Reality Winner

megaballs
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:46 pm
Location: ,CA

Post by megaballs »

This album is sweet as spring with the windows rolled down.
Forget the politics, useless and divisive.

Let’s hope Jay makes it down to SoCal and doesn’t
make us drive to Santa Barbara or Pioneertown again!

Help a brother out

farrarfan1
Posts: 5342
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2003 6:25 pm
Location: Still out there,doing what I would die for

Post by farrarfan1 »

Foreign interference in elections is not something that was suddenly invented in 2016 by Russia, countries have been conducting overt and covert operations for decades in order to influence the outcome of election. That, of course, includes the U.S. One study that is cited in a couple different articles says that between 1946 and 2000 the United States intervened in 81 foreign elections and Russia in 36. There are numerous articles online that outline our actions as well as the other countries in various elections.

This is simply a part of international politics that everyone in the CIA, FBI, Congress and presidents have been aware of, and utilized, for decades. It is a valuable tool that all of the major countries have used in the past, and will use again in the future, to attempt to influence elections in their favor. It is a fact of life, just like spying. We do it, they do it and puffing up our chest with righteous indignation isn't going to change a thing.

Reality Winner is not a brave soul. MLK was a brave soul, the young man in Tiananmen Square was a brave soul. They were willing to sacrifice everything for the cause the believed in. Instead of openly sending the document to every major news station and newspaper and demand they release it to the public she chose to anonymously send it to an obscure online blog and then did everything possible to remain hidden and unidentified. Then, after being convicted she is now asking the president, who she admittedly hates, of the country she admittedly hates, to pardon her and make it all go away.

At least she did have the courage to apologize for her actions and admit it was wrong, which it was.

unchartedthickets
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Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:52 pm
Location: The southside

Post by unchartedthickets »

I agree with Winner’s orange monkey type fascist quote.
She’s a brave soul and with her background, she’s an expert
in US intelligence. I think she saw what ‘normal’ republicans
have a hard time seeing and likely knowingly acted reckless
when her idea ( an expert idea) of a democracy was threatened. Foreign entities shouldn’t have sway over our elections. She bravely went against
the law in hope that her actions would be seen as an action to
expose a real threat during an election for arguably the most powerful position in the world. For those who have a hard time remembering, Trump himself asked the Russians to leak HC’s emails. I’d say, 5 years is too long. Hillary C and Kennedy are not without fault for all that INFO WARS has brought to light but to my knowledge they haven’t been found guilty of breaking the law. The same may hold true for the orange monkey but I hold out hope he gets exposed for the criminal he is. What we see as a nation is breath taking in terms of law. Law is maluable as it should be. Lawyers and judges squabble and interpret for their clients and ideaologies. What’s law one day may be sacked the next. Don’t get all holy about law especially when it’s become a spectacle in this administration.

Tokyo Fan
Posts: 1486
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:47 pm

Post by Tokyo Fan »

I wasn't expecting a fourth single, so being able to hear this in advance of the album release is a bonus. I'm keeping an eye out for when it joins the non-exclusive, other three.

farrarfan1
Posts: 5342
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2003 6:25 pm
Location: Still out there,doing what I would die for

Post by farrarfan1 »

I realize most members here don't like when anyone has a different opinion, but I'd like to offer a slightly different perspective on this case. If she had been a 20 year old kid who wouldn't know a top secret security clearance if she tripped over it and had simply got caught up in something over her head, the outcome might have been different. But with her background, training and experience in handling classified material in the USAF Winner knew exactly what penalty she could face when she decided to violate federal law by sending classified data to a news source. Her skill and position of trust at the NSA gave her the ability and opportunity to access classified material that most people don't have, and she violated that trust and her duty to protect classified material when she stole it and released it to the public.

The reason she received a 5 year sentence is because her legal team negotiated on her behalf with the AUSA and both sides agreed on the 5 year sentence. Winner signed off on the plea agreement, and the judge agreed with the sentence. According to the NY Times article I attached she could have been sentenced to up to 10 years but the AUSA agreed to the lower amount. Her sentence wasn't set arbitrarily by the judge, it was negotiated on her behalf by her defense team and she agreed to it.I think that bears repeating.

From the NY Times article at her sentencing hearing: "Ms. Winner said she took "full responsibility" for the "undeniable mistake I made." She said she "would like to apologize profusely" for her actions." At least she took responsibility for her actions and admitted what she did was wrong. I do find it ironic that she has asked the leader of the United States of the Russian Federation, who she describes as an "orange fascist" and "soulless ginger orangutan", for a pardon! It will be interesting to see how he handles it.

As part of the plea deal she was sent to a medical facility in Texas so she could be near her family and receive medical treatment for bulimia. It appears to me that the AUSA didn't take a hard stand for a maximum sentence but worked with her legal team for a lesser sentence, and have tried to make it a little easier on her and her family by sending her to a facility near them that can treat her medical condition.

Is the criminal justice system perfect? Nope. Never has been, never will be. There always has been, and always will be people who get away with it because of their status, Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy are two perfect examples, but I don't see anything that would indicate Winner was not treated fairly in this case. Apparently her legal team believes it was handled fairly as well, according to this quote: "Standing in front of the courthouse, one of her lawyers, Titus Nichols, disputed that her actions had been a "nefarious plot that she enacted to harm the country." But he said that, in light of all the facts, he thought the sentence was fair."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/us/r ... tence.html

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

Post by turpentim »

Wow. The snippet certainly didn’t do this one justice. In fact, after hearing the snippet, I was pretty unenthused about it. The clip sounded like it might be an atonal, meandering bore — think ‘Sultana’ (admittedly one of my least favorite Farrar songs of all-time). But my oh my. This is fantastic.

Tim in the ATL

Okeman
Posts: 507
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:07 pm

Post by Okeman »

Love it.

megaballs
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:46 pm
Location: ,CA

Post by megaballs »

Great song. Sadly like Joe Citizen Blues and Methamphetamine, the masses and powers that spread music will ignore it.

I do personally believe this whistleblower isn’t on par with Ed Snowden, who proved Brennan was lying and the NSA was spying on Americans, and the dude serviceman who spent a year in jail for a photo on a classified sub...well Comey and McCabe and Strzok leaked classified stuff to the press repeatedly.
They’re above the law while the little guy gets no pass.

That’s my read on Reality Winner. Art is in the beholders eye, so that’s my take on the lyrics to a great melody and tune.

Tokyo Fan
Posts: 1486
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:47 pm

Post by Tokyo Fan »

Wow. This is an intense song, both lyrically (hey, no flow nitpick from me!) and musically. "Is there any mercy"; "felt like gaslighting, not something to accept"; "What have you done, Reality Winner?"

I think Farrar's vocals are absolutely stellar on this track, just draws the listener in, hanging on every word.

Four songs in and I'm thrilled.

As I rank the New Multitudes album very highly (in my personal world) , I was pleased to see Jay make a reference to it.

I don't know anything about The Boot. Is this similar to No Depression magazine? Or more mainstream country? The write-ups have been quite positive towards Son Volt.

unchartedthickets
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Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:52 pm
Location: The southside

Post by unchartedthickets »

I admire the conviction and artistry.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_Winner

Antelope850
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Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 5:42 am
Location: Up the Hudson Valley

Reality Winner

Post by Antelope850 »


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