Death Blog

Texas Death Row

November 24th, 2009  2:00am

Welcome to my nightmare, tales from a dead man.

The morning has sneaked in again. I was awakened by yells, screams and kicking of doors. An individual here on our section needed to see the medical staff and that’s like asking to see Santa Claus around this crazy place, but after enough chaos and constant noise and stuff someone made a decision to summons an escort team to take this man to see medical staff. He has recently returned, his blood pressure was a bit high 205/105. I’m just a simple Texas Redneck and don’t claim to know all of the secrets of our universe but I know one thing, that’s not normal there. Border line stroke! Good morning Death Row! What a great day to be alive… I think!

I want to bring an issue up, in my last blog I was very unsure if Texas had indeed executed that person on the 19th of November, Robert Thompson was his Christian name but since he came to the row he converted to Islam and was a radical and always talked down on America. The same America his family lives in. Anyways he was convicted of shooting someone and fell under the Law of Parties, which made him equally culpable for the slaying his “road dog” was given life for. That’s a bit of a confused issue, the one who did kill received life, the one who did not just go sent to the other side of the light. Or perhaps the flames. Governor Perry could of spared him since the Parole Board in a rare ruling recommended that he got life as well. Perry executed him!

Now let me bring up another issue, we had another person who received a 90 day stay of execution who was just hours away from his execution on November 17th and midway through his final meal (pancakes & peanut butter, oatmeal cookies and chocolate milk) when the Federal Judge halted the execution; responding on appeal that argued the person is incompetent to be executed. The way I see it, anyone who wants pancakes for a last meal has got to be crazy! These folks feed us pancake goo about 6 times a week. I almost fell off my bunk when I read this report. This person is real crazy, not just because of the pancakes but because I’ve lived on the same section with him, they call him Crazy Mike. That 9 year old he killed haunts him because he screams her name. “Chirrisa” leave me alone. I’m sorry! WHEW! I’m serious folks! I am in a nightmare, seeing all these twisted bent up people, it leaves me speechless. How can anyone harm and kill a child???

I hear the chow cart being rolled onto the pod, I believe it’s time for another dose of abuse. Pancakes I’m sure.

True American till death

Mark Anthony Stroman

Living to Die, Dying to Live

Death Blog

November 21st, 2009  6:24am

 

Welcome to my nightmare, Tales from a dead man

 

Hello from a cold, rainy Texas. The day started out with the normal yells of chow time, the banging of steel gates and a smile nowhere in sight. It starts at 3:00am and the usual cold gooey pancakes that are unfit for human consumption but then again, the media and pro death folks say we are not humans anyway. Nothings to good for us lunatics I guess, good morning Texas Death Row! What a great day to be alive!

We have had a very crazy week in Texas. We had three executions set and as far as I know, only one was put to death and he was a volunteer. There’s another one set for December and that will wrap up the killings in the Texas Death Chamber for 2009. Thus far I do believe it’s 21 for Texas. I do not know if the one who was set to die on the 19th received a stay or not, the news has said nothing to this, the last I heard the Texas Parole Board had said they leaned towards a life sentence since he is under the law of parties and killed no one. He did wound one seriously but that is not a capital offense so the final decision was tossed into our good ole fair Governor’s lap! What a way to pass the buck Parole Board!

 

I had wanted to venture outside for 1st round recreation this morning but there is a chill in the air and it’s raining. Normally I’d of jumped at the chance to get out in some rain but since it’s a bit cold out there I had a dose of self preservation kick in, to be sick in here is the same as being homeless. One will get no help or medicine!

 

I had to laugh at something that was said to me at a visit, I was asked how I felt after my flu shot. What? Flu Shot? I don’t know where you heard that at, apparently the media said that the Texas Prisons have already given us our flu shots. Well I’m not sure about the prison system, but I know we back here on the row have not been given any. Wouldn’t that make the general public go nuts. “Death Row given flu shots”. WHEW! But seriously, it takes an act of Congress just to get a pack of Tylenol from this place, let alone a flu shot!

 

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!

 

True American Till Death

Mark Anthony Stroman

 

Dying to live, living to die

Death Blog

 

Texas Death Camp

November 11th, 2009  3:48am

Veteran’s Day ~ God bless you all!

Welcome to my nightmare, tales from a dead man.

The starts with the usual slamming of steel gates and doors, a guard yelling “lights on if you’re eating” CHOW TIME! CHOW TIME!  The silence of the morning is shattered and a cold meal is minutes away, good morning Texas Death Row, I’ve been waiting for you yet again!  I scratch off another name from the execution list, Texas killed it’s 21st person last night, a man just a few days ago I said a final farewell too, the smell of death is in the air. We also have three more people set to die next week, November 17, 18th and 19th. The Execution Chamber is busy this month. The executioner is fat and happy with his Christmas bonus just around the corner.

As most of you know I’ve made a colossal error in judgment after September 11th, 2001 which I’ll pay for with my very life and soon in the near future. I want to say a few things that are heavy on my mind since I tend to say things that are not acceptable by the mainstream media I’ll be short on my words. Just a few days ago here in Texas we had a terrorist attack at Fort Hood and 13 American Military Personnel lost their lives and 30+  others wounded by a terrorist who lived under our flag! The event brings back pain, rage and anger from 2001. I listen to the news and everyone is afraid to say what this really was, an act of terrorism by a Islamist Terrorist. Pure and simple!

 

I believe in the First Amendment, Freedom of Speech but the news reports I am hearing are tip toe’n around the word “Muslim and religion .We as a society have grown so accustomed as to not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings our own leaders are afraid to confront the issues at hand. Political correctness is killing our Country. America needs to wake up, it’s only the beginning.

 

My heart goes out to all the victims.

 

True American

Mark Anthony Stroman

 

Living to die, dying to live!

 

Death Blog

Texas Death Row

November 3rd, 2009  2:27am

Welcome to my nightmare, tales from a dead man.

The night was spent in a magical dreamland, I was able to experience more dreams of freedom, days from my past. Happier times, happier places, full of hope and promise. I could hear laughter, see loved ones who are long since passed away. Dream land, what a beautiful sleep it was. Only to be awoken by the crossover door being slammed shut by the night guard doing their security check. From dream land to a living nightmare. Good morning Texas Death Row! What does the day have in store for us? Death? Sadness? Misery?

YES!

We have 5 executions set for November and yesterday I had been fortunate enough to have a visit and as I’m being escorted back to my cage of death by two officers there’s another man heading to the visit room, just like me he is in handcuffs behind his back with two officers, one on each arm. Standard procedure for “Dead man walking”. As I get near this man I realize he is one of the ones set to be put to death on November 10th and he sees me and smiles from ear to ear and asks me “How I’m doing?” and I reply “How how are you?”  He then says I’m keeping my head up. All is lost and I will die as scheduled.  All I could say was “May God be with you, see ya on the other side”. So as we continue to walk one of the officers who is with me says that was felt by him as well. I look over at him and realized he was sincere. He had just witnessed a dead man walking and another dead man (me) saying a final goodbye.

Now I want to bring up a new topic, and that’s the reason 441 Texas men and women have been put to death since the States death chamber was reopened in 1982. The reason the jury’s of our cases have voted for death is because they are asked a question, to consider prison as a society and prison society and will more than likely kill again then they are to vote for the ultimate punishment, which is death by lethal injection. Now I have a front row seat at the busiest death machine in America and I being a true American, red blooded Texas have always been for the death penalty cause that’s what we do in Texas. I was uneducated then, I thought all who were sent to death row were “the worse of the worst”, sicko’s, pedophiles and rapists and would kill elderly people, women and children. That’s what I call the worst of the worst.

The reason I just said all the above is this” Texas just issued and execution date for a 90% blind man. Gary Johnson, born in 1950, been on death row since 1988. He has to be held as he staggers to the shower each day by the POD officers. This man is NO threat to society, ANY society. There’s not one Texas death row officer, male or female who can honestly say he is. Texas is about to kill out of revenge an old harmless blind man.

All in the name of Justice!

True American Till Death

Mark Anthony Stroman

Living to Die, Dying to Live

 

Death Blog

Texas Death Row

October 27, 2009  3:24am

Welcome to my nightmare,

Tales from a Dead Man

The days blend into nights, the nights turn into days. The ways to battle depression are lost to me it would seem. The isolation cells we are forced to live in are slowly taking a hold of what little humanity I have left. The voices inside my head, they too grow tired. The screams grow louder but no one but me can hear them. Good morning Texas Death Row. What a wonderful day to be alive.

Today Texas will execute another person who claims to be innocent. But who in Texas will listen to a condemned soul saying that there’s been a mistake. Not the good Gov. Rick Perry or the Judges who oversee the high courts. Texas Justice is “Do as we say, not as we do”. We will execute to show the world killing is wrong in Texas , there’s some people in office who should look deep into the system for its definitely broken.  We even have an ex Gov., Mark White, who was at one time the States strongest supporter of the death penalty. He defended it as Attorney General and took personal responsibility as Governor for the execution of nearly two dozen men. But now he is speaking out and has changed his mind about Capital Punishment and if he was running for Governor he told the Dallas Morning News he would not be for it because it’s not secure enough to make certain an innocent person was not put to death. Well how about that folks? Well we have an execution set for today, what’s to un-fold is yet to be seen!

Well let me touch base on another issue at hand. I’m not sure if my blogs are reaching their destination. God only knows if this one will. Ever since Richard Tabler mailed out something that made a threat on a Texas Senator, the rest of us on Texas Death Row are being punished. Retaliation so to say. The mail that I’ve been sending out has been held on this Unit up to 14 days. Policy of Mail Rules states this facility has 48 hours to process my mail and get it to the US Postal Service. That’s not happening and if you’re reading this blog and your loved on is having the same troubles it’s time to voice your complaints to Huntsville Texas .  Ombudsmans Office and OR Jennifer Smith, the Mail Systems Coordinator.

Yesterday morning I saw a shocking event. We had an elderly man on our section named Danny Bible. He is in a wheelchair due to being almost paralyzed. Well he was angry at one of the officers yesterday and was at his cell door with his walker, he can’t walk without it, well he threw water on this guard and instead of leaving the section to notify rank, this officer pulls out his mace can and maces this old elderly man who can’t get away from his door due to the walker. They wheeled this man away to F-Pod with his entire face swollen because of the mace attack. That’s like you mace’n your grandpa! That’s Texas Justice!

SAD HUH??

True American

Till Death

Mark Stroman

Texas Death Row, 2009

**side note**

To contact the Mail Systems Coordinator:

Jennifer Smith
Mail System Coordinators Panel
P. O. Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
(936) 437-6336

jennifer.smith@tdcj.state.tx.us

Ombudsman:

Ombudsman Coordinator
General Issues concerning the agency’s operation and policy and procedures.
P.O. Box 99, Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
(936) 437-8035 (936) 437-8067 fax
ombudsman@tdcj.state.tx.us

TDCJ-Correctional Institutions Division
Ombudsman Office
Issues from the public relating to secure facilities (prison units, state jails, and substance abuse felony punishment facilities), and any specific concerns regarding offenders confined in these types of facilities.
P.O. Box 99, Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
(936) 437-6791 (936) 437-6668 fax
ci.div@tdcj.state.tx.us

Death Blog

 

Texas Death Row   October 19, 2009  2:00am

Welcome to my nightmare… Tales from a Dead Man   The day has started off calm for me, I have once again awoken to the sense of amazement, I spent the night dreaming of past experiences of my life, these events took place in the 80’s.  What a wonderful night it was. To be awoke now, in this evil place is indeed depressing and alarming. Reality comes crashing in. My sole purpose is to be executed by the State. Hell just saying it sours the taste in my morning coffee. What a wonderful day to be alive.   The silence of the morning has just been shattered by screams of someone in the next section over. It echoes off these concrete walls I sit here and find myself getting angry, eyes blazing with maniacal conviction. It’s my quiet time and I do take offense to it being disturbed. How crazy is that folks? Then again if I was the one over there screaming in my sleep I could understand, because the one who is actually doing it is being attacked in his dreams. Haunted. For he is here for slicing an 11 year gold girls throat. I can’t even being to think straight. The horrors of this place, the demon’s, the monsters, they are real. Every time this person walks around in the day room I want to puke. How can someone kill a little girl by slicing her throat and then walk around as a tough guy.   I wish I could crawl back into my sleep, into those happy dreams I was having of my Grandpa and Grandma. Riding our horses, riding on the tractor next to Grandpa. My hero! What a mess I’ve made of things, but as they say: Into each life some rain must fall.   True American Mark Stroman

Here is  Mark ’s new blogDeath Blog Texas Death Row   October 19, 2009  2:00am   Welcome to my nightmare… Tales from a Dead Man   The day has started off calm for me, I have once again awoken to the sense of amazement, I spent the night dreaming of past experiences of my life, these events took place in the 80’s.  What a wonderful night it was. To be awoke now, in this evil place is indeed depressing and alarming. Reality comes crashing in. My sole purpose is to be executed by the State. Hell just saying it sours the taste in my morning coffee. What a wonderful day to be alive.   The silence of the morning has just been shattered by screams of someone in the next section over. It echoes off these concrete walls I sit here and find myself getting angry, eyes blazing with maniacal conviction. It’s my quiet time and I do take offense to it being disturbed. How crazy is that folks? Then again if I was the one over there screaming in my sleep I could understand, because the one who is actually doing it is being attacked in his dreams. Haunted. For he is here for slicing an 11 year gold girls throat. I can’t even being to think straight. The horrors of this place, the demon’s, the monsters, they are real. Every time this person walks around in the day room I want to puke. How can someone kill a little girl by slicing her throat and then walk around as a tough guy.   I wish I could crawl back into my sleep, into those happy dreams I was having of my Grandpa and Grandma. Riding our horses, riding on the tractor next to Grandpa. My hero! What a mess I’ve made of things, but as they say: Into each life some rain must fall.

True American Mark Stroman

 

Death Blog

Texas Death Camp

USA

October 12, 2009  2:38am

Welcome to my nightmare… tales from a dead man

The day starts earlier and earlier for me. I’ve noticed I’ve pulled back from this little society I live in. I don’t know why but it suits me fine since I’m a morning person. A cup of coffee, a few good memories and absolute quietness. The only sounds I can hear at the moment is the hum of the air vents and that’s almost too loud.  Good morning from Texas Death Row. A place that will execute the innocent as well as the guilty, and let’s not forget Texas executes “Law of Parties” as well. So your qualified to die even if you have killed no one.

Yesterday morning as I sat here trying to write a few lines for executionchronicles.org the night shift riot team had to suit up again on “Lizard”. The wild Texas Seven dude on the other side of the Pod. I do know they don’t like to do this, it’s always a battle and you can ask the guys who are on the team if they would ever go in on Lizard one on one and they say “HELL NO”.  That’s why they send 9 men on him at night time, after they gas him. What a crazy society this is back behind closed doors.

The issue of me, my ending is getting closer. I’m now on my final leg of the appeal process after another denial, but that is to be expected. At times I’m ready to die but I have a lot of that stuff called “Self preservation” flowing in my veins. Yes the ending is near. Is that a light at the end of the tunnel or perhaps it’s fire.

True American

Mark Anthony Stroman

Death Blog

Texas Death Row October 2, 2009 2:50am

Welcome to my nightmare Tales from a dead man The lockdown has ended. 15 days of pure hell. The actual shake down went somewhat better than before and the ones who hit our section treated us with professionalism. It was the feeding process or lack of. I normally would of reported the menu on these entries of mine but I did not believe it myself. Hell ever some of the “seasoned” vets of the prison staff who have been employed by Texas 15 or 20 years mentioned they have never seen Johnny Sacks such as these. Noodle sandwich and raw potato. SERIOUS! So when yesterday morning rolled up on us we had our regular meals which have always been cold (since we are fed in our death cages) but that cold tray of eggs and biscuits and grits were mighty fine. I ventured out of my cage for recreation first round too. I had to get out for my two hours due to the walls in my cage starting to close in on me. The voices inside my head screaming loudly. At times I just wish they would go away but then I realize Id miss them. The sadness, the anger, the voices of my death cage are real. What a day to be alive. As I was saying I ventured out for those two hours and after 15 days of not moving around using the muscles in your legs sure does take effect on ones’ body. I came back, showered and felt as if I ran to New York and back. Just from walking in a small inside monkey cage. We had 4 people set to die in Texas for September, the executioner managed to murder two. Two out of four. The others escaped with last minutes stays. Only to be sent back for that death countdown again. That is alarming as I’ve said before. To countdown ones final days on earth and to do all the things one can expect to do, only to have to redo that when the Courts lift the temporary stay WHEW Only in Texas can things be this messed up.

True American Mark Stroman Living to Die Dying to Live

Death Blog

Texas Death Camp

September 22^nd, 2009 4am (Day 6 of Lockdown)

Welcome to my “Locked Down” Nightmare

Tales from a Dead man

Greetings to you all. The day is new, the promise of death is real and I’m reminded of this as I scratch off another day on the calendar and glance at the execution list which is directly in front of me on the wall. Yes Texas will kill another person in the name of Justice at 6pm tonight. It’s a sad state of affairs when you have so many executions that they don’t even get the local news anymore.  It’s like a morning traffic report or weather update. In Texas you can be sure of one thing, there’s a sign on all of our Highways and if you have ever had a chance to visit this beautiful State you will recall seeing it.

“Don’t mess with Texas ”

That was made to remind people not to throw trash on our Highways but I believe if the Texas Officials could, they would paint that above the execution gurney in Huntsville Texas . Hell I’m surprised they don’t try and sell postcards’ with that image. Texas is proud to kill you in the name of Justice and you don’t even need to be guilty. Look what happened to Todd Willingham in 2004. An innocent man was strapped to that death gurney and murdered. Now all of you haters out there who jump up and down like cheerleaders holding fuzzy pom poms when you hear of an execution should try to envision being that innocent person, being strapped on that gurney. Envision the whole procedure, the IV being inserted into your arms, knowing you are innocent. What a hell of a way to die, In the name of Justice. Blind justice.

That’s one to many in my eyes. And I’m in that gray area when it comes to the death penalty. I despise child molesters and cowardly rapists with all of my being, child killers etc. but to have a system in place that allows an innocent person to be put to death is all the proof we need. The system is broke and should be fixed. The next innocent person could be your loved one or even yourself. Envision that.

Yes, that’s just one person the State might actually admit that was innocent and murdered. But how many others. How many do you actually think Texas has murdered that were innocent. How many do you think Texas would actually come out and say “Oops” we made a huge mistake and killed your loved one. “Sorry”. I sit here on the front row of this battle field and am still amazed at how dysfunctional this place is. Hell if I was to wake up and all of this had been a dream I’d jump up and take off running to the nearest church and get on my hands and knees and thank Jesus for wake’n me up!

For all of this is a real nightmare.

True American

Mark Stroman

Death Blog

Texas Death Row

September 16th, 2009   3:27am

Welcome to my nightmare

Tales from a dead man

The day begins, I hear the chow cart being pulled onto the pod, the smell of death is in the air, and it’s not all due to the food about to be fed to us, it’s Execution Day in Texas again, another friend is about to be taken from this place. I know he is awoke in his death watch cell, what’s going thru his mind? How is he spending his last day? His last morning alive? Is he writing a few final letters? Is he praying? Or perhaps he’s waiting to watch his final sunrise? Texas has some beautiful sunrises, but to be on Texas Death Row on your last day, what really goes thru ones’ mind?

Whew Wee!

We have four Texecutions set for September and the one who is set to go today is the only one who I can honestly says is ready.  He wrote the Judge a while back while he was on this pod I’m on and asked why are you just sitting on my case, set me a date! He has grown tired of this madness too! I saw this friend two days ago at visit. Steve Moody is his name and he saluted me and smiled and gave the thumbs up, a man who face reality extremely well. I admire that. Watching his loved ones come and go from his visit stall was touching. They all had huge smiles on their faces as they left. At peace because Steve’s happy go lucky attitude.

Steve Moody you’ll be missed and never forgotten.

True American

Mark Anthony Stroman 2009