Mark Felt Draws Mixed Reaction

There were two opposing views on the “patriotism” of Mark Felt, the FBI agent turned snitch. These are from the print edition of USA Today dated June 8th 2005.
The first is from someone who agrees with what Felt did:

Mark Felt is a true patriot, as are the journalists involved in exposing the sordid mess that was Watergate.
My feeling is that when the future is in jeopardy, even FBI leaders possibly must break the rules.
While our media today may make some mistakes, one hopes that they do not give up their job of being our eyes, ears and government watchdogs because of intimidation by the present administration or others.
If they fail to report what is happening, even when the news is bad, then our democracy is at risk, and will suffer. Claude M. Gruener, Austin

Unfortunately, USA Today will let idiots like Mr. Gruener be published. Here is a guy saying it is OK for the FBI agent to break the law to expose the President whose people broke the law. For some reason this makes no sense. He says when the future of the nation is in jeopardy. How did Watergate do that? Who is to decide? What if Nixon would have said the future of the nation was in jeopardy, would it have been OK then? And when did the media become government watchdogs? We the people need to watch the government. No one else will do it with your interests at heart.

The second quote is not in favor of what Felt did.

USA Today’s article “FBI veterans reflect on ethics and obligations” seems to present more people who agreed with W. Mark Felt’s decision to go to the press (News, Thursday).
Some people USA Today quotes justified Felt’s breach of confidence because of his “obligation… to the Constitution.” I believe, and hope everyone agrees, that every American owes a duty to the Constitution, especially law enforcement.
The problem is who decides what is Constitutional and what is not.
Does every individual in the FBI decide what regulation and law is Constitutional? Can an FBI agent decide to leak information because he feels the law is wrong?
Felt seemed to believe it was Constitutional to conduct illegal searches of homes of family members of the radical Weather Underground. Yet, he had problems with others conducting illegal searches or covering them up in the Watergate scandal.
Did the fact he was not chosen to succeed as FBI director affect his judgement? Do his supporters really believe there was no malice intended?
We do not want laws to be subjective. If we have grievances, there is a correct and legal way to handle them. Regulations are in place to hold an objective standard. There is no room for Felt’s and others’ subjective standards of what is right and what is wrong.
The law should be the standard we live by, not our personal beliefs. ‘Isl Mataele Carlsbad, Calif.

I do not agree that we should let the law decide what is right and wrong in our personal lives. We need to live by the standards that we believe to be moral. Generally, our laws are based upon those good beliefs. Conflicts, like those surrounding abortion, should be decided by our belief of what is right, not the court’s decision of what is right for us. However, this guy is right on target when he says that Felt was no patriot. Felt was a coward who was upset because he did not get the job he wanted. He had a personal agenda. Was Nixon guilty? History says he was. I think he was a victim of his paranoia and the liars like John Dean (another wacko named Dean!). But that is neither here nor there. Nixon was a thorn in the sides of the left and they found a stooge to take him down. Felt is regaled as a hero. He kept quiet all these years because he did not have the guts to come out and make the accusations. He did not have the guts to do it legally. He is now a frail old has been of a man who wants a little notoriety before he dies. Well here is the Big Dog’s take on you Felt. You are an old coward who was once a young coward. Perhaps you will rot in hell for subverting the law for your own gain while abusing the law at the expense of others.

As strange as it is, Felt is a hero because he exposed unlawful acts by Nixon yet Clinton was the victim of a vast right wing conspiracy. A law breaker is a law breaker except when partisan politics is involved.

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One Response to “Mark Felt Draws Mixed Reaction”

  1. Surfside says:

    And, Linda Tripp was the evil witch of the West because she exposed the Clinton lie/perjury. They accused Tripp of hunting for money and being a pawn of the Right. She was vilified and had to go into hiding. Quite a different view of things.