Trump Frees Ross

Two months ago, I attended an artificial intelligence (AI) investment conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. At that conference I met several fascinating luminaries in the AI field. I also met someone there who wasn’t involved in AI but was just as fascinating. Her name is Lyn Ulbricht. If that last name sounds familiar, it should. Lyn is the mother of Ross Ulbricht, founder of the website Silk Road, and someone who just got the best news an incarcerated person can ever receive — he was just granted a full pardon by President Trump.

Indeed, Mr. Trump made it official in just his first full day in office, granting a pardon to Ulbricht, who had been serving a life sentence for his role in founding and operating the dark web marketplace. Now, I have not spoken to Lyn Ulbricht since November, but I can only imagine that after 12 years of her son being incarcerated for the crime of creating a website, she is ecstatic that President Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to liberate her unjustly incarcerated son.

Lyn, I am so happy for you and Ross. I know this has been something you’ve wished for each day for more than a dozen years, and now that it’s here, I hope you can begin the next phase of your lives with the newfound freedom you deserve.

Now, the liberation of Ross Ulbricht by President Trump is something that is not only eminently laudable, but also quite rare. You see, we have all become used to politicians who talk a big game, but when it comes to delivering action, they suddenly become suspiciously forgetful. Well, this wasn’t the case for Trump and Ulbricht.

In characteristically Trumpian fashion, the president commented on his actions with the following from a post on Truth Social: “in honor of [his mother Lyn Ulbricht], and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.” Trump went on to write, “the scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponization of government against me.”

As you can see, there’s definitely some personal animosity here toward those involved in the opposite legal side. And while this kind of animosity can be quite negative in some instances, in this case it was certainly positive for Ross and Lyn. For that, all freedom and liberty-minded people should be thankful.

For more details on this situation, including the backstory that culminated with yesterday’s pardon, I invite you to read Brian Doherty’s article at Reason.com. In his concluding paragraph, Doherty echoes my sentiments on the president’s action here, writing:

“One just favor for libertarians does not a libertarian administration make, especially not one so dedicated to hobbling free trade, punishing the press, rounding up peaceful immigrants and pursuing autarkist nationalist industrial policy. But Trump’s coming through on this promise makes a huge difference for one man who did not deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison, and deserves justified applause.”

Finally, today, my friend Jo Ann Skousen sent out an email to fellow liberty lovers about the Ulbricht pardon that was quite beautiful. In it, she wrote the following:

For nearly 10 years, Ross’s mother Lyn Ulbricht has been a staple at FreedomFest and Anthem Film Festival, telling the story of her son’s outrageous sentence of two consecutive lifetimes for operating a website through which anyone could advertise anything for sale.

In 2016 “Deep Web,” Alex Winter’s documentary about Ross’s story, won both the Audience Choice award and the award for Best Documentary Feature at Anthem. Lyn was there, along with Doug Casey and others, answering questions and discussing the case.

Lyn has been tireless in her efforts, crisscrossing the country to appear at conferences, moving closer to where Ross was incarcerated when the Feds moved him to different facilities, returning annually to FreedomFest to meet with think tank organizers and politicians such as Thomas Massie and Rand Paul, and contacting every member of congress and person of influence she knew to ask for their help in getting Ross’s sentence commuted.

As a former teacher at Sing Sing correctional facility, I knew other mothers like Lyn, mothers of sons who were wrongfully convicted or inordinately sentenced. None was more tenacious than Lyn.

And now it has happened — not the commutation of his sentence that she sought, but a full pardon from the President of the United States, the pardon he promised at the Libertarian National Convention that he would grant on his first full day in office.

Happy Valentine’s Day Lyn, a couple of weeks early. We are so happy for you, for Ross and for all those who gave their support to undo this unfair sentencing and bring Ross Ulbricht home.

Jo Ann, I couldn’t agree more, nor could I have put it more beautifully.

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Bob Marley on Freedom  

“Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life.”

— Bob Marley

Freedom is something most of us in 21st-century America take for granted. Yet, when you read about the world, you realize that freedom isn’t at all ubiquitous. In fact, it’s rare, precious and it must be fought for. Oh, and if you don’t believe me, just ask Lyn and Ross Ulbricht.

Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.

In the name of the best within us,

Jim Woods