Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Deep Throat continues to entertain . . .

Tell me you couldn't see this coming.

W. Mark Felt is now being deified in the press because he "did the right thing." He is a hero in his own mind and that of his keepers, and the reporters who use anonymous sources to sell a story, like Woodward, who thinks Felt "took an enormous risk," are being beatified.

A hero accepts risk of personal harm for the aid of others. What did Mr. Felt risk? Whatever it was, he thought the risk of personal harm to himself was sufficiently great such that he was obliged to shirk his duty as a lawman to investigate and prosecute crime, and had to sneak around in the night whispering secrets into the ear of a newspaper reporter, all on condition of anonymity. The risk? Oh, gee. Another agent had raised the possibility of prosecuting evil-doers in government and found himself transfered to the midwest. That's what Mr. Felt risked. The mid-west, oh, the horror of it all.

And why is what Felt did a good thing? Because he and Woodward/Bernstein took down an American president who committed the one unpardonable sin of American politics. Nixon was a graceless man who despised the popular press and espoused ideas rejected by the press. But he crossed the line when he got himself elected by a majority of the voters. And Mr. Felt punished him.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well that, and he got passed over for a promotion.

Anonymous said...

Well that, and he got passed over for a promotion.

Anonymous said...

Back then, who benefited?

Now, the book has been finished, time to publish; so, prepare the soil -- define unsung "heroes".

...and, play the audience, like piano.