The Watergate Break-In: Howdy Doody and the Keystone Cops try a little counter intelligence...

 Watergate was one of the more complicated Gordian Knots of American political history.  While it appeared to be about a break-in at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington DC (which were of course located in the Watergate complex), it was actually about so much more--a systematic series of covert actions by the men in Nixon's White House, that broke literally every political law we have in this country. 

Watergate began as a weird story about some middle aged former spies, who were arrested for breaking and entering the home court of the opposing political party, one fine early morning, and ended with the resignation of a president.

So, how did it begin?  Well, in a former post, I dealt with Nixon's history of political dirty tricks, particularly in terms of winning elections.  Remember ratfucking?  By 1972, Nixon was convinced that the radical Left was gunning for him.  He was obsessed with the fact that the radical Left was somehow going to sabotage his bid for a second term in office.  The reality was, that Nixon truly had little to fear in this area.  

But, as I have already dealt with some aspects of the 1972 election in a former post, I shall not rehash it again here.  

The break in was just one incident in a long line of illegal activities. This needs to be said twice. Interesting moments before it of course include the Pentagon Papers and the strange burglary at Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office. 

Back to the break in. In the early morning of June 17, 1972, several men went into the Watergate bldg complex through the parking lot. They entered the bldg through a door, taping the door with masking tape!  No, they didn’t tape it LENGTHWISE. Why would they?  OMG!!!!! They taped the door lock HORIZONTALLY.

Whoopsie!!!

And GOLLY!! It was just their luck that a security guard happened by and found the tape on the door.  Not once Dear Reader, but TWICE.  And the security guard found the tape AGAIN.  Holy God.  I mean DUH!!!

And, apparently, if you were looking into the windows of the DNC from across the street, you could see the flashlights of the burglars’ strobing around the office—kind of like their own private Discotheque.  Not noticeable in the least!

And no blinds, folks, in the windows.  Oops.

And these were mostly retired CIA.  It kind of makes one a tad nervous, yes? Just a bit!

And yet, folks the comic horror show had only just begun

As I have already said it would end with the resignation of a president. The first in this nation’s history.  

What made this so comical was that when the police came they were dressed as undercover characters—hippies and the like—arresting burglars dressed in three piece suits.  Strange right?  One would hope the burglars were thinking that they would impersonate James Bond.  And the whole scene was ironic—something of a promise that the times, they were a changin—well, I mean truly, Dylan had it right, you know?

And please bear with me, Dear Reader, while I include this clip from “The Watchmen”


Ye Gods I love that!  

The history of Watergate is really about the end of the establishment White rule in this country. Now don’t get me wrong, Dear Reader, I am aware that those who support the far right are rather active….but if you really think in the long term, white rule in this country is under attack. I truly believe that. And about time too—shall we ask Crazy Horse what he thought, about white dominance in this country?  Pontiac? Chief Joseph? Or, perhaps we could get out the Ouja board and speak to other victims of the controlling faction—like 4 little girls who were murdered on a Birmingham Sunday…hopefully you’ll discover soon that I believe this song to be hugely important, because it is one of the anthems of the 1960s, which gave rise to the schism between that exists between the American people—between rich and poor, whites and basically everyone else. 



(There is a little bit of talking in this clip…skip forward about a minute, and you’ll hear the song. ). The live version is just beautiful.

And now we’ll leave the burglars ladies and gentlemen—Dear Readers all—and continue the comedy/tragedy of Watergate in the next epistle. 








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hey!! Its Cpt. Lingerie! The "yahoo" John Wilkes Booth: psychopath, murderer, and the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. ONE

Image
t. Well, not precisely spicy, but perhaps  controversial, and most definitely irreverent ADVISORY: This entry is about one of the sacred moments in American history--the murder of President Lincoln.  If you're at all familiar with the style of this blog, then you already know I have an odd sense of humor.  It is NOT my intention to make light of this tragedy. Just so you know, Dear Reader.... Can you tell from the title of this entry that I don't like Booth?  Well, I don't.  He was a delusional prick.  In this week's title, I used the term "yahoo.:Here's how Jonathan Swift defined a "yahoo."  It was a name used in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels , to describe the lowest form of life in that universe (they looked like primitive men): They are prodigiously nimble from their infancy. However, I once caught a young male of three years old, and endeavoured, by all marks of tenderness, to make it quiet; but the little imp fell a squalling,...
Read more

"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing": propaganda and the 2024 election. Yeah, I'm gonna write about him again.

Image
HERE'S ANOTHER WARNING, DEAR READER, I'M COMMENTING ON CURRENT POLITICAL EVENTS THIS WEEK.  PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU ARE BORED BY MY RANTS AGAINST A CERTAIN PERSON.   Every Person has their own opinion, and what follows is a collection of my thoughts and opinions. So, if you'll forgive me for vomiting my political views all over this page,    THANKS!! OK, if you've come this far, shall we begin? “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” ― William Shakespeare, Macbeth You've got to hand it to ole Will (or the Earl of Oxford), he sure knows how to weave a spell with words.  To tell you the truth, I w...
Read more

'Do You Deny then, Mr. Chivington, that you're a vicious psycho hose beast?' No sir, Mr. Congressman sir, I swear I didn't know there was anyone there! The tragic massacre at Sand Creek, 1864.

Image
What images come to your mind, when you dream of the American West, Dear Reader? Something like this? I know that this is one of the more recognized fantasies about the western experience.  Hopefully by now, we all know that this depiction is COMPLETE bulls*&t. THERE WERE ALREADY PEOPLE THERE, FOLKS. When I think of the American western experience, I always have these images in my head: For my druthers, I prefer pictures like the above.  Images that compel impressions of space and wild beauty. Buffalo, coupled (of course) with that endless sky.  Whenever I think about the American West, I think poetically.  I think tectonically.  It's impossible to gage this landscape against the span of a single human life.  But, that is essentially what we have to do here, isn't it Dear Reader? We must create condensed sketches of larger events, even if those happenings are tragic in nature.    Which brings us to Sand Creek. The events surrounding the M...
Read more