The effect of that is to poison the flow of information to the President himself and to create a situation where a President can be almost, to use a metaphor, psychotically divorced from the realities in which he is acting.
Daniel EllsbergRead
If there's another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will be, the day after or within days an equivalent of a Reichstag fire decree that will involve massive detentions in this country.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses concern about government overreach and civil liberties in the aftermath of a national crisis.
Daniel Ellsberg's quote reflects a deep anxiety regarding potential government actions that could follow a catastrophic event like a terrorist attack or war. The reference to a 'Reichstag fire decree' evokes historical instances where governments have used crises as pretexts to suppress dissent, curtail freedoms, and detain individuals without due process. Ellsberg warns that such actions could be justified by fear and security concerns, ultimately leading to a loss of civil liberties and the erosion of democratic principles.
Themes
GovernmentLibertySecurityCrisisDetentionCivil Rights
In practice
Example use cases
During a public speech about the importance of civil liberties, this quote can highlight the dangers of government action during crises.
More from Daniel Ellsberg
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I felt that as an American citizen, as a responsible citizen, I could no longer cooperate in concealing this information from the American public. I did this clearly at my own jeopardy and I am prepared to answer to all the consequences of this decision.
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I see Edward Snowden as someone who has chosen, at best, exile from the country he loves-with a serious risk of his assassination by agents of his government or life in prison (in solitary confinement)-to awaken us to the danger of our loss of democracy to a total-surveilla nce state
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EVERY attack now made on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was made against me and the release of the Pentagon Papers at the time.
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We were young, we were foolish, we were arrogant, but we were right.
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