In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the first question of the stunned citizenry of this country was a collective “Why did this horrible thing happen?” We were immediately told to stop asking. Considering any reason beyond “they hate us for our freedom” turned into a question asked only by those who “Blame America First!”

Mr. Ellsberg mentions Imperial Hubris by ex-CIA employee and former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit, Michael Scheuer. Books such as his have been available and the information they contain is not exactly secret. Did we have military bases on the Arabian Peninsula? Yes. Was this making the average Saudi citizen happy with the U.S. government? No. It’s not that there are no puzzle pieces out there or people putting them together and trying to make others aware of them.

As Scheuer points out in Imperial Hubris, not a single fact he elucidates is classified or unavailable to the public. The difficulty is not that whistles aren’t being blown, it’s that most of the public and the politicians we elect (assuming…) have been deafened to the point of apathy.

This administration blatantly admits to what they do. “Yes. We wiretap without warrants. You busted us. So what?” And therein lies the problem. It’s not that whistles aren’t blown, it’s that when they are, the administration responds with “neener-neener-neener.” Life goes on, and everyone goes out for a burger and fries or throws in a load of laundry. We’re not being lied to. We’re being told the truth, and that we’ll eat it and like it. And for some reason, most folks just shrug.

Daniel Ellsberg mentions that our leaders will stop at no amount of killing, to ensure their political survival. Also, that we've stopped bothering to mind about Russia's nuclear materials. Russia's scientists and military are famously under-, or even un-, paid, and their facilities are being dangerously neglected. There's an extreme danger that without American minding, which we're underfunding now, Russia's stockpiles could be sold on the black market to anyone. So why are we considering going to war with Iran over the issue, to plug one leak in the the nuclear sieve, when Iran's patron, Russia, is potentially gushing like a fountain?

The world is now full of a couple of dozen countries with nukes. Let's make Ellsberg's fears unfounded. Whatever we do, let's not nuke anyone. It'll be an atrocity that neither the survivors nor the perpetrators can live with.

I heartily agree with Solipsy. The truth is readily and even abundantly available, especially since the rise of the Internet. For numerous reasons, though, Americans do not avail themselves of it. Following celebrities, sports and reality TV seem much more a priority. Or they know the truth, but refuse to trouble themselves to prevent catastrophe.

Take the rising drumbeat to war with Iran. The Bush administration's lies mimic those that led to the invasion of Iraq almost word for word and are just as transparent and blatantly absurd, especially in light of revelations about Iraq’s nonexistent WMD's and imaginary links to al Qaeda. To believe that Iran poses any sort of threat to the United States requires a suspension of disbelief bordering on collective hypnosis. And yet over and over in articles, on video clips, in comments on liberal blogs, I see variations on the theme, "Yes, Iraq was a joke but Iran really does pose a threat."

During the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, I protested, wrote letters, threatened to withdraw support from elected representatives if they authorised Bush’s war. When I saw that hundreds of thousands of protesters in the streets of New York, DC and other American cities failed to prevent the war, I considered civil disobedience and arrest. But as a transsexual, I am afraid to go to prison. So instead, I left the US and now live abroad. I refuse to pay taxes to support such an immoral administration and illegal war.

Many of the American activists I knew who demonstrated against the Iraq war are no longer taking to the streets. In some cases, the grassroots organisations have disbanded due to lack of participation. What am I to make of this, especially at a time when the US seems to be gearing up for nuclear strike against a country with which it is not at war and which poses no threat? It is enough to make a sane person despair.

Daniel Ellsberg:Still one of the most elloquent,honest,and courageous guys around.

As a Canadian, born in Britain, there is a great deal that I don't know about the United States and it's history.

There is certainly a great deal to (still) admire, but less and less to envy. It seems that the current administration is fixated on building a wall (both figuratively and literally)around "fortress America", while there is crumbling within. Witness the results of the government's (in)action in the wake of Katrina--appalling in the richest,most powerful nation on earth.

I think that George W. Bush, and many in his administration, will have a great deal to answer for when (if) we are able to see events from a historical perspective. Again,as an outsider, I can only agree with Mr. Ellsberg's contention that George Bush needs to be removed from office before the next election. The American people can't afford to wait that long to wake up and take off the blinders.

Thanks for letting me sound off.

Daniel Ellsberg has the guts to come out with what a lot of people should read and act upon. A British Air Force Officer was just convicted for refusing a third tour of duty in Irak, an 8 month sentence. The scenario that Mr. Elssberg predicts is worrying to say the least. Global warming ,even though denied by Bush & Co, as threatening as it may be, is definitely the lesser evil against the survival of the human race. Why in blazes is the press still not out in arms against the warmongering of the White House and the administration. As long as people like Lieberman etc,Democrats in name only ,tolerate and more or less support the policies of agression, and even vie for the leadership of their party, there is only faint hope for change. Mr. Ellsberg deserves all our admiration and support. The Generals who recently came forward with their statements of objection showed similar courage. As the experience of the objection against Hitler in WW II shows, it may take 5 years of war to come to pass. In 1938 the chief of the German Army staff resigned, rather than partake in the planning of the agression against other nations. He died by hanging in 1944, as did many others who tried to stop the slaughter, albeit 5 years to late! There is still time now to stop the present madness before it stops humanity.