Give me a goddamned break. As though the terrorists don't think they are being tracked in every way possible. This isn't about leaks hurting our anti-terrorism efforts. These freaking Republican creeps are trying to silence the free press in America. They are trying to intimidate the strongest, biggest newspapers that have had the most courage, have been the strongest in challenging the legalities of the spy programs this criminal administration has authorized.
Fascists, like, Senator Pat Roberts, head of the Intelligence Committee, says he is asking the director of National Intelligence (an oxymoron, for any Bush appointee, like this one) to assess whether the media disclosures have hurt our intelligence efforts. This is baldfaced intimidation of the media.
Bill Keller, of the NY Times, commenting on his his rationale for reporting the latest disclosure about the the Bush administration'sspying on financial bank info for three years, said,
There is no requirement that congressmen be sane or that they have an IQ larger than their waist size-- in inches. Peter King, of NY, is demanding that the NY Times be prosecuted for it's disclosures. What a total idiot,and worse, what a creepy fascist. My guess is that the NY Times is not warm and fuzzy with this right wing Bush rubber stamper. S
o he thinks, "why not kick the hell out of the editors when the chance arises."
Why? Because it is the JOB, the JOB of newspapers to challenge the president and the government-- to ask questions, to raise issues and to dig up muck. Of course with stenographic, propaganda venues like Fox news, with its slimeball "news anchors" dragging the idea of journalistic bad ethics to a new low, some legislators and right wing nutjobs have begun to think that a controlled, obedient media is the way things are supposed to be. To that, I can only say, drop, dead, you fascist traitors to democracy (actually, I self-edited out several expletives that would sort of rhyme with bucking casseroles.) There are at least a handful of media organizations that see through these right wing extremists who are so willing to sell out this nation to transnational corporations that they are happy to destroy the core infrastructure that maintains democracy and the constitution. A free, unfetterred media is an absolutely essential structural component in a free, democratic America.
When Bush says what the NY Times has done is shameful, I have to laugh. Last Friday, when he knew the article was coming out, he arrested a batch of silly fools who took some bait from espionage agents who effectively entrapped them into doing some stupid things. I imagine there are at least a dozen groups of bozo terrorists throughout the US that Gonzalez and Bush have on tap, that they can arrest any time some adverse news comes out that they want to distract the mainstream media from covering.
It worked beautifully on Friday. Now, the right wing echo chamber is going full tilt to bash the NY Times. It worked on Dan Rather. They shut him up and quashed the accusations about Bush's going AWOL when he was supposed to be working for the National Guard.
I wasn't very happy when the NY Times started charging a premium on-line for access to their best columnists. I even said I was going to cut back on buying the NY Times. But I have to do something to show them they did the right thing here. I'm going to subscribe to their on-line service, and send them an email with my receipt to let them know that not only did the right thing, but that it was good for business.
And tell your legislators that the idea that reporting that the US governemnt is spying on Americans is the paper's duty, and that it is laughably ridiculous to suggest that this disclosure in any way helped terrorists, who are surely aware that they have to watch how they leave any electronic trail. (Oh, now that I said that, will I be accused of alerting our enemies? I'm sure some idiot right wing congressman would bite on that opportunity.)
The US needs MORE newspapers reporting on these kinds of government abuses. Tell your local paper that you not only support what the NY Times did, but that you would like to see your local paper doing it too.
Fascists, like, Senator Pat Roberts, head of the Intelligence Committee, says he is asking the director of National Intelligence (an oxymoron, for any Bush appointee, like this one) to assess whether the media disclosures have hurt our intelligence efforts. This is baldfaced intimidation of the media.
Bill Keller, of the NY Times, commenting on his his rationale for reporting the latest disclosure about the the Bush administration'sspying on financial bank info for three years, said,
"Who are the editors of The New York Times... to disregard the wishes of the President and his appointees? And yet the people who invented this country saw an aggressive, independent press as a protective measure against the abuse of power in a democracy, and an essential ingredient for self-government. They rejected the idea that it is wise, or patriotic, to always take the President at his word, or to surrender to the government important decisions about what to publish."
There is no requirement that congressmen be sane or that they have an IQ larger than their waist size-- in inches. Peter King, of NY, is demanding that the NY Times be prosecuted for it's disclosures. What a total idiot,and worse, what a creepy fascist. My guess is that the NY Times is not warm and fuzzy with this right wing Bush rubber stamper. S
o he thinks, "why not kick the hell out of the editors when the chance arises."
When Bush says what the NY Times has done is shameful, I have to laugh. Last Friday, when he knew the article was coming out, he arrested a batch of silly fools who took some bait from espionage agents who effectively entrapped them into doing some stupid things. I imagine there are at least a dozen groups of bozo terrorists throughout the US that Gonzalez and Bush have on tap, that they can arrest any time some adverse news comes out that they want to distract the mainstream media from covering.
It worked beautifully on Friday. Now, the right wing echo chamber is going full tilt to bash the NY Times. It worked on Dan Rather. They shut him up and quashed the accusations about Bush's going AWOL when he was supposed to be working for the National Guard.
I wasn't very happy when the NY Times started charging a premium on-line for access to their best columnists. I even said I was going to cut back on buying the NY Times. But I have to do something to show them they did the right thing here. I'm going to subscribe to their on-line service, and send them an email with my receipt to let them know that not only did the right thing, but that it was good for business.
And tell your legislators that the idea that reporting that the US governemnt is spying on Americans is the paper's duty, and that it is laughably ridiculous to suggest that this disclosure in any way helped terrorists, who are surely aware that they have to watch how they leave any electronic trail. (Oh, now that I said that, will I be accused of alerting our enemies? I'm sure some idiot right wing congressman would bite on that opportunity.)
The US needs MORE newspapers reporting on these kinds of government abuses. Tell your local paper that you not only support what the NY Times did, but that you would like to see your local paper doing it too.
