LOX!
Bravo old skin!
I used the same example of strike breaking and slavery in the private prisons on a friend a few months ago, who just got out of prison. He is a predicate offender, and if he goes up for something minor, he goes away for life. He was "in the park" which means alot on the lower east side, hanging out with the drug crowd. I told him that for generations we all fought together to end american slavery, and it is being restored through the prison system, and that his part of the fight, to not put the slave collar around his neck, was to get out of the old habits, and get straight. I told him he was playing the slave master's game, and the judge who was so stern with him, was laughing at him behind his back. My wife told me the other day, she ran into him, working as a messinger, and trying to get back to his goal of going to Paralegal school. He told her, to tell me that he was avoiding the lower east side, for the reasons I had spoken to him about.
You are very right, I believe, that prisons are a growth industry in this nation. For anyone who wants to see this at work, rent Roger and Me from your vidio store (under documentry most likely).
As to political exicutions and police brutality. I also agree, things are much worce off than most of this country allows itself to acknowelge. Read the rest of the posts when you get the chance Lox, I think you may find them really interesting.
All the best
Larry