www.washingtonpost.com/…
The family confirmed his death in a statement. Mr. Ellsberg announced in an email to friends and supporters on March 1 that he had pancreatic cancer and had declined chemotherapy. Whatever time he had left, he said, would be spent giving talks and interviews about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the perils of nuclear war and the importance of First Amendment protections.
Henry Kissinger, one of the most despicable humans ever, called Ellsberg ‘the most dangerous man in America.’ That Kissinger lives on while Ellsberg has left us is just one more sorrow to endure.
We all know history will place this man on a shortlist of American heroes, one who fulling expected to go to prison for the rest of his life after leaking The Pentagon Papers.
We are all diminished by this man’s demise. My heart hurts.
Vietnam cost the lives of more than 58,000 U.S. service members and millions of Vietnamese. When I first saw the brilliant Vietnam War Memorial in D.C., I thought about the wall that was absent, the wall of the millions of Vietnamese which would have towered above the existing wall.
Vietnam and The Civil Rights movement shaped my generation in ways that even now, cannot be over emphasized.
And in many ways, our current crisis is a direct reaction to the political and cultural changes that coalesced around anti-Vietnam War movement.
Now we live in an America wherein a president steals even more sensitive secrets for unknown reasons, thereby endangering the world in ways Ellsberg could never have.
Perhaps it takes Ellsberg’s level of access, intellect and courage to make inroads into our stultifying public discourse. One would hope not as there are very few people who are in the right/wrong place at the right time who also have the intellect and courage to speak truth to power. That Ellsberg continued to use his voice to speak truth makes him an even bigger hero.
I have often wondered what makes the truly brave decide to sacrifice themselves for the good of others. It this a trait we are born with? What makes the vast majority stand on the sidelines and just watch.
Why can’t Americans produce a million Ellsbergs? What might be the psycho-social mechanism that would cause many more of us to surge forward in the defense of the greater good?
Humanity likes to put on parades for heroes but why don’t more of us step forward?
I know that ‘from caring comes courage’ as the Tao Teh Ching tells us. How is it that some of us care so much more than most of the rest of us?
Ellsberg lived a full life, but many with his level of courage die very early. Then, we wait for another generation of brave souls to stand up.