Hy there,

as some of you already know I am trying to help a friend of mine who´s penpal received his date of execution.

Now my friend Andrea asked me to send her penpal a letter of support and encouragement. Mike, her penpal, hasn´t answered since he got his date. My friend is afraid that he might be in a deep state of depression. She is not angry at him for not writing anymore but she is very concerned about him.

I promised to write him but I am not sure what to say to him! What can I say to tell him that he is not alone and that there are people who DO care about him?

Can you help me? What would you write?

Ninidi, just be you, dont be any other way. Be yourself!! Let him know that you are there for him throughout it all, will stick by him as a friend. Tell him about you, your life, etc. Mail is all they have, and I am sure that he would love to get mail, and have a friend like you, that really does care.

hello
it is me elsa, tell your friend mike is okay, but trying to sort things out with his family, and as he tells me, not ready to concede his life to the state without a fight. mike is a very strong man, and would want his friends to be strong at this time, i know him very well, and he tells me all that he feels, so please believe me he is okay right now
elsa

ps
i write him everyday, if your friend writes to him tell her, to write about positive things, that is the way mike would want it.

I JUST POSTED THIS MESSAGE, BUT PROMISED TO LET GERMANY KNOW,

MIKE PENNINGTON LOST HIS CLEMENCY HEARING BY 5 VOTES TO I, SO HIS EXECUTION IS SET TO GO AHEAD ON jULY 19TH.

HIS ATTORNY TELLS ME THAT WE WOULD ALL BE PROUD OF MIKE, THAT HE STOOD TALL, LOOKED THEM IN THE EYE AND, TOOK FULL RESPONSIBILTY FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE

HE THEN THANKED ME FOR BEING MIKES FRIEND, AND THAT HE ALSO WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE HE CAN DEAL WITH, AND COME TO TERMS WITH THE RESULT OF YESTERDAYS HEARING.

PLEASE PRAY FOR MIKE

ELSA

Yes, we heard it. It was 4 to 1. You can read it all here:

http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=86522

I am sure that the attorney told Andrea by now because they are in close contact. He told Andrea that he is very happy that we are trying to help Mike and he intends to print the petition set up by us and give it to the Governor.

But we fear that it won´t help because, as you will know, the governor needs a positive recommendation from the Board of Parole to grant clemency.

Elsa, please tell me what petitions you did sign besides of our. I really would like to know. And where did you find the penpal-add of Mike a few years ago? I need to know that for a different reason, I am searching for someone...

About writing: Andrea knows Mike very well. I guess that she doesn´t need me to tell her about what to write to him. :)

And as for the letter of encouragement that I intended to write: Andrea helped me writing it. But as you will very well know: Mike is in isolation and we do not know if he receives every letter sent to him.

hi
yes Mike is recieving his letters okay and ecause of his situation now they will make sure that he gets all of his mail
elsa

hi
i signed a petion on the website of the national coalition against the feath penalty and one on mikes pen pal site, i also sent a personal one to mikes attorney for mike.
maybe you can tell me who you are searching for, and maybe i can help as i have friends on and off death row, one in california, one in ohip, and one on the row in Florida, you could always e mail me, if you wish or you can often find me on the yahoo messenger.
i know your friend knows mike very well, but i so as well, the problem for him at the moment is, that he first has to deal with many things with his family, that is most important, then he has to be in touch with lots of pen pals, he will write her as soon as he can as he will with everyone else, so please let he know not to be too upset i mean this is very difficult situation for mike, he has told me her will not give up the fight for his life, while he has breath in his body, and knowing mike as i do, he would want all his friends to stay positive for his sake, he knows that his up-coming execution is painful for everyone who cares for him, and understands that everyone is going through an emotional time right now.
i believe that his friends should try to support not only mike, but each other as well .
in his last letter mike told me please dont be upset because i love you, and no matter what happens you will have that memory, so you see he is still caring about others before himself.
elsa






Yes, we heard it. It was 4 to 1. You can read it all here:

http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=86522

I am sure that the attorney told Andrea by now because they are in close contact. He told Andrea that he is very happy that we are trying to help Mike and he intends to print the petition set up by us and give it to the Governor.

But we fear that it won´t help because, as you will know, the governor needs a positive recommendation from the Board of Parole to grant clemency.

Elsa, please tell me what petitions you did sign besides of our. I really would like to know. And where did you find the penpal-add of Mike a few years ago? I need to know that for a different reason, I am searching for someone...

i signed on the national co-alition against the death penalty and also on mikes web page and, sent a personal petition to his attorny

I think Amnesty International may have something on Mike--you might want to check. I, too, signed the NCADP petition.

I hope you have continued to write, positively, encouragingly. Even if, heaven forbid, his time has come he has lived with the knowledge that someone cares about him, that he affected someone's life in a positive way. Surely that has to be something.

An old Latin American expression holds that "one lives on so long as one is not forgotten". So hold to the positive thoughts....and remember, always.

thanks you are right about mike having a very positive effect on my life it looks like he wont get a stay according to his attorney, but until 6 pm tomorrow i try to remain positive for him, he asked me to be strong, and it is hard to do, but i am trying.
thankfully i can talk about this to Fred his attorny

We're with you--and with Mike as well. Is there any state office we could call to express our concerns to? It can't hurt.

hi
i have signed so many petions, sent a person statement via mikes attorney for his clemency hearing, friends did the same, have been in contact with prison to and got nowhere at aLL.
MIKE IS AT Mc Alester, okalhoma, i really dont know who else to contact at this point.
they wont even allow him to call me, but i am still trying for at least a call
thanks for your offer i just dont know anywhere else to contact, i wish i did.

as you will all proberly know by now, according to mikes attorney mike did not get a stay. which means that he was executed tonight 6 pm his time
can you all pleasse say a prayer for him.
and thank you to everyone who signed petions to try to save his life
i am going to really miss him

My heart and thoughts are with you....somehow that seems so terribly inadequate. May you know peace, and may Mike be at peace. I truly hoped for better news.

davemoff
thank you for your message, mike was pronounced dead at 6-10 i know i just lost my best friend, but still it is hard trp deal with

My heart goes out to you and all of Mikes friends and family!
God bless you all.

hi everyone
i had another and final letter of goodbye from mike today, ewritten on his last hours of July 19th i had told him about you all, he asked me to thank you all for your prayers and for trying to save his life by signing petitions, i have pasted part of mikes letter on the news from death row forum.
he asked me to think of him sometimes. and i will never forget him
thank you everyone for your support

(((((Huggs))))) I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. May his memory live on in your heart.

We live on as long as we are not forgotten. Believe it or not, you will someday come to cherish him.

Perhaps Mike would want you to continue to work toward the end of the system that betrayed him so terribly. Perhaps he would have other thoughts. Search your heart....they will be revealed in due time.

If indeed there is such a thing as eternity, remember that this life on earth is only a split-second. In time, I have faith that we will be rejoined with those to whom our hearts belong. Meanwhile, we do what we can, and can only hope it is enough.

Sorry about your friend, no doubt your kindness and love was a gift that he treasured