City proclamations celebrate Daniel Ellsberg Week
Seeking “to honor peacemaking and whistleblowing,” the cities of Albuquerque, N.M., and San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., have issued proclamations designating April 24-30 as Daniel Ellsberg Week to honor the renowned Pentagon Papers whistleblower.
In Albuquerque, city council member Tammy Fiebelkorn said that honoring Ellsberg “is honoring our collective strength to combat corruption and ensure government accountability.”
San Francisco’s governing Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution proclaiming Daniel Ellsberg Week on Tuesday. The resolution pointed out that “as a result of his bravery and subsequent work” for more than 50 years, Ellsberg “has supported, encouraged, and inspired whistleblowers, journalists and activists all over the world.”
The resolution added that “the Board of Supervisors encourages the public to read his books, articles, and interviews, and view his films and videos, during this week in order to learn about the ongoing profound issues he has so valiantly fought to expose, in order to protect life and the global environment from the devastation of nuclear warfare.”
Ellsberg disclosed in a public letter in early March that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, with a prognosis of three to six months to live.
Information about upcoming events for Daniel Ellsberg Week, which is co-sponsored by The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy and The RootsAction Education Fund, can be found online here. They include activities in Madison, Wis., and Philadelphia, Pa. Background information about Daniel Ellsberg Week is posted on the Defuse Nuclear War website.
An article by Judith Ehrlich -- co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Most Dangerous Man in America, Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” -- was published on Wednesday under the title “Daniel Ellsberg: A Profound Voice Against the Doomsday Machine.”