the parallels between iraq and vietnam are stunning. and obvious.
i wonder though, whether ellsberg's central point can, in this day and age, be heeded:
Today, there must be, at the very least, hundreds of civilian and military officials in the Pentagon, CIA, State Department, National Security Agency and White House who have in their safes and computers comparable documentation of intense internal debates — so far carefully concealed from Congress and the public — about prospective or actual war crimes, reckless policies and domestic crimes: the Pentagon Papers of Iraq, Iran or the ongoing war on U.S. liberties. Some of those officials, I hope, will choose to accept the personal risks of revealing the truth — earlier than I did — before more lives are lost or a new war is launched.
people are just too deeply invested in the military industrial complex. our economy depends on it, in large part. i and many others i love are to blame as much as anyone: though we are progressive, we are far too busy with personal, private pursuits to serve the public in a meaningful way. this is not because we're selfish jerks; rather, it's because it's the only way to stay afloat in this period of late capitalism.
sadly, i think the only other choice is what althusser termed "intellectual half-employment." and it's not much of a choice, at that.
1 comment:
I had read this column last night, and couldn't help but think - rummy was around the last time the pentagon papers was a problem. I'd assume he learned not to leave a paper trail this time?
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