By Harold Pease, Ph. D.
For decades I read in my college classes messages smuggled out of socialist / communist prisons in Romania, Cuba, North Vietnam, the USSR, Communist China, North Korea and etc. some no worse than now coming out of the District of Columbia Department of Corrections in the United States. American citizens have been thrown into cells, denied family visits, fed horrible food, and imprisoned in essentially solitary confinement for up to 24 hours daily.
Approximately 650 January 6 Rally participants were “later charged and arrested in raids that involved armored military vehicles and SWAT teams.” Many of these thereafter were detained for most of a year without trial on Nancy Pelosi’s and the Democrat Party media outlets’ supposition of insurrection. Still, not one has been charged with insurrection!! Evidence of insurrection does not exist or this would have been charged. Confinement and tortuous treatment is largely punishment for their support of Trump in the Electoral College vote count.
They are instead American political prisoners. Those able to get messages “out to the public tell of their long-term solitary confinement without cause, sleep deprivation techniques, beatings at the hands of guards while in restraints, and threats of harsher treatment for speaking to the media (“Ignore the Dissidents of Our Time at Your Peril,” by Sarah Corridor, Homefront Crusade, October 13, 2021). All, dissident punishment techniques of communist countries cited above.
I had never supposed that I would see the same in the United States—political prisoners. But I also never supposed that socialists would take over this country implementing censorship, lock-downs, and mandates as in communist regimes. Washington D.C. is governed by the House of Representatives, presently led by Nancy Pelosi as speaker. None of this could happen without her knowledge and consent.
What follows is one of those letters smuggled out. Its author Nathan Degraves has no unlawful or violent history. He did not break anything nor hurt anyone.
“Dear fellow Americans, I never thought I’d write a letter like this but we’re living in very different times. This is my cry for help. My name is Nathan Degraves. And as a non violent participate at the January 6 Rally I’ve spent the last nine months detained as a political prisoner in pod C at the DC Department of Corrections, otherwise known as DC’s Gitmo.
“The conditions here for January Sixers have been inhumane. In fact, some inmates are even begging to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where they have more acceptable standards. Class action lawsuits are being filed against this prison and even the ACLU has gotten involved.
“So let me tell you about me and many others who are January Sixers and what we’ve been experiencing in DC’s Gitmo, our conditions for the last 120 days. For DC’s Gitmo January Sixers experienced daily lockdowns for 23 to 24 hours before being allowed to leave our small 120 square foot cell. The physical and mental anguish that results from this kind of severe isolation has caused many people to go on a rapid mental decline. As a result, a large percentage of us are heavily medicated with anti anxiety and anti depressant drugs, which helps to cope with the psychological and mental abuse we endure. Many times the little recreation we do receive is stripped away if our cell isn’t up to standards of the guard on duty. This changes from day to day.
“January Sixers have lost recreation time, and out of cell activity time, for any news interviews about the jail when they are aired on TV, when people speak up about our conditions or rallies are held in our name. We’ll probably have a lock-down upon the publishing of this letter. So I have already warned those I know in advance.
“I suffer headaches and nausea. I have already lost 15 pounds since I’ve been detained and I was quite thin and fit to begin with. After in person visits, legal or otherwise we are forced to undergo humiliating strip searches despite all visitors being thoroughly checked for contraband. If it’s an illegal visit we are placed in a 14 day quarantine with no out of cell time even if your attorney is vaccinated and tests negative for COVID. Visits with friends or family members for unvaccinated inmates are never allowed.
“I am being unfairly prosecuted and definitely overcharged. I never assaulted anyone destroyed property or stolen anything. Please don’t be fooled by the media. I am a loving and peaceful person with no history of violence.
“Please share this letter with everyone you know friends and family, senators, representatives, political organizations, organizers, civil rights groups and media outlets. The truth has to get out and the jail must pay for what they are doing to this country’s citizens. The government has essentially cancelled me.”
My publisher, LibertyUnderFire.com, publishes stories and / or information heavily censored by the controlled press in America. This letter was read by Greg Kelly of Newsmax on November 1, 2021. As far as we know Kelly is the only outlet for this story, besides you.
All America must unite in condemning censorship and tyranny. If the government can do this to one philosophy, political party, or person it can do it to anyone. The government has nothing on Nathaniel Degrave or they would have produced it long ago. They must assume his legal fees, pay compensation for his incarceration, and set him free immediately. Until then he remains a political prisoner in America.
Dr. Harold Pease is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He taught history and political science from this perspective for over 30 years at Taft College. Newspapers have permission to publish this column. To read more of his weekly articles, please visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org.