Decision time is near
Before I begin, I apologise for not posting yesterday. I was going to publish the third part of my journal documenting the US response to the Covid crisis, but got tied up in an extended edit of my first ad supporting the release of Reality Winner. Part 3 of the Covid journal will now be posted next weekend, as I don't want to detract from important thoughts on the current situation building over the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package and other important policy issues.
Rebuilding anything brings with it challenges and America is no exception. In the blizzard of lies and deceit that has dominated the last 4 years, compassion and decency seems to have been the biggest casualty. The awesome power of the presidency is enhanced further when a president has a ‘yes man’ Attorney General. The Mueller Report seems an age ago, but it was the signpost for so much corruption that was to come. The coverups, the lies and the use of the levers of government to sustain the ego, the greed and the corruption of one man and his family has been astounding. It is no exaggeration to say, that the Oval Office became the headquarters of a global criminal enterprise for self-enrichment. It was aided and abetted by a group of Republican public office holders, willing to do the bidding of the occupant of that office.
Morality was a dirty word. It was about political advancement, at the expense of everything and everyone. In all this chaos, a young NSA contractor, exposed the truth about Russian interference in the 2016 elections. She leaked a single document that exposed the truth regarding Russian activity. Reality Winner was naive in her act of moral patriotism and didn’t hide her tracks. If it's anything we know about Donald J Trump, it's that truth was the enemy and Reality was on the wrong side of a vengeful maniac, obsessed with retaining power. It appears to me, that it was decided to make an example of her. She had no resources to fight her corner and was effectively at the mercy of a tyrant. She was prosecuted under the espionage act which provides outrageous wide reaching powers to 'protect the state'. You may recall that at the time, the administration was suffering leaks at an alarming rate, as staff were slowly waking up to the sinister nature of Trump's tenure in office.
Quoting from her website;
Reality Leigh Winner is a 28-year-old US Air Force veteran who dedicated her career to serving the United States. Prior to becoming a federal NSA contractor, Reality served in the Air Force for 6 years, including as a language analyst — she speaks Pashto, Farsi, and Dari.
Reality was honored with the Air Force Commendation Medal, for members who have “distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement and service.” The award noted that she “provided over 1,900 hours of enemy intelligence exploitation and assisted in geolocating 120 enemy combatants.”
Reality has no criminal history and always devoted time to help those less fortunate. Her stepfather, Gary Davis, describes her as “a patriot,” while her mother, Billie Winner-Davis says, “She loves children. She loves animals … She’s not a threat to anyone. Reality tries to help everyone.”
Outside of her work, Reality was a yoga instructor and a dedicated social justice advocate who spoke out when others fell silent. Reality Winner is a caring person who only wants to help.
It’s time this gross act of injustice was put right Reality Winner has paid a devastating price for telling the truth, while Trump’s felonious associates have been pardoned. That’s not who America is. Please Mr President, do the right and honourable thing and pardon Reality Winner. Her family is devastated and need her home.
Her act was not that of a foreign actor, or enemy of the state. This was a young woman looking at unequivocal evidence, that was contrary to the narrative the administration was pushing. Reality had been brought up as a good and kind American and the values her parents had instilled into her, was that 'truth matters'. Every day, we see quotes from scripture from Republican members of both Congress and the Senate. It makes me sick to my core, that almost all of these quotes are extracted as sick political propaganda. God preached the importance of truth, not the exploitation of the weak and the vulnerable. Reality Winner, saw a wrong being perpetrated on the American people, she stood up and said NO to lies, albeit in an innocent clumsy way. She wanted to get the word out, that Russians WERE interfering with democracy, through the election process. I can't think of a more just reason to bend the law. I'm not really sure if she knew the potential legal jeopardy she faced from her actions, but to her, the primary concern was the truth. I defy anyone reading this post not to say, that if their son or daughter had had the courage of conviction to do what Reality did, they would not be proud.
Vengeance is a harsh word, but make no mistake, she was the victim of state sponsored vengeance and every American should stand up and shout NOT IN OUR NAME. For almost 4 years now, she has languished in prison for doing the one thing we instil into our children. 'Always tell the truth'. We know that the truth sometimes hurts, but the hurt metered out on this young woman by a vengeful tyrant is beyond reprehensible. Did she break the law? Yes she did and she recognises that. Does she accept that there is a price to be paid for breaking the law? Yes she does, and she was prepared to make that sacrifice, for the truth to be heard. The fact is, in the context of the actions of her president, her incarceration is even more abhorrent. The pardons issued by Trump in his last few days in office are like a who's who of corruption and seditious actors. Think about it, Reality Winner languishes in prison while the likes of Flynn and Bannon walk laughing into the sunset, pockets bulging from their felonious activities. I just can't find words to articulate how I feel about about that. Injustice is always hard to stomach, but when that injustice comes from delivering the truth on a matter of national security, it is beyond comprehension.
I have never met Reality's family, but I have had exchanges with them and to say I am in awe of their commitment to bringing her home, would be an understatement. Any miscarriage of justice is unacceptable, but a calculated deliberate miscarriage of justice is a crime in itself. I almost feel ashamed that I have come to this campaign so late. All I can do now, is to make up for that oversight. Her family and the huge Twitter family that has got behind her, is an inspiration to try and help get this campaign over the line. Reality and her family have seen the awesome power of the state act against them. In that situation, you have little to no chance of prevailing. Against a background of an administration that was prepared to see her to rot in a dark hole, she was cast aside without a second thought, as Trump embarked on his battle to retain power at any cost.
We now know to our horror, exactly how far he would go, aided and abetted by the likes of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. These individuals are what real traitors look like. White supremacists and the far right, have to date, been given a get out of jail free card. Riley June Williams, who allegedly helped steal the laptop of Nancy Pelosi, was released to her mother's custody. During the Black Lives Matter protests, Kyle Rittenhouse, became a darling of the right after killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lakes. If you needed any further evidence of how weighted the criminal justice system is, then here it is. Money flooded in for his defence. What the right was effectively doing, was congratulating him for killing 2 protesters. This is nothing new, racial justice has been a cancer at the heart of law enforcement for decades and change is desperately needed.
Why do I compare racial injustice to a white girl? I compare it, because when dark actors are at the heart of government, they have the power to control far more that the economy, education, foreign policy etc. They have the power to influence societal disruption. Trump used Twitter to unlock the cage and allow the racists, homophobic animals to come out to play, because it was a useful diversionary tactic moving the focus away from his malfeasance in office. We are talking here about a man willing to sacrifice almost half a million Americans to retain power. A man willing to incite insurrection to overthrow the will of the American people. What chance did Reality Winner have?
The dawn of a new administration promises to make America a more compassionate equitable society. For that to happen, there has to be the realisation that there were terrible wrongs done under that last administration. Reality Winner was the victim of a huge judicial overreach. The power of the pardon should be treated as a force for good, not an opportunity for judicial abuse, as it was by Trump. Joe Biden is a good and honourable man and I am convinced that if the case of Reality Winner is put on his desk, he WILL act. He more than anyone, knows the pain of loss and heartache. The loss Reality's family feels is real. They have to wake up every day fearing for her health and safety in prison. Joe would never want someone standing up for the truth to be the victim of state sponsored vengeance. So I appeal to you Mr President, deliver a moral patriot back to her loving family. Give her the opportunity to live the life of caring for others, as she had before being so cruelly incarcerated by the state, to suppress the truth. A president is judged by his actions to protect those he was elected to serve. I have no doubt sir, that once you have looked at this case, your good heart will drive you to make a family whole again.
I urge everyone reading this, to visit Stand With Reality Winner and play a part in this important campaign. If you would like to contribute to her campaign please click here. Whilst my services are offered FREE of charge, even though I don't know thanks to Covid, if I can make rent next month. Some campaigns are not about money, they are about doing what's right.
Media campaigns of this nature are not cheap and every little helps. So do some good today and chip in if you are able.
I will be creating a series of ads to support the campaign and would request that you retweet these ads far and wide. This is a just cause and America is about supporting just causes.
Thank you for stopping by and stay safe out there.