Court rebuffs McDermott in phone case [Rep. Jim McDermott had no right to disclose the contents...]

Yahoo ^

[MozarkDawg]

In a sharp dissent, Judge David B. Sentelle said that under the majority's ruling, "no one in the United States could communicate on this topic of public interest because of the defect in the chain of title," that is, the fact that the tape was illegally obtained.

This wasn't a *topic of public interest* -- who is this political hack trying to kid. If it was so all-fired important to the state of the nation that we citizens hear a private phone conversation between Mr. Newt and the boys, then McDimwit ought to have had the oh-so-handy Martins disseminate the tape to the press, not to their MOC, who also was a dimwit and carried contraband across state lines in order to get it to McDimwit. The Martins supposedly happened in on the call, just happened again to have a tape recorder, these public servants should have had the brains to keep their fingerprints off the situation and told the yokels to bring the recording to the Washington Post, allowed whatever political reporter who was going to do the story to protect them with their holier-than-thou "we'll go to jail before we reveal our source" out.

[capt. norm]

For what its worth, I don’t believe that it should be illegal to intercept cell phone calls. Is someone is sending radio waves through your house and body, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be allowed to receive them.

It's actually ok to tune them in and listen, but to repeat what you have heard to others is not ok.

Anything you pick up on your scanner/radio is yours....you just can't share it and you definiteley can't profit from it.

[Vinnie]

Anything you pick up on your scanner/radio is yours....you just can't share it and you definitely can't profit from it.

Except cell phone calls.
It was unlawful to listen to a cell phone call when this took place.
In this case it was unlawful to..
Listen
Record
relate the contents

This case was a setup.
There is no way that couple just happened to be at the right place at the right time on the right tower and frequency with the right equipment.

[NavyCanDo]

Don’t count on it being front page of the Seattle Times or P.I..
You can bet, If he was a Republican he would be forced to give up his seat while he does some jail time

[rickomatic]

In Seattle, McDermott’s wrongdoings are considered a badge of honor. This jerk gets elected repeatedly by obscene margins of 80%+. For those outside the Pacific Northwest, you have absolutely NO idea what a Bizzaroworld this is. Sometimes we make San Franfreako look like a Sunday school picnic. Jail time? Hell, in a city that proudly boasts a statue of Lenin, they’ll probably erect McDermott’s statue right next to that one! It is truly frightening.

[capt. norm]

There is no way that couple just happened to be at the right place at the right time on the right tower and frequency with the right equipment.

That's what I was thinking. If you're picking up cell calls on your scanner, there's no telling who you're gonna get unless it is well-planned. They must have had a tower site staked out and had this very well planned. Otherwise one would have to believe in an incredible chain of circumstances that had to come together.

Too bad our pitiful CIA is lacking such talent.

[SeaHawkFan]

Don’t count on it being front page of the Seattle Times or P.I.

It's on the Seattle Times web site

[Bob Leibowitz]

I particularly appreciated what the original trial judge had to say about McDermott's actions.

You won't find it in the AP story, nor in the Washington Post story.

But here is the story that beat both of them by two and one-half hours, and it reports what the judge said about "Baghdad Jim" McDermott's actions in this case.

McDermott (D-WA), Guilty (Again)!

[Bryan24]

"We do not believe the First Amendment permits this interdiction of public information..."

A PRIVATE phone call that was ILLEGALY intercepted = "public information"? This judge should be removed for incompetance.

[lowbridge]

In a 5-4 opinion, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that McDermott, a Washington Democrat, should not have given reporters access to the taped telephone call.

First the Second Amendment, now this. :-)

[beelzepug]

“This judge should be removed for incompetance.”

Ouch! Sentelle was appointed by Pres. Reagan, too - to fill Scalia’s position.

[Bryan24]

Being a SCOTUS member doesn’t make you immune from losing your competance. Personally, I’d like to see SCOTUS appointments limited to 10 years or so, 15 at the most.