An interesting retort, and not without merit. +1 (And thus my "generally" caveat.)

Doubly interesting when considering the correlations between prisoners and members of the military....

-bZj

Source is the same as cited: I was there, and that was the option on offer.

It falls under "refusing a housing move," or "refusing a job assignment" (all inmates are required to work and no inmate may refusing a housing move, per CDCR's regulating code, Title 15).

First link at www.cdcr.ca.gov/regulations

-bZj

CA inmate firefighters are paid between $2.xx and $4.xx per day . If they are on an active fire, they will earn $1/hr (and are generally on 24hr shifts). CA minimum wage is quite a bit above that. Also, if you are "eligible" for fire camp and refuse to go, you will receive a write-up, which will affect your security placement and your credit earning rate. This is what the quoted former inmate means when he mentions "duress." It may not be slavery, but it is not in any way equivalent to a "paid volunteer" situation (volunteers generally aren't 'paid' in any context).

Source: doing the books at a fire camp; being one of the more computer literate of the population. [It is indeed preferrable to prison, for most, and does feel better than rotting in a cell.]

-bZj

My 44 has been an interesting year... But I'm giving it up... as of tomorrow.

Does that mean I'm over this "hump" of accelerated aging? Easy-going until I hit the big six-oh...?

-bZj

+1

-bZj

The headline/plot reminds me of Cory Doctorow's Attack Surface. Good book.

-bZj

I lived in the San Diego area years ago, and this was a news story then (~2019). The "wall" (more like 2 chain link fences 20-30 ft apart, it seemed from the news video) allowed cartels to just send a remote control truck from one side to the other. But new "detection" mechanisms were touted during a Trump visit. Then the story was just using flying drones to go over the "wall," and avoiding the detection countermeasures.

-bZj

This comment should be modded up. ^

Amongst the random arguments, the point is being missed: the inmates are (rarely) the customers here. Mostly the people on the outside, paying for the calls, are the customers of GTL. So the free ppl are the ones getting screwed here. Not surprising, given how terrible GTL is (they recently change their name: ViaPath Technologies, so no more GTL, now it's VPT).

-bZj

https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvguide.com%2Fvideos...

-bZj

I have 3 diesels:
VW Jetta Wagon TDI - for the wife (& dogs), ~50mpg
Chevy Silverado 2500HD DuraMax - for me (& our horses), ~16mpg (net*)
GMC K5 Jimmy [Detroit Diesel] - for the weekend, ~28mpg (rated, actual unknown)

My DuraMax would do better, except for the DPF that dumps raw fuel into the exhaust for "emissions friendliness." Otherwise,I'd be deep in the 17mpg range.

F the EPA, especially in CA.

-bZj

The tape option is the big no-show here. MY damn office is covered in tape - scotch or masking - on dam near every wall.

Now, I try to avoid it, and prefer thumb tacks so I can color-code the data. But not every surface is a cork board.

-bZj

Or, maybe ppl in these areas (which likely aren't metro areas) don't live as stressful a life and get some extra life expectancy from that.

Or smog sucks.

Both?

-bZj