[This was written to Dave Leach of Prayer & Action News]
- The last letter we had from Leland was dated 12-31-96; it sounded as though he was in great spirits. Early in ‘97 we heard he had been put into the ‘hole” and all sorts of terrible things were happening to him. We reported what we had heard via the grapevine, including the fact that the reason for his ‘drop into the hole’ was because he was receiving the ‘Prayer & Action News’. It seemed no one was actually hearing from him for some time – though lots of people were trying to find out what was going on. Then we learned he had been transferred to a medical facility, and a little later a reader shared a letter he had received from Lee himself. We had stopped sending P&A for obvious reasons, and been waiting to hear from him, but finally decided he either didn’t have our address with him or couldn’t or didn’t want to have any more to do with P&A. So, we wrote to him with those direct questions and here is his reply, We’re grateful for the upbeat sound of his letter.
December’97
Dear David & Dorothy,
Maranatha! Please forgive my rather long-lapse (one year) of not writing, much water “under the bridge”. I’m still in “the hole” since my transfer here in March of this year. I’m soon to transfer again after the first of the year, where, I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted so you can continue to mail “P&A News to me. [happy face drawn here] Of course I WANT to receive P&A. It’s a good way to stay in touch with friends in Christ! I think you scared the folks at Leavenworth. They were quite upset that such “radical pro-life literature” existed, and it being in my possession didn’t help matters one bit. (happy face drawn here]
I’d have to write you a diary and it would fill pages. I’m whole spiritually and my physical self has healed. I was transferred in hand cuffs (belly chains) from one unit to another at Leavenworth, the police dropped me on my face, [sad, squashed-looking, perhaps angry face drawn here], then used my head as a “battering ram” to open a steel door and a brick wall. [Angry face.] I received superficial wounds as God blessed me with a thick skull. I received no medical records leave evidence, evidence leads to lawsuits, etc…. so no big deal, just another beating at Leavenworth goes unreported!
I’ve not written to hardly anyone in the past year, a deep dark depression beset me & I’ve suffered silently with it so far with a little prayer & fasting. I’m down to 220 pounds from about 250, so it’s not so bad, besides they took the weights from us so we couldn’t work out anymore. They’re afraid we get too strong & big lifting weights, so now I’ll go back to running & trim down even further. Once I transfer I’ll be out of “the hole” which will help my mental outlook somewhat. All I do now is read ‘n sleep. They put (forced) me on medication (prozac & resperidone -minor doses). I don’t need these medications nor do I desire them. If I refuse to take it, they’ll put me in the hole (another unit) and shoot me up with the medication anyway! That’s how they run this “medical center”. No joke! At any rate I’ve survived a year of this “treatment.”
Big brother is definitely watching over us all; I fear the day they put good people like yourselves in prison, too, to deprive us of any support.
Please tell all I send my greetings, to Regina and her gang in K.C, [happy face]. You can print this whole letter if you wish. [happy face] I’m OK thanks to your prayers & support of you and others… Thanks for checking in, once I’m resettled I’ll give you more of an update of things, ok? I appreciate all you do.
I remain your friend in Christ’s Service,
Lee (Psalm 127-.3)