The prisoner situation does seem somewhat dire, but whenever I read the Soviet Union imprisoned huge numbers of people I have to laugh when I recall American st

The prisoner situation does seem somewhat dire, but whenever I read the Soviet Union imprisoned huge numbers of people I have to laugh when I recall American statistics and the horrific conditions in our prisons where we also use slave labor (the 13th Amendment's lone exception). One day not too far in the future people will read about us in the same hushed undertones. Or perhaps not, because my hope is the press of the future is able to improve and grapple with difficult subjects instead of parroting McCarthite dogma. For what it's worth Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman was one of my favorite books growing up. It was kind of a shock when Wellerstein drew attention how the humor compared to what they were doing. He's right, it is kind of grim.