40 Years After Watergate, It's Almost Impossible to Hold Government Accountable

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/40-years-after-watergate-its-almost-impossible-hold-government-accountable



At moments, “The Lessons of Watergate” conference, held a couple of weeks ago in Washington, D.C. by the citizen’s lobby Common Cause, was a little like that two-man roadshow retired baseball players Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson have been touring. In it, they retell the story of the catastrophic moment during the bottom of the last inning of Game Six of the 1986 World Series, when the Mets’ Wilson hit an easy ground ball toward Buckner of the Red Sox, who haplessly let it roll between his legs. That notorious error ultimately cost Boston the championship.

As The New Yorker magazine’s Reeves Wiedeman wrote of the players’ joint public appearance, ”It is as if Custer and Sitting Bull agreed to deconstruct Little Bighorn.” Or those World War II reunions where aging Army Air Corps men meet the Luftwaffe pilots who tried to shoot them down over Bremen.

So, too, in Washington, four decades after the Watergate break-in scandal that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. Up on stage was Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame, one of the first victims of Nixon’s infamous “plumbers,” the burglars who went skulking into the night to attempt illegal break-ins — including one at the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist.

“I want to add something to the history here that I’ve never told,” Ellsberg said, then asked. “Is Alex Butterfield still alive?”

A voice shouted from a corner of the room, “I’m over here.”

[rurallib]

1. When all the stuuf happened in the 60s and 70s

we thought people, future leaders were getting the message that we wanted more openness in government, citizens to be treated equal and a system that was accountable.
Republicans got the message that we needed more secrecy, better track covering, more and bigger lies, less access to government by citizens etc.
And they got reagan elected and went right to work on changing government to reflect their realities immediately

[Kurovski]

2. Oh well. So much for a joyous Easter.

I think i saw something similar to this article a while back.

K&R&bookmarked.

[KG]

3. foolish to think those in power are going to genuinely police themselves...

[xchrom]

4. indeed. nt

[Octafish]

5. BFEE Forever

Church Committee was last time the Secret Government was held to public scrutiny. That was just after Watergate, 1975. Jimmy Carter tried, but the BFEE got the Ayatollah to hold the hostages through the election in 1980 and it's been trickle-down money trumps peace just-us ever since.

[Overseas]

6. That is one of the most distressing developments of the 21st Century

After torture, and war profiteering, and theft of trillions.