The Pentagon Papers matter because the deception and lies that draw the U.S. into needless wars, wars that only benefit profiteers and criminals, are still going on. We taxpayers are paying a heavy price: with our money, that provides security to oil interests; with our loved ones, who die for ‘liberty’ but in truth, for oil interests. Thank you Daniel Ellsberg for standing in truth against fear these many years. I know it hasn’t been easy. Thank you Bradley Manning for following in Ellsberg’s footsteps. Never think it is in vain. Peacemakers everywhere, know this: we delayed the Iraq war by six months. We have delayed the Iran war by almost six years. Never before has this kind of thing been accomplished. We can still feel there is much to be done, but we can rest assured that, while a long slog such as eliminating war can not be easy, we are moving in the right direction. At least Ellsberg and Manning can know that those to come will remember them as foremost in the ranks of peacekeepers.
I would like to make an additional comment, that Daniel Ellsberg visited our locale a couple of years ago, and my takeaway from his talks was the suddenly profound understanding that the U.S. has been carrying out nuclear terrorism for 65 years. During WWII, we bombed 90 cities in Japan, searching for the best technique to create a firestorm so as to cow the civilian population, and when the atom bomb was created, that was it. The weapon to hold the world hostage. If you do nothing else with your life, listen to Daniel Ellsberg.
