After Daniel Ellsberg passed away, I republished my poem Ode to a Whistleblower to honor his memory and further Dan’s dying wish to #FreeAssange.
Then a couple of weeks ago, Diane Perlman asked if I would be willing to provide a video of myself reading this poem for the tribute she and her co-director Todd Pierce are organizing at the Whistleblower Summit on July 30, National Whistleblower Day.
I gratefully accepted this historic opportunity to celebrate the life of a man who exemplifies the rarest kind of bravery, which Diane Perlman captures in her “theory of ‘the Courageous Personality’”:
“Veridos™ may represent less than 5% of the population. They see through deception, investigate truth and have the strength to challenge official narratives. They are truly courageous and refuse to remain silent.”
Above is the resulting video, majestically scored by my husband in response to my request for a composition that captures the nobility, heroism, sacrifice, and triumph represented by Daniel Ellsberg’s life and the many other whistleblowers who have overcome their self-preservation instincts to defend humanity from our parasitic oppressors.
Other contributors to the tribute include Patricia Ellsberg, Caitlin Johnstone, Richard Falk, Peter Kuznick, John Henry, Gar Alperovitz, Coleen Rowley, John Kiriakou, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright, Ray McGovern, and Helen Caldicott.
I encourage you to help fund this event as the Whistleblower Summit has a shoestring budget for this last-minute addition commemorating Dan’s legacy.
If you happen to be in the Washington, D.C., area, you can attend the tribute at the National Press Club on July 30 from 6 to 8 pm. See the Whistleblower Summit schedule for more details.
Whistleblowers have perhaps more power than anyone else to yank back the curtain on corruption; crime; and the lethal practices of governments, corporations, NGOs, philanthropaths, tyrants, and colluders. Please share this video and poem to help prospective whistleblowers summon the courage necessary to speak out and follow in Daniel Ellsberg’s heroic footsteps.
Ode to a Whistleblower
by Margaret Anna Alice
It starts as a whisper.
A tickle in your throat.
A glissando down your spine.
A quiver in your stomach.
The hairs on your arms rise up.
A tremor pulses through your nervous system.
Nausea washes over, engulfing you,
Until you can no longer contain it.
What you’ve seen cannot be un-seen.
What you’ve heard cannot be un-heard.
What you’ve felt cannot be un-felt.
What you know cannot be un-known.
To speak that knowledge,
to sing that secret,
to roar that truth
is to risk all—
career, reputation, security, relationships,
life.
And yet to stifle it,
to tamp it down,
to suffocate it
is to sap your integrity,
to stoke your guilt,
to stab your soul.
So you release it,
let it fly,
and it wings its way
round the globe,
waking, shaking,
taking flight.
You know your peace
will be shattered.
You know your days
may be fewer.
You know this could be
your last song.
But you belt it out
anyway.
You bellow it out
because.
You whistle it to the stars,
and the stars echo it back.
You’ve rippled the ocean.
You’ve whipped the wind.
You’ve sparked the volcano.
And even if the Goliaths target you,
even if their thugs assault you,
even if their scientists spike you,
your truth will swell to a seismic wave,
traveling upon the sea of the awakened,
swallowing up our tyrannizers.
We will trill your truth.
We will warble your song.
We will whistle your secret
to the world, until there are
too many of us to silence.
Related Links
YouTube • Rumble • Odysee • Bitchute
© Margaret Anna Alice, LLC
🙏 You Make This Work Possible
For 16.4 cents/day (annual) or 19.7 cents/day (monthly), you can help me fight tyranny and stop democide while enjoying access to premium content like “rolling” interviews, podcasts, memes, Behind the Scenes, and bonus articles:
I especially want to thank those of you who have taken the time to write a private message to me when you subscribe. I read and cherish each note.
🤲 One-Time Support
After PayPal canceled me last year, my donations plummeted and I lost nearly all of my recurring donations. This is just one of the many ways the silencers try to hurt dissidents. Thank you for whatever you can give to help me fight back.
🤗 Shoutouts Gratitude
⚔️ Cross-Posts
What Noam Chomsky Can Teach Us About Freedom of Speech
Nevermore Media cross-posted What Noam Chomsky Can Teach Us About Freedom of Speech with this note:
“Margaret Anna Alice knocks it out of the park on Mickey Z.’s Post-Woke Podcast. NOT TO BE MISSED!”
🛒 Spread the Words
If you would like to help propagate the message that Mistakes Were NOT Made, you will find a wide selection of products in my Mistakes Were NOT Made collection, including:
🗒 Join me on Substack Notes!
You can find my Notes here.
🐇 Follow Me on Social Media
I always alert my social media followers to new posts, so if your Substack notifications become disabled without your notice (as a number of my readers have reported), following me on other outlets will ensure you don’t miss anything.
📼 Subscribe to My Channels
Follow my channels if you’d like to be notified when I upload new videos.
Visit BioLink to find all of my social media accounts:
🌟 WARM GRATITUDE FOR THE RECS!
The single-most important driver for new readers joining my mailing list is Substack recommendations. I want to thank every one of you who feels enthusiastic enough about my Substack to recommend it, and I especially appreciate those of you who go the extra mile to write a blurb!
📚 Order Signed Copies
I offer bulk discounts on signed copies of my fairy tale The Vapor, the Hot Hat, & the Witches’ Potion. Reply to any of my newsletters (or the Welcome email if you’re new) to place your order via email. You can also buy directly from Amazon if you prefer.
Download the E-Book
Paid subscribers can download the beautifully typeset and illustrated e-book of my fairy tale, The Vapor, the Hot Hat, & the Witches’ Potion. It is equivalent to the paperback version (retails $12.99) and much prettier than the Kindle version (retails $5.99). Click here to access the downloadable PDF (the post will be unlocked once you subscribe).
⏰ Wake-up Toolkit
If you’re new to my Substack, my Wake-up Toolkit is a great way to get acquainted with my content. I’ve organized my articles by topic for easy reference and use in your red-pilling efforts as needed. I will update this to reflect new content as it is published.
🎓 IPAK-EDU
Click here to see upcoming IPAK-EDU courses, and please use my affiliate code (MAA1IPAK) to register for any you decide to take.
If you feel the work I am doing is worthwhile and want to make it possible for me to spend more time writing and researching in my aim to unmask totalitarianism and awaken the sleeping before tyranny triumphs, please consider supporting me, whether it be by subscribing; buying me a Ko-fi or coffee; or sharing my posts. I thank you for reading, thinking, sharing, and supporting my work in whichever ways you choose.
Prefer to donate crypto? You can send Bitcoin using the following code:
bc1ql706rr7vj7c7nzxnqfp9rldw8ddfc20f492jk0
Since crypto transfers are anonymized, I won’t know about your donation. Please drop me an email by responding to any of my newsletters if you’d like to alert me to your generous gift.
Remember, a subscription to Margaret Anna Alice Through the Looking Glass makes for an intellectually adventurous gift down the rabbit-hole!
Note: Purchasing any items using Amazon affiliate links included in my content will further support my efforts to unmask tyranny.
Ode to a Whistleblower (Video Tribute to Daniel Ellsberg)