Goodbye, Avalon.

I'm sure that all five of the people who may regularly read this blog, plus the spam bots that cruise the blog sites are wondering why I have not yet addressed the latest event that rocked my world in the last two weeks, which was my untimely dismissal from the Avalon Correctional Center on April 26th, 2012.

Merely mentioning the place's name should give you a hint because in previous blogs, I always went into a lengthy disclaimer about how I shouldn't mention the place for fear of being fired, right? 

Well the main reason is that I really don't want to give the place any satisfaction in my discharge.  If you have read this volume over the years you know how much I detested the place, and now, with my firing, I have been released from the heady clutches of what is the greatest example of blatant favoritism and outright corruption I have experienced in nearly 25 years of being in the workforce.

I understand that my words here can be construed as bitterness given the recentness of the event but as more time goes by I consider it more of a release.  Sure, I'm upset that I gave over five years of my life and several pounds of my very soul, (not to mention, an appendage),  to that place  and it's evil master, but as it is, I think that they have done me a favor when everything is said and done.  A lot of people, family and friends have told me the old adage that "when a door closes another opens" in the last week and a half and for the first time in my life, I'm really listening and taking that sentiment to heart.

I've been fired several times in my working career.  I'm not proud of that fact, but it's happened.  Sometimes the reason made sense and other times...like this time...it was abundantly apparent to me that it was personal and my presence in the master plan was a hindrance to the agenda so I was taken out of the equation.  Simple as that.  Since Oklahoma is an "at-will" state when it comes to employment, and there was no contract involved, I have no recourse legally to go after Avalon on the subject of wrongful termination.

The fact that I can't afford legal representation in the matter is beside the point.

When I began my employ with Avalon, I early on had an incident occur (a fight) and instead of seeing the upper administration throw the book at the offenders involved, the matter was "handled informally"., with the main reason being that if the actors who were involved were shipped to higher security it would mean the loss of the money assigned to those men (about $28 in 2007 dollars) as being paid by the Oklahoma DOC to Avalon would disappear. 

In short, if the right thing was done the company would not get paid, and justice would be trumped by the almighty dollar.  Having cut my teeth in the law enforcement business with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, with a clear mindset of doing what's right as opposed to cow towing to the ducats as it were, that's why for one reason or other I was an outcast and therefore not allowed in the inner circle on any career track, fast or otherwise.

So, the search has begun again only this time, I'm 43 years old, disabled with no college education.  I have faced this situation before so I feel I'm up to the challenge.  There is no victory, at least for the people who arranged this.

 Screw 'em.