Save Iron Thunderhorse

Letter from Ruth Little Owl regarding Iron's Condition:
November 7, 2005

Dear Ruby and other family and friends.

Thank you for your words of support. It is always good to hear from you.

Iron had to endure horrible pain and suffering in order to get to the visit Saturday. A TDCJ sergeant had talked the unit classification committee into discontinuing Iron's front handcuff pass (that's what he told Iron, anyway). THE FRONT HANDCUFF PASS IS ISSUED BY AN M.D. AND IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE OF IRON'S RIGHT ARM AND SHOULDER INJURY. HE HAS HAD A MEDICALLY AUTHORIZED FRONT HANDCUFF PASS SINCE 1992. UNIT CLASSIFICATION COMMITTEE HAS NO JURISDICTION OVER MEDICAL AND NO RIGHT TO DISCONTINUE A MEDICAL PASS.
BUT THEY DID AND FORCED HIM INTO HANDCUFFS BEHIND HIS BACK. I SAW HIM COMING, BENT ALMOST DOUBLE WITH THE PAIN, STUMBLING BECAUSE OF THE DIZZINESS FROM THE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (CAUSED BY HIS MEDS BEING 'LOST' FOR DAYS AND THEN BEING FORCED TO ENDURE SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN) AND ALL I COULD DO WAS YELL, "no!no!no!no!" "You can't do that!" "STOP" "NO! NO!" "STOP!" 'NO!NO!NO! STOP!"

THEY COULD NOT HEAR ME, BUT THEY COULD SEE ME CRYING AND JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND YELLING. IF I COULD HAVE REACHED THEM BEHIND THAT GLASS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE, BECAUSE I WAS FURIOUS! I HAD NEVER SEEN IRON LOOK LIKE THAT - I NEVER SAW ANYBODY LOOK LIKE THAT.

Iron was in such pain, his BP was so high, that he was trembling all over - his hands were shaking so that he couldn't hold the phone and it was a real struggle for him to even open the sandwich that I'd bought for him. Iron said that he was going to medical after he left visitation, but they made me leave before they handcuffed him, so I know that they forced his hands behind his back again.

He told me that he would be unable to write or read or do anything for days after that horrible torture Saturday (on top of his having his BP meds taken away from the 21st to the 27th). And now he has run out of other meds and they discontinued his meds for high cholesterol - putting him in greater jeopardy of a heart attack.

Ruby, I hope Ben has some idea what we can do. I'm ready to explode, but Iron says that I cannot do that because it might cause them to stop our visits altogether.

Send up smoke for Iron's pain and for us both to have an idea how to save his life. The worst part about it all for me is that I am so totally helpless to stop the torture and clueless how to get him moved.

Iron's health continues to fail as they continue to torture him, but my beloved husband endured the torture in order to visit with me Saturday. He said the female guards who brought him the long way to visitation kept asking him if he didn't want to go back to his cell, because he kept stopping as he was about to pass out from the pain and high blood pressure, but he kept telling them "No, I have to see my wife."

Tomorrow I start telephoning the FBI, the warden, the medical staff at various levels, and I may camp out on somebody's doorstep until someone will see me about the guards making medical decisions. I may see what the Polk County prosecutor says about the hate crime in progress.

PLEASE WRITE TO IRON AND WRITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE TREATMENT, THE MEDICAL PROBLEMS, AND IRON'S DETERIORATING HEALTH UNDER THEIR CARE. TEXAS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE INMATES, SO BE SURE TO WRITE THE GOVERNOR AND SENATORS.

Even though our focus has shifted, we cannot permit TDCJ to think that nobody cares or that nobody knows what they are doing. The correspondence to Iron has dropped off, so probably that means that correspondence to TDC administrators, etc., has dropped off, too. They are tampering, not only with the mail, but also with his medications and with his medical passes - I believe that they intend to kill him, if necessary, to stop the lawsuit. I know that you get tired of writing, but apparently TDCJ is not tired of brutalizing this wonderful man.

It is midnight and I need to close with these words: THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE; THANK YOU FOR CARING; THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS. TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER. IRON AND I LOVE YOU.

Wanishi,
Little Owl/Ruth

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Following the Footprints of a Stone Giant: the Life and Times of Iron Thunderhorse