Posted on 11/12/2005 4:07:54 PM PST by jmc1969
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. -- The man who leaked secret documents about the Vietnam war indicating the federal government had deceived the public, said he sees a lot of similarities between that war and the one being waged in Iraq.
Daniel Ellsberg, who became famous for his release of what became known as the "Pentagon Papers," spoke to a crowd of more than 400 people Saturday at a local high school in Maplewood.
During Saturday's talk, Ellsberg said both the Vietnam war and the war in Iraq were based on lies, referring to the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Ellsberg also sent out a special message to people working in the federal government today, urging them to speak up now about possible government misconduct they witness relating to the Iraq war.
The Harvard graduate, who has praised government whistleblowers who leak information about the Iraq war, said he wishes he had leaked the Pentagon Papers earlier, possibly ending the war sooner.
Ellsberg said Democratic leadership in Washington is essential for the nation to get out of Iraq, but according to Ellsberg, Democratic politicians are worried about the Bush administration labeling them as unpatriotic, weak on terrorism, or traitors _ something he said happened during the Vietnam era as well.
Ellsberg, who read from his book "Secrets A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers" that was published in 2002, predicted that Bush would want to push through a new Patriot Act that would make the existing one look "like the Bill of Rights."
Westfield resident, Diane Beeny, 48, came to the event wearing a black beret and several anti-war pins with mottos such as : "No War!," and "Military Spending is Killing Us! "
(Excerpt) Read more at nynewsday.com ...
We agree Iraq is another Vietnam. Thanks for your help.
Anybody care to calculate how many years it will take to lose 58,000 American troops in Iraq at the current rate?
Regurgitations from another tired old anti American hack!
Ellsberg should have been forced to cough up his sources for revealing military secrets like Judy Miller.
About 60 years.
The big similarities are a bunch of back stabbing politicians and enemy sympathizers in the press.
Wow! That's a record-breaking crowd! /s
This posting is in dire need of a "Barf Alert." Without a warning, I read the whole thing and now....aaurrghhh
The primary similarity is that the war protestors are undermining our effort in Iraq, just as they did in Vietnam.
My God, when will the ridiculous comparisons to Vietnam finally be universally recognized as cheesy and the last refuge of tired, old and unapolagetic communists?
Why hasn't this clown been backed up against a wall and suffered a severe lead poisoning attack?
50 years ago we wouldn't have to ask why, just why so long.
TT
LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES
http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html
Ellsberg believes in freedom for himself. Others can hope to jump on a boat or run like hell through the rice paddies with a baby on their back. Cambodian and dead Vietnamese thank you Danny. Communism isn't all that bad to people living outside the Mao bubble. I am betting Ellsberg never studied anything about how the Chinese Communists came to power and what they did to the Chinese people. Ellsberg has to be blood kin to Mr. Berg
Agreed.
Amen. Traitors like him should be behind bars. Not in front of school crowd.
There are NO simularities between the Vietnam war and the war on terror. Period.
Outsource this to the Jordanians for gathering source information. Ellsberg belongs in prison.
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