deep throat; patriot or traitor?

Perris Calderon

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well, I can understand both points of view;

the number 2 man thought that Nixon was running the fbi as his onw private enforcement arm, and he considered the administration a danger to the future of his country.

he compared the administration to "nazi like" in it's zeal

on the other hand, the fbi agent could have taken his case to congress

however, I don't think that would have brought justice to the crimes being committed

there are current parrallels, ie, internals have brought alarm to congress and similar government agencies, and less is done about the worry then if the issues were brought directly to the American public.

I would site these cases, but that would be another thread

so, what's your verdict...what would you have done?
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

before anyone wants to take a guess what I think, back then I was a republican (believe it or not, still am registered republican) and a strong supporter of president nixon
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

I wasn't alive when the original story leaked...personally, I would have let the investigation take its course rather than leak it to the biggest name in news reporting. He violated the terms of his security clearance, and had anyone known who it was, would have had it revoked among many other punishments.

He forgot the "I" in "FBI" meant investigation. I don't like the idea of clandestine meetings with prominent press members and people who know sensitive information.
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

I am in the middle on his behavior..I don't know what I would have done
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

Under the circumstances I don't think Felt had any other choice. Those above him in the chain of command in the FBI were either part of the cover-up for the Nixon White House or had no power to do anything. Had he revealed his feelings to any higher-ups then he likely would have been removed and reprimanded from the investigation and lost all that valuable info he was getting.

Remember that he was leading the investigation. Had he at the start gone to any party be it the White House, FBI higher-ups, Congress, etc then he would have immediately lost his access to information which didn't come all at once. By keeping quiet about his feelings and leaking it to Woodward and Bernstein he was doing the most effective thing he could to both expose the Nixon White House's corruption and protect the FBI from being weakened by the Nixon administration.

The decision of what he is is so subjective it's rather insane. Personally, I think he's a patriot and deserves to be commended. He exposed corruption that was rooted in the Administration. Who knows how wide and far the corruption would have spread had it not been brought out into the light. The exposure was a wake-up call to the US public that politics weren't all pure and clean like so many people had previously believed.

The Sacramento Bee many years ago reported, "Nixon had subjected this nation to an anguishing trauma. He only grudgingly admitted, piecemeal, when the admission became unavoidable, that he has lied to the American people, that he has maneuvered desperately to evade exposure, that he has betrayed the sacred trust of his office."

Cheers to Mark Felt.

rotjong

Edit: Fixed a typo
 
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Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

rotjong said:
Those above him in the chain of command in the FBI were either part of the cover-up for the Nixon White House or had no power to do anything. Had he revealed his feelings to any higher-ups then he likely would have been removed and reprimanded from the investigation and lost all that valuable info he was getting.rotjong

There was only one man above him in the chain. He had been passed over for the promotion previously.
 
i must admit, one, i dont know much about watergate and all that. before my time a littel and two, i dont like politics, i start finding things out and am never happy. however, i would have went to the people, made it public. i am basing that opinion on the fact that this country is supposed to be 'by the people, for the people'. there is a great deal we ought to know, by rights of being 'the People'. yes, somethings we shouldnt know. the country does need its dirty little secrets.

i still like to think that if enough of the 'People' get upset about an issue something gets done about it.

a line from one of my favorite documents:
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

it is every Americans Right, every Americans Dutry, to set our government right.
 
pardon the ignorance (being born after all that crap happened [i think])... how did the guy get the name 'Deep Throat' and do i even want to know?
 
LOL, you know, that was always the more interesting part of the story for me too. how do you get that name? and like jimi, do i want to know
 
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Should have followed protocol and taken the case thru the chain of command and ultimately to Congress. End of story. There is no excuse for taking it to the press...unless you count the $$$ he was most definitely paid. Now he's looking to cash in again before he kicks the bucket. NOT a Patriot.

If he was truly doing it to protect the country, he would have did it right.
 
jimi_81 said:
pardon the ignorance (being born after all that crap happened [i think])... how did the guy get the name 'Deep Throat' and do i even want to know?

Maybe Bob Woodward didn't give him cash for the story :eek:
 
ThePatriot said:
Should have followed protocol and taken the case thru the chain of command and ultimately to Congress. End of story. There is no excuse for taking it to the press...unless you count the $$$ he was most definitely paid. Now he's looking to cash in again before he kicks the bucket. NOT a Patriot.

If he was truly doing it to protect the country, he would have did it right.
a fair thought thepatriot, however, taking things like this through the chain of command happens even today, and because of that swept under the rug.

many times "through the chain of command" actually means "we need to protect our butt"

according to him, he was getting trouble trying to go through the chain of command, and feared nothing would be done.

if that would have been the case, nothing would have been done, then that would be the traitor...to watch your country being trashed by the man at the top
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

Unwonted said:
I wasn't alive when the original story leaked...personally, I would have let the investigation take its course rather than leak it to the biggest name in news reporting. He violated the terms of his security clearance, and had anyone known who it was, would have had it revoked among many other punishments.

He forgot the "I" in "FBI" meant investigation. I don't like the idea of clandestine meetings with prominent press members and people who know sensitive information.

To quote some of our forefathers:

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. " Edward Abbey

"Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." Calvin Coolidge

Lets not forget there is a VERY fine line between PATRIOTISM and TREASON.

I hold a very High DoD clearance... and back when he was in Office, there was no Whistleblower Act to help protect him from harms way.

just my 2 cents....
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

mlakrid said:
To quote some of our forefathers:

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. " Edward Abbey

"Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." Calvin Coolidge

Lets not forget there is a VERY fine line between PATRIOTISM and TREASON.

I hold a very High DoD clearance... and back when he was in Office, there was no Whistleblower Act to help protect him from harms way.

just my 2 cents....

excellant post, reps to you...I think reps to everyone on this thread so far

all fair arguments on both sides of the discussion
 
Re: deeo throat; patriot or traitor?

perris said:
excellant post, reps to you...I think reps to everyone on this thread so far

all fair arguments on both sides of the discussion

Thanks... before someone gets mad at my previous comment let me add...

I think FOR HIS TIME.... it was the right thing to do...

I dont condone his actions in making $$$ then or now...

:rolleyes:
 
I don't know that he made any kind of money with what he did.

anyone have a link either way?
 
ThePatriot said:
Should have followed protocol and taken the case thru the chain of command and ultimately to Congress. End of story. There is no excuse for taking it to the press...unless you count the $$$ he was most definitely paid. Now he's looking to cash in again before he kicks the bucket. NOT a Patriot.

If he was truly doing it to protect the country, he would have did it right.

And if the President of the US had not been part of a conspiracy and illegally using his power to get himself re-elected and then covering it up Mark Felt would not have had to do what he did.

As for the chain of command... what chain of command? Everything was tainted. Did he really know who could be trusted? God knows how many people were involved. Open his mouth to the wrong person and he likely would have been booted off the case, booted out of the FBI and likely the target of a smear campaign to discredit any statements he might make.

This is a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" debate.

perris said:
I don't know that he made any kind of money with what he did.

anyone hjave a link either way?

I have never seen any references to Deep Throat being paid. Never. I'm not saying he was but I have yet to see it and Mark Felt had 30 years to cash in and didn't. He's sick and old now. What would his point be for cash?

On the other hand... why come out now? Well, he's old and he'll die sometime soon. By coming out and saying it was his while he is alive it will allow more to be understood. It also adds some validity. If it had been revealed after he died there are questions that could never be answered. Now, at least, people can ask him why. I don't see this as a money issue.

rotjong
 
rotjong said:
And if the President of the US had not been part of a conspiracy and illegally using his power to get himself re-elected and then covering it up Mark Felt would not have had to do what he did.

As for the chain of command... what chain of command? Everything was tainted. Did he really know who could be trusted? God knows how many people were involved. Open his mouth to the wrong person and he likely would have been booted off the case, booted out of the FBI and likely the target of a smear campaign to discredit any statements he might make.

This is a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" debate.

rotjong
wow...good points
 
"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. " Edward Abbey

Lets not forget there is a VERY fine line between PATRIOTISM and TREASON."


at one point, all guilty of treason:

Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris, Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross, Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

very nice post mlakrid. good quote/comment.



i do also agree with thepatriot, there are times, most of the time, when this should be done a proper way. there is a reason we have a chain of command, but there are also times when the chain of command needs to be sidestepped.
 
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jimi_81 said:
pardon the ignorance (being born after all that crap happened [i think])... how did the guy get the name 'Deep Throat' and do i even want to know?

I've read discussions on this before but I honestly can't remember them all that well so I will quote Unmasking Deep Throat by John Dean.

The name “Deep Throat” was bequeathed by The Washington Post’s managing editor, Howard Simons. According to the Post’s executive editor, Ben Bradlee, Woodward’s source was actually known around the newsroom as “Woodward’s friend,” because Bob Woodward referred to him merely as “my friend.” Bradlee says Simons came up with the name by, in essence, conflating Woodward’s protestations that his friend only wished to give information on “deep background” and the fact that “the year’s most successful pornographic movie, starring [in Ben’s words] the awesome sodomist Linda Lovelace,” was titled “Deep Throat.”

rotjong
 

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