In this weekās Civics 101, we unpack the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian rights advocate detained under an obscure immigration statute, one a federal judge says is likely unconstitutional. We also revisit a famous quote from A Man for All Seasons about defending even the Devil⦠for the sake of justice itself.
Memorial Week: āItās large-scale business built on the bodies of those in its grasp.ā
This Navy veteran has spent 30 years servingāfrom the military to a prison sentence that may last the rest of his life. With no family contact and only one visitor in 8 years, he now dedicates his time to writing and prison reform advocacy. Heās written over 200 essays, and hopes someone will write back.
Memorial Week: āI need to find friends who are gonna have my back.ā
This disabled Iraq War veteran suffered a traumatic brain injury from an IED. Now permanently disabled, heās incarceratedāand searching for community. āI need to find friends who are gonna have my back. People like I had when I was in the Army.ā
Memorial Week: “I have almost no support in the outside”
This Army veteran served in the Airborne Rangers and fought in Iraq. After returning home, he struggled, and ended up incarcerated. He takes responsibility for his actions, but what he really needs now is support, connection, and the chance to be seen.
Memorial Week: āA challenging environment to live in and try to better yourself.ā
This U.S. Navy veteran is serving a 10-year sentence far from home, making visits from loved ones nearly impossible. Heās doing everything he can to grow in a violent, unstable environment, but prison doesnāt make it easy. For many veterans, isolation is a second sentence.
Memorial Week: āI served overseas. I have no contacts in the outside world.ā
He served overseas in the Army for six years. Now heās in prison, with no outside contacts, and fighting to receive the veterans benefits he earned. This is not what justice looks like. This is what abandonment looks like.
Memorial Week: “To treat a person inhumanely is violence.”
This Army veteran is a writer, teacher, and self-proclaimed coffee-loving book nerd. He also happens to be incarcerated. Todayās Memorial Week post highlights his voice, and the truth that “To treat a person inhumanely is one of the most awful acts there is. To do so is violence; you reduce a person to a thing.”
Remember Living Veterans: āI Need a Human to Know I Am Not Deadā
Over 100,000 veterans are incarcerated in the U.S., often without access to mental health care or support. Kenneth, a disabled Army vet and former teacher, shares what itās like to be erased while still alive.
I Donāt Have a Spirit of Fear ā I Have a Spirit of Courage and Might
Matt, formerly incarcerated in New York, reflects on the power of reading, the failures of prison grievance systems, and his hope for a more restorative approach to justice.
Civics 101: What the Hell Is Qualified Immunity?
A plain-English explainer breaking down how this legal shield prevents victims of government abuse (especially by law enforcement or corrections officers) from holding officials accountable in civil court.