PRELUDE
For
the past 66 years, or so, our Nation’s judicial system has been experiencing a
slow tortuous downward trend. This blog will be dedicated to showing the
documentation and proof that this trend has damaged our democracy. I am
proposing that this degradation and inversion of American jurisprudence has
put all but the very rich in peril of receiving outrageous sentences when found
guilty of a crime. Though this has been a known fact for a very long time, the
speed at which the gap has widened is frightening.
Sec. I
Starting
in the 1950’s post-WWII American socio-economic-political climate saw an
enormous increase in International spying.
MAD
Magazine was featuring its “SPY vs SPY” series; a popular spoof on the antics
of International spying (with a bent toward the Soviet Union).
This
increase in spying was due mostly to the advances of nuclear technology. Our
government was once reasonably open and transparent on this subject, and the
American public was privy to at least the major high-profile cases.
Sec. II
In
the 1950’s, the consequences for getting caught spying for a hostile Country
was swift and dire.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg -
§ They gave our nuclear secrets to the Soviet
Union for six years.
§ They were discovered in late 1940’s
§ They were indicted and tried in 1952
§ And, both were sent to the electric chair in 1953.
Sec. III
These
two were the highest profile spies that were offered up to the public. There
were many more. Some were caught; others escaped without detection; and the
Soviets learned very well how best to infiltrate our National institutions. At
the very same time, the United States was conducting the same spying activities
in a number of foreign Countries; the Soviet Union, China, India, Pakistan,
Japan. The U.S. also developed a little habit of spying on their Allies, as
well. So, MAD Magazine wasn’t far off in its depiction of the International spy
game.
Sec. IV
CIA
under Truman CIA under Eisenhower 
Sydney Souers
Allen Dulles
“...coordinating all US
clandestine “...the CIA‐engineered coup that
resulted
activities abroad...” in the removal of the
Iranian prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, from
power
in August 1953, and Operation PBSUCCESS,
which brought about the ousting of Guatemalan president,
Jacobo Arbenz
Guzman, in June 1954.”
I offer
this history to substantiate that the United States had “skin in the game”
also. We ran hundreds of U-2 surveillance flights over other Countries, most
notably the USSR, until the Soviets developed a missile that could reach high
enough to intercept our U-2’s. The ensuing case of Gary Powers, the U-2 pilot who
was shot down, was the first media sensation of our own spying efforts. Soviet actions in East
Germany lead to the Berlin Airlift. There was aggressive spying on both sides.
CIA removal of the Iranian Prime Minister, along with our actions in Turkey, made
the USSR vary uncomfortable. Plenty of spying here, too; and, these were just
the largest hot spots.
Sec. V
It
remains a fact that most 1st & 2nd world Countries
are involved in espionage to some degree. The Rosenberg’s’ case is but one of
many where our Intelligence apparatus was working well. The focus of this is
what the consequences were when our justice system has chimed in on the prosecution
of foreign “spy’s”.
◙ How swift was the justice after we caught
a foreign spy
◙
How quickly did the spy go on
trial
◙
Given a guilty verdict, what
was the severity of the sentence
imposed and how quickly that sentence was
carried out
Sec. VI
It has
continued through the computer age and into our current tech age.
For the
past two years in the U.S., there seems to be an inversion of the rule of law
that has been thrown in our faces. Thirty years ago the penalties for a
conviction of treason and/or espionage involved minimum jail times of 30 years
to life. It didn’t much matter whether you were a U.S. citizen or a foreigner. As
the Nation has been “dumbed” down (another blog subject, all together) over
this period, so too has the judicial system spirale into a whirlpool.
Our
2016 general election and resultant indictments of political operatives working
for foreign governments necessitates seriously questioning. Why does espionage by
a Russian citizen receive 18 months in jail, while a shoplifter or pot-smoker receives
a 15-20 year sentence?
Our
Commanders-In-Chief / last half of the 20th Century
Here is
a sample of American citizens doing business as Russian operatives dating back
to the Cold War days. By 1997, the length of prison sentence started dropping
remarkably.
§
James W. Hall III - 40-year sentence - 1988
§ Aldrich Ames -life
sentence - 1994
§ Harold
James Nicholson - 23-year sentence - 1997
Is the
drop in sentencing due to diplomatic considerations, the dumbing down of our
justice system, or some other nefarious reason?
Our
Commanders-In-Chief / first 2 decades of the 21st Century
The 21st Century brought fewer foreign spies, and, according to government
accounts, they have become much more difficult to uncover and apprehend. As
recent events have pointed out, there seems to be more American citizens
collaborating with foreign interests than ever before. The ones we know about
seem to be receiving a “slap on the wrist” for doing what used to produce
lengthy prison sentences. The largest foreign spy ring busted in this Century consisted
of 10 families living normal looking lives. After the government decided to
round them up, they were “traded” for 4 Americans being detained in Russia.
And, now, in 2019, we see Maria Butina get off with an 18 month sentence
after pleading guilty to espionage. She will be credited with the 9 months she
has been locked up already, so in early 2020 she will be released and deported.
Have we gone this soft on foreign nations and fellow Americans who wish
to see an end to our democracy? Is this shift in our judicial system only applicable
to “high profile” cases? The financial crisis of 2008 brought zero jail time
for the perpetrators. Is this, as stated above, something more sinister that we
should be alarmed? There are plenty of questions, but the trend is undeniable.
The “dumbing of America” and the inversion
of “jurisprudence” seem to be running neck and neck in an effort to allow the
owners of the Nation’s wealth to further stretch the divide between themselves
and the rest of the citizenry. What is even more troubling than that is the
apparent “I don’t care” attitude of our local and national governments. Does
corporate America have such a death grip on the Federal and State governments
that elected officials are no longer allowed to actually govern the Country? If
this does not get straightened out, we will be celebrating our Nation’s 250th
birthday in 2026 as something other than a democracy.
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