Well-worth Reading

For the past 40 years, I've often been asked if I was related to Daniel Ellsberg, the man who famously leaked the Pentagon Papers, which helped end the Vietnam War.  I'm not -- the last names aren't even the same -- though I do often refer to him as Uncle Dan.

This became particularly amusing during college, when my roommate at Northwestern was doing a research report on the Paris Peace Talks, and needed access to one side of the discussions which secret and unavailable, so he applied for permission.  I always thought it would have been hilarious if they did a full background check on him, and asked among other things who his college roommate was, and he answered, "Elisberg."  I suspect he'd have heard an instant click on the other side of the phone.

I bring all this up because Daniel Ellsberg has a commentary in today's Washington Post here, explaining his thoughts on Edward Snowden fleeing the United States, and whether he believes Snowden should have stayed in the U.S., as he did.  His answer is "no," that he agrees with Snowden fleeing, because the world today is very different from the one that existed when he leaked the Pentagon Papers.  Among other things, after being arrested, he was released on his own recognizance.  He explains further here.  Whether you agree or disagree, it makes for interesting reading, as Ellsberg explains the differences between two cultures that overlap.