an investigative journalist,
rarely sees today,” Poppy stated.
“Continue, please.”
“I still wrestle, Miss Fields,
from a Christian frame of mind, with some things, but I don’t see the big
picture God sees throughout all eternity. I’m just a speck of dust in the
universe of time.”
“Wait a moment, let me finish
writing that down. It’s a great quote.” Poppy wrote then said, “Go ahead,
Renie.”
“The Lord has made all for
Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom..., Truly, this only I have
found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes..., As
the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked'...,
Then the Lord said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man’s
sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth'.” These
are just a few of the things I think about frequently. It seems that there
comes a turning point during youth where we humans can change.
It’s sort of like deciding to
give in to an impulse instead of resisting it.”
“Interesting.”
“I listen to the folks from a
Christian outreach called Cyrene Ministries—"
“I’m familiar with the group.
They have a weekly televised segment out of their center in California.”
“North Richmond… I watch the
show every chance I get, so does Cornell.”
“Anyway, as you were saying,”
Poppy refocused her interviewee.
“I heard it explained once that
God knows everything and he knows who will and who will not respond to him. So,
it is possible that God accentuates things a bit to get and keep his plan
in full force.”
“I’m losing the concept here a
bit, Renie. Can you clarify that, or maybe reword it a bit for me?”
“One good example is Pharaoh’s
response to Moses. The Bible says Pharaoh hardened his heart and that God
hardened it too. God already knew Pharaoh would harden his heart and God
made sure Pharaoh’s heart didn’t waver, something like that.”
“I think I understand,” Poppy
replied, “Sometimes when I interview people, especially sociopaths and serial
killers, I ask leading questions instead of open-ended ones. I do that
because I know what their response will be, I am also a criminal profiler of
sorts, so I make sure I get directly to the answer I seek rather than have
the individual waste time with needless words trying to figure out what I’m
asking.”
“Yeah, that’s it, I think,”
Renie agreed. “Another part of the Bible says… ‘But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our
glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.’”
“Let me process that one for a
moment, Renie.”
“Jesus told just about everyone,
including religious leaders and his disciples, that he must be crucified,
lifted up, and still nobody seemed to understand.”
Poppy appeared to be
analytically processing as she wrote down some additional notes.
“And one more thought, Miss
Fields….”
“Yes.”
“It’s a bit off of the topic,
but I used to have horrible emotional waves come over me. Waves of fear,
emptiness, loneliness…, but since I’ve been focused on having a
relationship with God those types of feelings and thoughts have progressively
diminished. I know there are other sides to this coin, ma’am.”
“Sides?”
“Yes, other views, other
reasons. It may be that as time has progressed, I have grown more accustomed to
prison life and my emotions, my thoughts, and personality have adjusted
too. I also realize that I am secluded from the prison life almost all other
inmates live. I’m away from the prison mainline and even the normal daily
contact and stresses mainline inmates face. Maybe God used those two factors to
help me along in my Christian life, sort of like startin’ a flower in a
pot instead of in the garden so it won’t get chocked to death by weeds
before it has a chance to grow a little first.”
“I like your analytical unbiased approach to your
life, Renie.”
Next Chapter: A Weekend to Forget
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