Yesterday, around 4:15 p.m., we learned that President Obama with a release date of May 17, 2017. In four months, with our continued vigilance to ensure her safety and lawful release, she will be free.
No doubt saving her life, the president cut 28 years off her egregiously long sentence. Having already served nearly seven years in custody, Chelsea has spent more time in prison than any other whistleblower in U.S. history. And history will no doubt look favorably upon President Obama鈥檚 decision to cut short Chelsea鈥檚 unprecedented sentence.
As the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 on August 21, 2013, the day of Chelsea鈥檚 sentencing, 鈥淲hen a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system.鈥� Years before that, in 2010, then-Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates , 鈥淚s this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes. Consequences for U.S. foreign policy? I think fairly modest.鈥� And then just last week, unnamed Army intelligence officers that in retrospect, Chelsea鈥檚 sentence 鈥渟eems excessive.鈥�
Indeed, the excessive sentence nearly cost Chelsea her life. Subjected to long-stretches of solitary confinement and particularly brutal conditions at Quantico before her trial, denied health care for her gender dysphoria, and then punished for the desperation that led her to attempt suicide, Chelsea鈥檚 life has been repeatedly imperiled while in custody.
This past year, Chelsea in large part due to the escalating distress caused by the government鈥檚 refusal to adequately treat her gender dysphoria. Despite the recommendations of the military鈥檚 own medical providers, Chelsea has had to fight for her treatment in court and was still facing an uphill and protracted legal battle to obtain the right to follow the hair and grooming standards for female military prisoners. And while that the military would move forward with medically recommended surgery to treat her gender dysphoria, Chelsea has been waiting since September to meet with the treatment team. Those plans may have been further stalled given of the military鈥檚 change in policy to permit transgender individuals to serve openly as being too 鈥減olitically correct.鈥�
These delays were breaking her, and they likely would have killed her.
In 2015, after the military informed Chelsea that they would continue to enforce the male hair length standards against her, , 鈥淎fter feeling devastated, humiliated, hurt, and rejected 鈥娾�� 鈥奱nd after wanting to give up on the world鈥� 鈥斺�� I found my 鈥榮econd wind鈥� of sorts. I can make it just a little longer. I just hope it鈥檚 not too much longer.鈥�
Finally, it won鈥檛 be too much longer. Instead of 28 years, it will be four months. Instead of certain death, it will be a chance at life.
Chelsea in her plea to President Obama for clemency, 鈥淚 am merely asking for a first chance to live my life outside the USDB as the person I was born to be.鈥�
What a gift to us all that she may get that chance.
