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Thinking Twice About Doing Good

May 14, 2015
by Caroline Miller
Courting Controversy, Daniel Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, FBI survellliance, Government Accountability Project, Jesslyn Radack, Julian Assange, Suzanna Andrew
6 Comments

It read like a mystery thriller, the story one of my former students, now an attorney, related to me over afternoon tea.  During the Vietnam war, she had been active in the antiwar movement and had risen to the defense of several prisoners, calling for social reform.  Unfortunately for her, when some of them were released, they blew up an army recruiting station and by their actions, they brought her to the attention of the FBI, though she had no part in the plot .  Her life became a misery.   She was followed and harassed by agents on a regular basis and a black sedan became a permanent fixture outside her door.  They were watching her and they knew she knew and they wanted her to know.

In Suzanna Andrews’ profile of Jesselyn Radack, an ethics attorney who has aided social pariahs like Daniel Ellsberg, Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, the situation was similar.  Having survived tight surveillance, she confesses intense government scrutiny can bring a person to the brink of suicide. (“Courting Controversy,” by Suzanna Andrews, More, April 2015, pgs. 98-104, 127.) In her case, she suffered more than scrutiny.  She was fired from her job with the Justice Department and for a long time was unable to find work. 

 Eventually, she was hired at the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a private organization that scrutinizes the scrutinizers.  Radack oversees national-security and human rights cases for GAP, (Ibid pg. 100.) and her client list has put her on the world stage.  Radack doesn’t apologize for the work she does.  She reminds her detractors that attacks on her ignore the deplorable truth that our government is capable of telling lies and committing acts of torture most Americans would find shocking.   She is not outside the system, she insists.  She is part of its checks and balances. (Ibid pg. 104.)

Like my former student, Radack has a courage and an unbending sense of right and wrong that may seem naïve in aspect.  Having been a politician,  I admit there are times when I thought I did more good than harm by keeping silent.  But not often.

 I admire Radack’s courage and that of my friend and former student.  To take up unpopular causes, to live outside the mainstream of America and to be labeled a subversive is not the path most of us would choose.   When its unpleasant truths are exposed, a government tends to vilify the messenger.  Edward Snowden, who disclosed the depths of government spying on  citizens, is a recent victim of this strategy.  

 I admit, I thought twice before sending a check for Snowden’s  legal defense.  I have become wary of my government.   All the more reason to cut the check and mail it.    

Jesselyn Radack & Daniel Ellsberg

Jesselyn Radack & Daniel Ellsberg courtesy of www.Amazon.com

 

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6 Comments
  1. Bill Whitlatch May 14, 2015 at 9:22 am Reply
    Great article! Bill Whitlatcb Veteran for Peace Viet Nam 1966-1967
    • Caroline Miller May 14, 2015 at 9:49 am Reply
      Always glad to hear from you. Thank you, Bill.
  2. Pamela May 14, 2015 at 10:23 am Reply
    I remember being primed for skepticism when Edward Snowden did his first interview, and instead I was utterly impressed with his intelligence, sincerity and courage. Back in 2004 I wrote an article called Operation Iraqi Pillage. It was posted on a friend's website. He happened to be a Malaysian journalist, and despite the fact that I was publishing short works and had my own blog, if you Googled my name that article came up #1 for years. Additionally, this was the inception of my electronics issues I so often complain about--phone calls that are dropped mid-call, or intermittent background clicking noises, constant short interruptions or tiling of television service, incessant dropped internet connections (as well as numerous viruses despite having the top of the line anti-virus), and strangest of all, birthday cards to friends that never arrived, or in one case where I enclosed astrological charts, one that arrived 4 months later, torn, wrinkled and tattered with a note saying that the card and charts had in fact been seized and inspected!!!! Never in a million years did I expect to be under some form of surveillance from my own government, and although I joked about it with my husband and friends, I can only imagine what people of real interest such as your friend, Mr. Snowden, or outspoken critics of the government go through! We need to always pay attention to overreaching.
    • Caroline Miller May 14, 2015 at 10:37 am Reply
      Thank you for sharing your story, Pamela. Who knows how many, like yours, are out there.
  3. S. L. Stoner May 15, 2015 at 5:03 pm Reply
    As more time passes, it becomes ever more clear that Snowden is a hero. If you haven't seen the movie, Citizen Four, I highly recommend it. It is clear that he carefully considered before he acted and knew the sacrifices and vilification he would encounter as a consequence. His was courage of the highest caliber and I thank him for it.
    • Caroline Miller May 15, 2015 at 6:31 pm Reply
      I couldn't have expressed the sentiment about Snowden better. I'd say the same for the friend I wrote about in this blog. Both of them are people of courage.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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