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Coops Weekly - Life from Kansas #28

Updated: Nov 8, 2023

I miss my girls



I saw 2 of my ladies today. Jess and Erica came to see me on a legal visit. They caused quite a stir here at Leavenworth. Unbeknownst to them everyone was watching them as we walked the courtyard. Everyone thinks I have the hottest attorneys on the planet (which they are) .... On a serious note, their visit was just what I needed. I am fired up and my batteries are recharged.... I have the greatest friends in the world. I’m so lucky.


Upbeat Ritual


Every day at the end of RDAP we have what is called the Upbeat Ritual. Upbeat Ritual is where all RDAP participants use some type of game to "uplift us for the rest of the day." It is a fun competition between the two units (D1 vs. D2). Score is kept and prizes are sometimes awarded (or bragging rights). We are in big gym so usually the game is ping pong, soccer, shoot 3 pointers (basketball), etc. It is usually just 10-15 of the best athletes playing against each other with everyone watching. If the game is close the cheering is crazy. The staff gets tired of us playing basketball, so we usually stay away from that. Since we have a bunch of new guys the rules were relaxed and we played "Knockout," (knockout is a basketball contest where everyone gets in line, and you shoot free throws one at a time...if you miss the next person tries to make it before you do.... if you make it before they, do they are knocked out). So basically, half of RDAP lined up to play. Nobody knows I was a pretty good shooter.... Anyway, I ended up winning. It was awesome...It came down to me and one other guy, and everyone was rooting me on. In the end I got super lucky.... but I will take it.


My first close friend @ the LPC (Leavenworth prison camp) went home. Doc Randy. It was a bittersweet moment. I was happy for him but sad to see a friend leave. Doc was very well liked here, so everyone rallied to say goodbye. A few of us wrote him letters. I hope I can stay in touch with him. I will miss him working on my back every week (HA).

We are all moving beds/lockers again. An inspection team of senior staff came through the unit today and we have too many fire hazard bunks in our unit so MOVING TIME. Inconvenient however it is prison, so I get irritated for a few minutes and then get to moving.


Some interesting things at the LPC. First everyone says the word "fire," to describe food that tastes good. So, if you have a killer burrito or hamburger.... you say that was "fire." When people are squaring up to fight inmates say you don’t want any of this "smoke." You are not allowed to say the word "bitch," in prison. It is the one word that will fire anyone up...fire them up to the point where a fight is going to go down.


Craziest thing I have heard or seen at the LPC. We have a federal prosecutor here. Can you imagine what it is like for a federal prosecutor.... I cannot imagine a person being more despised. He is in here for cyberstalking and using police to harass an ex-wife’s boyfriend.


(I am not 100% sure of the exact details but he openly talks about his crime). Pretty crazy what this guy did to get in here. Anyway, he is not enjoying his stay at the camp. I feel bad for him, but I am in the minority. Lastly, we have all new puppies running around...Jess & Erica saw some of them...Adorable. When I get home, I want a dog.


We are in the path for the massive tornado's rolling around in our area.... The thunder is so loud it is shaking the whole building.


Fun fact...the summers here are ridiculously bad. There are only 3 prisons/camps in the BOP WITHOUT Air Conditioning (AC)....out of 122 prisons.... Leavenworth is one of them. I absolutely hate HOT weather. Shoot me. Maybe the tornado will destroy the LPC.

I have been busy working on my Paralegal classes...Got some scores back. They were:


Real Property - Part I - 95%

Real Property - Part II 85%

Real Property - Part III 95%

Real Property - Part IV 100%

Pleadings in Civil Actions - Part I - 95%

Pleadings in Civil Actions - Part II - 100%

Practice in Civil Actions - 100%

Criminal Procedures - 100%

Wills - Part I - 85%

Wills - Part II - 95%

Trusts - 100%

Average 95.5% (Not Bad)

Let’s GO KINGS!!!!


(Dad Comment: Jessica was kind enough to provide a short narrative of her and Erica’s visit with Scott.)


Last weekend my sister, Erica, and I visited Scott. We flew into Kansas City and stayed in the downtown part of the city. I had never been to Missouri. It is a big spread-out city that was greener than expected. It was so windy the day we got there. And by windy, I mean, we felt like we might get blown away and end up like Dorothy in Oz. We arrived on Sunday and planned to visit Scott the next day on Monday. On Sunday we had some great BBQ at Jacks Stacks, which was recommended as some of the best in the city. The next day we drove out to Leavenworth. It was about a 40-minute drive from our hotel. We had originally planned to Uber, but luckily Don counseled us better and we rented a car. We could have gotten there in an Uber no problem, however getting a car to pick us up to go home would have been much more challenging. The drive there showed how flat Missouri to Kansas is. Lots of cornfields. The town of Leavenworth is very small, and you feel as though you’ve gone back in time a few decades. Once we arrived, we were able to get in for our visit easily. Scott was in the visiting area and greeted us with a big smile. He looked great! We sat at a small table in an area much like a school multipurpose room and we were able to chat with Scott for several hours. We got to meet his good friend Phil among a few others he had met at the camp. Scott has made a big impression at LPC. He has established himself as a huge advocate and source of counsel and information for many people there. Scott is making the most out of his time and is embracing this experience with all the enthusiasm that Scott has when he puts his mind to something. His stories certainly demonstrated what a different place he is in right now. Scott made us laugh that way he does with lots of funny one liners about life at LPC. Overall, it was a fantastic visit. It was so great to get to see Scott and give him a big hug.


this week (Scott buries the lead)

I got my halfway house information and guess where I am going? Not Sacramento, or Los Angeles, or San Francisco (or any other of the myriad of halfway houses across California) .... I’m being sent to Good old FRESNO. Four hours driving for friends in Sacramento and Los Angeles. 200 miles from an offered job. Nothing makes sense at the BOP. When I am released (Sept 13th) I will head to an area that I am not entirely thrilled to be going to. I considered staying at Leavenworth an extra couple of months and hopefully transferring directly to home confinement, but I learned that is not an option without signing out of RDAP (and that is not going to happen). Anyway at least I have a date and finishing up here is on the horizon.... Very exciting.




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