Ellsberg/Pentagon Papers: A Hero Getting Recognition!

Ellsberg committed a felony and a misdemeanor. The felony was over classifying what he wrote. The misdemeanor was leaking it.

If he was a hero for leaking government documents, then I suppose the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should get the Nobel prize for what he has done.

Do they have one for "Person who caused the most destruction with a computer?"

My dear mr. B. I agree with your post and I commend you on yet another perfectly spelled and punctuated offering. If I may, I would ask you to induldge me in one small critique. Your repetitive use of the quaint term of "gummint" seems to distract from the integrity of the piece as a whole. It makes one want to question your credibility, is a bit distracting, and frankly sir, it is beneath you.

That being said, may you long reign as our Prince and provider of prosaic prattle.

Bravo sir...Bravo!

quote:

Originally posted by elinterventor01:
Ellsberg committed a felony and a misdemeanor. The felony was over classifying what he wrote. The misdemeanor was leaking it.

He was convicted of NOTHING:

"Richard Nixon now made attempts to prevent any more extracts from the Pentagon Papers being published. The Supreme Court ruled against Nixon and Hugo Black commented that the two newspapers " should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly"

"Due to the gross governmental misconduct and illegal evidence gathering, and the defense by Leonard Boudin and Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson, Judge Byrne dismissed all charges against Ellsberg and Russo on May 11, 1973 after the government claimed it had "lost" records of wiretapping against Ellsberg. Byrne ruled: "The totality of the circumstances of this case which I have only briefly sketched offend a sense of justice. The bizarre events have incurably infected the prosecution of this case."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ellsberg

"Ellsberg's trial, on twelve felony counts posing a possible sentence of 115 years, was dismissed in 1973 on grounds of governmental misconduct against him, which led to the convictions of several White House aides and figured in the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon."

The prosecutorial misconduct included the breaking into Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office to obtain confidential medical information. Among the perpetrators--G.Gordon Liddy, currently a klutzy, babbling right-wing talk show blowhard!



Link: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKellsberg.htm

Didn't say he was convicted. Never understood Libby as a conservative hero. He was incompetent then and I see no improvement. Jeez, place the tape sideways, not length ways!

quote:

Originally posted by bluetick:
My dear mr. B. I agree with your post and I commend you on yet another perfectly spelled and punctuated offering. If I may, I would ask you to induldge me in one small critique. Your repetitive use of the quaint term of "gummint" seems to distract from the integrity of the piece as a whole. It makes one want to question your credibility, is a bit distracting, and frankly sir, it is beneath you.

That being said, may you long reign as our Prince and provider of prosaic prattle.

Bravo sir...Bravo!

Your seeming attempt at commendation is appreciated, but "prattle," and "prosaic" (look them up),though conforming to your predilection for alliteration, are hardly complimentary terms. "Prince" likewise falls short. Allow me, then, to modestly suggest an alernative, to wit: " Kingly concoctor of convincing conclusions."

"Gummint" is simply my token concession to the bumpkinesque element (and they are legion) who sincerely pronounce the intended word that way--a sop to the bubbas, if you will, and my small way of showing that although I hold to high standards, I am not intolerant toward the long-ingrained and indelibly implanted rusticities of certain of my fellow men--and women.

quote:

Originally posted by elinterventor01:
Didn't say he was convicted. Never understood Libby as a conservative hero. He was incompetent then and I see no improvement. Jeez, place the tape sideways, not length ways!

"Didn't say he was convicted," huh? Well, technically, that is true. But you did say that he committed a felony and a misdemeanor, which is MORE THAN ANY COURT OF LAW SAID! By what logic does your pronouncement of guilt supersede the principle, in this country and under its laws and Constitution, that a person is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty? Have you, like Chesterton, begun to mistake your own borborygmus for the rumblings of the universe?*

You "never understood Libby as a conservative hero"? Good for you. No one should regard that pseudo-macho, lying, conniving poseur as any kind of hero. The point is that he WAS and still IS regarded as a hero by lots of conservatives. Ah, well, most of those same dupes continue to regard that sleazy drug dealer Oliver North as a hero. Go figure.



*("Borborygmus" refers to the characteristic, often audible churnings, rumblings and gurglings of the bowels, sometimes associated with a person's habits of evaluating. Some English wag once observed that the great G. K. Chesterton "mistook his own borborygmus for the rumblings of The Universe.") See: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/...(Lexicon)-a020997323

quote:

Originally posted by b50m:
If he was a hero for leaking government documents, then I suppose the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should get the Nobel prize for what he has done.

Do they have one for "Person who caused the most destruction with a computer?"

I will leave those decisions up to you. What I do know, as a longtime follower of the Pentagon Papers affair and other documentation of the Vietnam War and the deception of the American people by the perpetrators of that war, is that Daniel Ellsberg did a noble and patriotic thing and history will render a more honest and just account of that sad era because of what he did.

quote:

Originally posted by beternU:

quote:

Originally posted by bluetick:
My dear mr. B. I agree with your post and I commend you on yet another perfectly spelled and punctuated offering. If I may, I would ask you to induldge me in one small critique. Your repetitive use of the quaint term of "gummint" seems to distract from the integrity of the piece as a whole. It makes one want to question your credibility, is a bit distracting, and frankly sir, it is beneath you.

That being said, may you long reign as our Prince and provider of prosaic prattle.

Bravo sir...Bravo!

Your seeming attempt at commendation is appreciated, but "prattle," and "prosaic" (look them up),though conforming to your predilection for alliteration, are hardly complimentary terms. "Prince" likewise falls short. Allow me, then, to modestly suggest an alernative, to wit: " Kingly concoctor of convincing conclusions."

"Gummint" is simply my token concession to the bumpkinesque element (and they are legion) who sincerely pronounce the intended word that way--a sop to the bubbas, if you will, and my small way of showing that although I hold to high standards, I am not intolerant toward the long-ingrained and indelibly implanted rusticities of certain of my fellow men--and women.

I stand in awe and consider myself "dressed down"

Submitted for your approval..Duke of dynamic dialogue.

Translated, betern nutting is being condescending. Which, requires a good imagination, or delusions of grandeur, take your pick!

After lengthy discussion, Bubba and I have decided to unite in offering our undying gratitude to beternu for his concession to the colloquialism of "gummint" for our benefit. It is difficult, at times, to ascertain the meaning of his elaborate form of literary interlocution. We, the legion, that wallow here in the quagmire of stupidity and tobacco juice, can only hope that one day we can aspire to be the intellectual equal to this paragon of punctuation. The day that my limited intelligence quotient shall rip me from that pit of ignorance will be glorious indeed. No longer will the stench of stupidity ooze from my pores and I will stand shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, with my inspiration, and in unison with him I shall loudly proclaim.. I am not an idiot..I am merely a fool.

quote:

Originally posted by elinterventor01:
Translated, betern nutting is being condescending. Which, requires a good imagination, or delusions of grandeur, take your pick!

I vote for 'imagined delusions of superiority', I don't want to say delusions of grandeur because it is the title of an album I like.

quote:

Originally posted by bluetick:
Submitted for your approval..Duke of dynamic dialogue.

That's a good one.

"prattle," and "prosaic" (look them up),though conforming to your predilection for alliteration, are hardly complimentary



I took your advice and looked them up.

Prosaic..of or having the character or form of prose rather than poetry.

Prattle..To talk in a foolish way...to babble.

I stand by my comment and consider it appropriate.


opinions??????????? Majority shall rule.

quote:

Originally posted by bluetick:
"prattle," and "prosaic" (look them up),though conforming to your predilection for alliteration, are hardly complimentary



I took your advice and looked them up.

Prosaic..of or having the character or form of prose rather than poetry.

Prattle..To talk in a foolish way...to babble.

I stand by my comment and consider it appropriate.


opinions??????????? Majority shall rule.

But "prosaic" often is used to mean "Lacking in imagination and spirit; dull; ordinary" (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). Your having employed "prattle" in conjunction with "prosaic" would naturally lead one to believe that this second, and pejorative, meaning is the one you intended.

Sorry for the confusion. I, being one of the uninformed masses, was unaware of the alternate definition. I can only offer my stupidity as an excuse.

As I stated before, I hope some day to rise above my ignorance. I am inspired by your command of the English language and your passion for the written word.

If I were granted one wish, would I waste it on something trivial like world peace? No. Would I wish for fame...fortune? No. Would I eradicate world hunger, disease, poverty? No. Would I wish for the answers to mans most perplexing questions? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What is our purpose? No. I would wish for perfect grammar and punctuation for all mankind. What a glorious achievement that would be.