Wisdom from the Beast: Strategy for Prison Survival

By Ronald ‘Light’ Ashley

A brilliant author and profound poet Mr. Ashley gives you a bold but realistic account of prison life. Wisdom from the Beast gives insight into the nature of the criminal thinking and also addresses some of the elements in America culture which corrupt the thought process of man and mankind. This powerful book presents the problem of criminal thinking and also gives a solution on a social and political.

There is over one million people incarcerated in America, thus it is a need for Wisdom from the beast in the personal libraries of inmates, former inmates, and human beings in general.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481767385

Ronald ‘Light’ Ashley

Ronald Ashley served several years in the South Carolina Department of corrections. While incarcerated he used his time wisely by completing his basic education and participating in the prison Black History’s program. Mr. Ashley currently works a fulltime job and has recently filed a pardon through the South Carolina probation parole and pardon services.

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© 2013 by Ronald ‘Light’ Ashley. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/27/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-6739-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-6738-5 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Revolutionary Reform

Book References

Wise Saying of the Author

Voice of Experience

author%20photo%20copy.jpg

Ronald Ashley/Author

I’ve sat where you sit, walked

where you walk, and experience

the same struggles with incarceration."

Acknowledgments

I thank all those who have continued to believe in me, especially my mother, even when I was at my lowest point in life. Also, I thank Ms. Miranda Shaw for her contributions to this project. I don’t think I have enough paper or ink to give Ms. Shaw the full credit she deserves, because she actually typed the manuscript and added her creative touch to my book cover. Peace to my favorite poet, who is none other than Tupac Amaru Shakur, whose eternal spirit continues to be a strength and motivation in my life. Much respect to Tupac’s mom, Ms. Afeni Shakur, for continuing the legacy of her son through the Tupac Amaru Foundation in Stone Mountain, GA.

R.I.P. to Troy Davis, a person who recently was executed in Georgia as I was updating this acknowledgment section. Davis goes down in history as one of many who have been unjustly murdered in the death chambers of cold-blooded demons posing as politicians.

R.I.P. to Moammar Gadhafi, who was murdered in the name of democracy (Demon-Rule in Latin). I believe oil was the motive of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the US for assisting rebels in their conquest of Libya. Gadhafi was a good friend of Minister Louis Farrakhan and often expressed concern for the struggles of black people in America.

Love and respect to Fidel Castro, who overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and became president of Cuba. I advise my readers not to believe the hype about most foreign leaders who are considered terrorists and so forth. No president was a bigger terrorist than George W. Bush, Jr. To the brainwashed black people who believe everything they read in newspapers and see on TEL-LIE-VISION, I want you to know that Fidel Castro is not the one who defended segregation or labeled us inferior. In fact, Castro showed his true character in the late seventies when he granted asylum to Assata Shakur.

To y’all knuckleheads and ex-knuckleheads who I did time with in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, y’all keep yah heads up and keep writing them grievances. I know they don’t seem like they carry much weight but we’ve got to start somewhere.

To all my souljahs on death row, at Lieber C.I. in Ridgeville, SC, keep hope alive, stay in those law books, and remember: no justice, no peace!

Also, I extend my revolutionary energy to Mumia Abu Jamal! Keep fighting, my brother; I’m still upset about the unnecessary murder of Gary Grahm a.k.a. Shaka Sankofa at the hands of the powers that be, state government.

Much love to Kelvin Light from Lauren, SC, for using his artist skills to draw my book cover after I designed it. Keep ya head up, homie! Hopefully, we will see each other again on the outside.

I can’t forget about my fellow writers, Gabe Bowens III, the author of Urban Fiction (book available through Barnes and Noble), and Robert Lombardo, who currently is collaborating on a novel with his cousin, for sharing valuable writing knowledge and also who did some typing for me. Gabe, a.k.a. Infinite, also shared some valuable info with me concerning the legal aspects of publishing. Thanks, guys! I’ll keep ya posted on the results.

Mad shouts to William Massey, a.k.a. Divine, from Charlotte, NC, for giving me mental life and delivering me from the Lake of Fire (confusion) when the Earth cursed me with rivers of oil. Divine, if you are reading this book, I want you to get a Bible, turn to the book of Job, and read chapter 29:2-5. The scriptures properly describe our friendship in prison and the role you played in my resurrection from the valley of death. I’m forever grateful for your wisdom and guidance; you taught me the true reason why we have two ears and one mouth. You also taught me that there is much for us to know about the things we think we already know.

I can’t forget about Equality, a.k.a. EQ, from Brooklyn, NY, whom I met on the inside. The scriptures say he who plants the seed and he who waters the seed are one. Divine planted the seed, and Equality watered it. Thanks, Equality, for spending time with me when I was a young man and helping me to stay sharp and focused. It was a pleasure to bump into you in New York at the Harriet Tubman Youth Center; I still have those righteous photos we took. Get at me, my brother, and let me know you are still amongst the living. A razor-sharp brother such as you has no excuse not to obtain victory!

Extreme gratitude to Mr. Hunter of Augusta, GA, for being my mentor while I was incarcerated. I was blessed to receive your letters, or should I say scrolls (wisdom), filled with encouraging words and conscious information.

Last but not least, I thank my friend, the lovely Fredricka Roberson, for encouraging me to put my thoughts on paper. Thanks, boo! This one is for you!

Preface

After what has seemed like eons of time and meditation, I have decided to put my thoughts onto paper regarding the mental and physical survival of people, particularly minorities, who are incarcerated in America. Since prison is often referred to as the belly of the beast, the title Wisdom from the Beast applies because I am writing these words from the belly. Hopefully, my wisdom in this book can be used by people incarcerated in America as well as by other people in the world. The words on these pages can prove to be a valuable survival guide for incarcerated people, male or female, regardless of race or nationality. I’m writing this book based on my personal experience behind prison walls, not from mere book knowledge or other educated sources. The best nonfiction or realistic books are the ones that are written from personal experiences, or as we say in the South, straight from the horse’s mouth.

Personally, I have given a little over a decade of my life to the system and it is my experience in prison that qualifies me to take on such a delicate topic. Furthermore, I’m currently serving a thirteen year sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) facility, thus I’m inside the circumstances that I speak about. At least one manuscript that I am aware of has been written to address issues of prison survival, but it is my intention to address the issues that have not been talked about or at least give a distinct view of the issues from my perspective.

Wisdom from the Beast is controversial and touches racial lines but is not a project created out of hatred. The ignorant will condemn this book but those with eyes to see and ears to hear, who are children of light, will delight in the occult wisdom or the science of life being presented. I’ve enclosed a broad selection of excerpts from various scholars and other sources that support the information I am writing about, but don’t hate me for speaking the truth, I’m just a messenger. I didn’t enslave, murder, and torture innocent people, nor did I slaughter thousands of Native Americans for my own greedy desires.

This book is not intended to be written with highly sophisticated words and philosophical ideology; instead, my book is written in down-to-earth, simple language, even though I may use college-level words and higher wisdom pertaining to certain subject matters. One’s education may play a role in how well certain wisdom is comprehended, but as I said earlier, it is not my intention to speak over the comprehension of the average Joe, as some authors do in their writings.

This book is written for ex-cons and those currently incarcerated as well as those who have never been to prison but are curious about what it takes to survive behind the fence. There are over one million people incarcerated in America and many more will become incarcerated at least once in their lifetimes. The United States has more people incarcerated than any other place in the world has.

America was colonized by criminals from Europe who were given an option to either remain incarcerated or conquer territory in the New World, which today is called America. As a result of this savage territorial expansion, America has become the modern day Babylon. The demonization of this so-called New World has created an atmosphere in which crime and violence are at an all-time high. Even though this book is written for all races of people, the reality remains that Blacks, Latinos, and other minorities are being targeted by the racist ideals of people who sit in high positions of power in this country.

It is my intention to help and inspire all people, but truly I want Blacks and Latinos to guard against the racist genocidal tactics of these demonic rulers who are bent on their mental and physical destruction. The best way to guard against this is to first become conscious of your open enemies, then obtain the proper knowledge and discipline it takes to beat the odds and not become another statistic in the revolving door of prison.

I want this book to be read over and over again by cons, ex-cons, at-risk teens, and others in all four corners of the planet Earth. I assure you that you are not alone in your struggle for freedom and peace. It is truly a blessing that as of 2008, we have a president, Barack Obama, who has a sincere love for education. The brilliance of President Obama is right in time to help the poor and uneducated. However, it may take a different approach to truly deliver or raise those who lack self-awareness. Hopefully, our president will keep in mind the trials and struggles of those of us who have been mentally and physically tarnished by the prison system of America.

It is my hope that the Most High will work on President Obama’s heart so that he will strive to eliminate the roots of this wicked tree of drug trafficking, biological warfare (AIDS, swine flu, etc.), and the malicious genocidal tactics that condemn this modern day Babylon called America. Contrary to popular belief, the latter wisdom will be perceived by various intellectuals as a mere dream or fantasy; without true substance, this could very well be true. As a realist, I believe that whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve, regardless of negative opposition. To clarify my point, I’m aware that even though our president has good intentions, good intentions do not create change unless there are radical and positive actions to balance the equation. Most conscious minds are aware of the reality that President Obama couldn’t single-handedly change the evil, capitalistic dealings of the U.S. government because the system he represents is focused on the Almighty dollar.

President Obama is a brilliant man and has a vision for a better world, but he, just as all other presidents who have preceded him, is a mere puppet on a string. The true power lies within the strong arm of the Illuminati and secret societies, which consist of the wealthiest families on the planet—families such as the Bush family, the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, etc. The capitalistic-imperialist system President Obama represents is driven by profit and it prospers by exploiting labor, markets, and resources on a global scale. As the first major corporation in America, the prison system reflects U.S. capitalism.

Speaking specifically about South Carolina prisons, there are mental and psychological issues that must be addressed concerning the inmate population. From my personal experience, I’ve noticed that many inmates, especially those who have been locked up for a decade or more, have re-entered into a child-like state of mind. They are stubborn and selfish and think the world revolves around them. They want everything to go their way. I blame this on the lack of programs and activities designed specifically for the growth and development of men and women in prison. However, some men and women remain in a child-like state of mind because of their own failures to seek the proper knowledge and wisdom that could elevate them into true adulthood. A child is dependent upon others and must be properly educated to break free from the nest and live on his or her own. Inmates receive free meals, free electricity, free water, free phone, and more. In some cases, this makes them give up the struggle to be responsible and independent as adults. The prior issues must be addressed to begin the healing process—to close the gap that has caused chaos amongst domestic households and the American society in general.

Since the closure of the Columbia Correctional Institute (CCI), South Carolina’s most violent prison, other prisons have become easy-going or soft. These soft prisons have taken the fear of going to prison away from many young people and have made them feel more comfortable in their criminal lifestyles. Fear is not always a bad thing because it has the power to make people refrain from making poor choices. Fear can be used in good and bad ways. Niccolo Machiavelli once said, Love is bound together by a chain of obligations, can be easily broken, but the dread of punishment will never abandon you.

My book does not cover every aspect and angle of the penal machine, and it was not my intention to cover every issue in its entirety. This writing is intended to be different—unique in its own way—while at the same time adding light to the minds of all who read it. It is said that correctional institutions are designed for the rehabilitation of people who commit crimes. However, I can tell you from firsthand experience that either one of two things will happen to a person upon entering prison: he or she will either come out better or come out worse; there is no in between. Corruption plagues every prison in the world in some form or another, from the transportation of drugs by correctional officers, the unjust beating of inmates, and prostitution by staff members, to white collar crimes, such as embezzlement, which is usually done by high-ranking