Daniel Ellsberg: All the crimes Richard Nixon committed against me are now legal

[kpete]

These days, when you find yourself thinking about Richard Nixon, what comes to mind?

Richard Nixon, if he were alive today, might take bittersweet satisfaction to know that he was not the last smart president to prolong unjustifiably a senseless, unwinnable war, at great cost in human life. (And his aide Henry Kissinger was not the last American official to win an undeserved Nobel Peace Prize.)

He would probably also feel vindicated (and envious) that ALL the crimes he committed against me–which forced his resignation facing impeachment–are now legal.

That includes burglarizing my former psychoanalyst's office (for material to blackmail me into silence), warrantless wiretapping, using the CIA against an American citizen in the US, and authorizing a White House hit squad to "incapacitate me totally" (on the steps of the Capitol on May 3, 1971). All the above were to prevent me from exposing guilty secrets of his own administration that went beyond the Pentagon Papers. But under George W. Bush and Barack Obama,with the PATRIOT Act, the FISA Amendment Act, and (for the hit squad) President Obama's executive orders. they have all become legal.

There is no further need for present or future presidents to commit obstructions of justice (like Nixon's bribes to potential witnesses) to conceal such acts. Under the new laws, Nixon would have stayed in office, and the Vietnam War would have continued at least several more years.

the rest:
http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/07/daniel-ellsberg-all-the-crimes-richard-nixon-committed-against-me-are-now-legal/

[spanone]

1. in another 40 years they will be mandatory, the way were headed

[aquart]

2. Well, yeah.

The Republicans looked carefully at everything that destroyed Nixon and worked on eliminating every single "problem."

Sorry the rest of you didn't notice.

[Javaman]

3. "When the President does it, that means it is not illegal"

some young dickhead back then got sparkles in his eyes and saw the future of politics in this country.

we are living that neo-cons wet dream.

we are dying.

[progressoid]

6. +1

"When the President does it, that means it is not illegal"

How far we have fallen when what we used to think was absurd is now embraced.

[suffragette]

4. K&R

[RandomKoolzip]

5. Aaaaaand: under the bus for ya, Ellsberg!

[frylock]

8. he's been under the bus for a while now..

since he voiced his support for manning and assange.

[Gabi Hayes]

7. is there any doubt that Ellsberg is the most courageous American in the last

forty-five years?

he was a HARDLINE cold warrior, who saw the error in his thinking, based upon what he personally witnessed, and put his career and FREEDOM on the line

anyone who hasn't delved deeply into his personal story would do well

he's on the level of Smedley Butler, two authentic heroes, who put the citizens of their country above all else

Ellsberg continues on, warning people that we're sliding quickly into the same system that overtook the Weimar Republic

and you can take your Godwin's law BS and put it in a hole alongside all the 'patriots' who continue to renew the USA PATRIOT act, which is nothing more than a modernized version of the Enabling Acts

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ys4yaY-ijmk/S65ZpIsFhMI/AAAAAAAAAIM/jspGOiFdIRY/s1600/Enabling_+Act_1933.jpg
btw, I got thrown off a United flight in 2002 for saying "jahwohl" to an attendant who told me they could remove any passenger for ANY reason. this was after they gave me a $50 voucher at the checkin counter for being so very extremely cooperative, as I repacked my bags to conform to their new carryon restrictions