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This was my
first day on the job and jobs are hard to come by for people like me. What a celebration in our family when I was
hired to be a guard in the state prison!
A paycheck at the end of each month and a pension for my old age! I began my first day with the greatest
determination not to screw up this, the opportunity of my life.
The
sergeant gave me general instructions and then told me that because I was so
“reliable” – whatever that meant! – I would be assigned to the detail guarding the
special prisoner. Then he gave me this
book. It had a plain cover with an even
plainer title: Orientation for X.
* * * *
From Orientation
for X.
Purpose: Orientation for new guards of the special
prisoner.
I. Introduction
Objective:
Total deprivation and control of the special prisoner (codename
“X”). To set example for other potential
rebels against El Leader.
Subject:
Maria Velasquez; age 23; height short 5 ft. 2 inches; weight slim
build. Religious (Christian)
disposition. Pacifist. Parentage 70% Native American; skin tone
brown; hair black. Only child, both
parents dead.
Reason
for Special Treatment: Opposed to El Leader’s narcotics
operations. Private prayer vigils for
“God’s healing our country”. She stated
that her activity in her own home does not violate El Leader’s laws because she
only does it while alone. However, she
has not kept it a secret. Public
knowledge of and appreciation of this activity was growing in the region. She refuses to support El Leader. She refuses to renounce opposition to his
rule. Even though the region of the
county where her hamlet resides is both small and remote, her reputation in it
has been growing and can be source of future problems.
Our
Public Position: Prisoner is religious fanatic and U.S.
Government spy. (Note recent U.S. efforts against drug cartels in our region.)
We will not make her into a martyr.
Rather, prisoner is being re-educated for her own good and public
safety. More on public relations aspects
of case in Section VI below.
The
Truth: [WARNING:
THIS PARAGRAPH IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY. DO NOT DISCLOSE THIS TO OUTSIDERS UNDER PAID
OF SEVERE PUNISHMENT!]
Prisoner is
simple peasant girl whose shy demeanor, quiet behavior, and good looks have
attracted unwanted attention to her activity from our standpoint. Expect submissive obedience to your commands
due to her belief system. No ties to US
can be found and no other political activities are known. However, she has been known to watch such tv
shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel which she says “are
real cool”. (Note the fighting, the good
vs. evil motif, the general anti-establishment attitude of these shows and most
importantly, their US origin.) She has
participated enthusiastically in local dance events especially ones where US
rock bands were played. This
participation has extended to singing karaoke.
It appears that she is unaware of the effect that this has on young men
of her age and how it enhances her danger to us. “I only have a few boyfriends. If I fall in love, I will get married but I
would like to play the field for a little while longer.” As part of our remedial action plan, all her
friends have been shot.
Summary:
Prisoner’s punishment is to be both private and public. Her inner spirit must be broken; the peasants
of the region must be cowed. Once these
intermediate goals have been accomplished, the prisoner will be kept where she
shall be forgotten and her life made a hell until old age comes and she
eventually dies.
* * * *
So this was
the famous Maria Velasquez! She really
didn’t look like much. She stood with
her back to a large post in the ground.
The post was about 8 feet high and about as wide as a telephone
pole. Her arms were wrapped around it
and the wrists tied together. Since her
arms were bare, I noticed that the position was putting a strain on the
muscles. The upper arm flexed and
rippled as she labored to get a more comfortable position. Other cords around her ankles, thighs, and
chest bound her body to the post.
Her face
was a study in agony. Her hair was
matted on the top of her head. It was
dark black. It scraggled down the back
and sides of her head to her neck. The
other guards sat in the shade fanning themselves in the heat of the Central
American afternoon. Everybody had
apparently been this position for a long time.
“So, we’ve
got a new man!” I turned to her in
surprise. She looked at me with a crooked grin on her face.
“Are you
allowed to talk?” I asked. “Why not,
we’re having such a party!” she answered.
The head
guard chuckled. “She is quite a
comic. Just when you think she’s done up
good, she gives us a joke. Such a
jokester!” He got up, took my papers
from my hand, grinned at me, then turned and slapped the prisoner’s face. She moaned and rocked her head from side to
side. He turned back to me and said,
“Welcome to the detail.”
This
situation was certainly not what I expected.
All I want is a paycheck. I
reflected that humor can see one through the greatest adversity but that
presupposes that there is another side to the valley, that the phrase “getting
through” means that there is an end to get through to. What if the adversity in one’s life will
never have an end, that it will become as in the words of the manual, “the
prisoner will be kept where she shall be forgotten and her life made a hell
until old age comes and she eventually dies?”
I believe
that this is when the thought of murder first entered my mind.
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