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From the Quotation of the day mailing list, 2008-03-02:
"The hawks on the program were critical of the publication on the grounds that it undermined confidence in government, but this, of course, is precisely why the publication seems to me so happy an event. It is a very healthy thing for a democracy to be made to realize that government is not infallible and very often consists of exceedingly limited, presumptuous, mistaken and even stupid men. The great lesson, I concluded by saying, is: Don't trust your leaders---until they earn and justify that trust by telling the people the truth." -- Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., from a July 13, 1971 journal entry recalling a televised discussion he had participated in regarding the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Selections from his journals were published in 2007.
(submitted to the mailing list by Terry Labach)
(no subject)
I've never, never understood the mindset of people who, when a whistle-blower reveals an Authority figure to be doing something illegal, immoral, or outrageous, want to attack the whistle-blower for bringing the Authority into ill repute. (It's happening with the Wikileaks revelations about Iraq and Afghanistan too, now.) I'm sure I'd be told I was the shallow or naive one for thinking the better way to not be attacked for doing evil is to not do evil, rather than to try to libel and blackmail those who reveal evil to the world.
(no subject)
"I'm sure I'd be told I was the shallow or naive one for thinking the better way to not be attacked for doing evil is to not do evil, rather than to try to libel and blackmail those who reveal evil to the world."
Oh, folks can make up stuff to accuse you of even if your nose is clean, but being clean is a sure way to make sure they have a hell of a lot less ammo! So ultimately, I'm with you on this.