Reports From My Nanocosm

Finally, ‘Deep Throat’ has stepped forward and taken a bow he earned long-ago for fighting corruption in the Nixon White House. He deserves only applause and hearty toasts for what he did against the  potential risks to career, limbs and life. I consider this act heroic and patriotic, right up there with the founding fathers for their rebellion against the British crown  and Daniel Ellsberg  leaking the Pentagon Papers.

Even then, I’m concerned that he wasn’t in the right mind to decide for himself to step out of the shadows, specifically what the Vanity Affair piece calls a diminished ‘mental acuity’.

Update: I can’t help but comment on an article posted on the front page of Yahoo! with the headline: Nixon aides condemn ‘Deep Throat’ for betrayal (AFP via Y! News).

The press shouldn’t even bother with these sorts of articles. We already know how those prosectuted in the wake of the Watergate scandal feel.

G. Gordon Liddy, one of the guys responsible for Watergate is quoted as saying Mark Felt “violated the ethics of the law enforcement profession” for being Deep Throat. On the contrary, I feel he would have violated the ethics of law enforcement if he hadn’t blown the whistle about the cover-up. Mr. Liddy should be the last to comment about others violating ethics.

update: I should note that I only find this one act heroic. This is a man, after all, who was convicted of violating the law and was a leader at the FBI during an era they spied on many Americans without cause.