By Anthony Casson

I just spoke to my father on the phone–literally 3 minutes ago.

Instead of a strong “Hey, Antonio!”, my dad relayed a message to me via a reader connected to one of my dad’s prison mates: “You’re slacking.”

This is true. I haven’t been logging his 400- to 600-word letters.

All excuses aside, my father is obviously passionate about something, and it seems that “something” is public opinion towards people like him. Rarely does he pass the normal “How are things goin'” type questions.

This article got the ball rolling in legitimate fashion.

Before I continue, I need to say something: Anything my father says is of his own personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views or beliefs of my own.

Readers may scoff at that, but they should know I’m a student journalist, and I plan to make it a career. There is no sense getting myself into trouble, and so I write something simple to eliminate potential issues.

He told me today, “This isn’t just about collecting material for a book. This is about showing people what’s happening and changing public opinion.” As a reporter–even if just a sports reporter–it is not my job to persuade people to view something a certain way; I’m not in PR, and I’m NOT a legal activist. My line is drawn. Now readers know.

After a few quick minutes of chatter, we agreed I would finish logging the pile of letters he has already sent me, and I will make the decision whether or not I want to continue.

I’m a storyteller only. I think my dad has an interesting story and can one day write some sort of memoir–the market is saturated, but people want more.

I only hope that a story continues, and that it doesn’t turn into a gotta-fix-society blog–views from an insider. If it does, my time is finished.

Dad, I love you, and I love to help you, but please don’t make this a need-to-exit situation.