The Cost of Speaking Truth

My husband and I are super private people. That’s how I was raised from my Dad’s influence, and that’s how Marcus has always been as an adult. We try to protect our peace at home, especially for our children’s sake. That went out the window over the last five years or so, with the corruption he witnessed, his whistleblowing, his testimonies on the Hill, and so on. It’s a very uncomfortable experience. But as our priest often says, “Die to self,” and that we have, or at least tried. This whole thing is so much bigger than us and our family.

We’re moving soon. We have to sell our house. Not because we want to, but because we’re being forced due to finances. I’m sitting here thinking about what room to pack next (functional freeze is a real thing), and wondering how we are going to survive, pay the bills, feed our kids. Will we find something safe? Clean? I have no idea but I do know that God has not abandoned us. This is the cost of doing the right thing but the rewards are so much greater.

Whistleblowing isn't glamorous. It’s “fame” (and I use that term loosely) without the perks. It's losing income, facing false accusations, watching fear keep good people silent. Knowing many are afraid of being associated with us. We have sacrificed so much materially. Our health is still suffering from the constant stress. Crazy enough, but we all know what Chuck Schumer said about the intel community getting back at you and he's not wrong. Marcus was falsely accused of being a national security threat – a label that will likely follow him the rest of his life. False accusations always seem to have a larger and louder microphone than the retraction that is later made by the accuser. And I bet you can guess what happened to the people responsible for doing this to him. I'm pretty confident not a single one shares the same worries we do. Most of them have moved on, comfortable with their paycheck or pension. And why should they care? Anyone willing to lie to try to destroy Marcus' life doesn't give a second thought about him now. Think about that, he spoke up at work about inconsistencies he saw while doing his job, he brought it to the attention of his management, and they suspended him. Because they didn't like what he said. They suspended him for disfavored speech. Do we really want to go down that road? Who determines what speech is favored? It's not always going to be "our side" that's in control.

Some may wonder if it was worth it. Honestly, there was no other choice. If God tells you to act, you act. He never promised an easy life for any of us. "Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) It often is easier in the moment to avoid conflict and disagreements. We try so hard not to offend. And we certainly don't choose to bring discomfort upon ourselves. But if we don't speak up, nothing changes. We can't change the system until we change how we respond to fear. We have to change the mindset of the people. We have to make sure the propaganda doesn’t win. We have to find each other and lift each other up with the truth.

I know a lot of us are going through hard times right now. Shame on us for allowing this to continue. So many of us hear the stories, feel sad about it, and then move on, comfortable that it hasn’t impacted them…yet. But one day it might. I just ask that you think about what you would do. Will you stand strong in the truth?