Issues & Insights [NYT & War On Terror]

Investors Business Daily ^ | 6/23/2006 | Unknown

[Hadean]

Media: Once again, major newspapers, led by The New York Times, have spilled secrets that will make Americans less safe and the war on terror harder to win. No doubt, Pulitzers are in order. We hope they're proud.

The decision by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal to print details of the government's secret program to monitor terrorists' finances couldn't come at a worse time.

{snip}

... The White House practically begged them [The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal] not to publish this, arguing it would imperil the highly successful counterterrorism program.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Traitors.

[SandRat]

The The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post CEO's need to be charged under the Espionage Act.

[ncountylee]

Frankly, after allowing the most despicable organs of MSM again and again place America in greater danger, I am starting to wonder how serious the White House is in the WOT. And I feel shame for even thinking this way but enough is enough. Please Mr. President fight these agenda driven internal enemies.

[cliff630]

But they won't report in detail just how mutilated
the bodies of the 2 soldiers were. Such a report just
might inflame us to really protest NYT & the rest of
the MSM when they expose our attempts to thwart al-qada.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Absolutely!

And:

Cheney trashes media

[Diogenesis]

"The The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post CEO's need to be charged under the Espionage Act."

The failure of the DOJ and Pres. Bush to act, just ENCOURAGES more sedition and treason.

[Eagles6]

Is the WSJ slumming these days or is this an abberation?

[PerConPat]

The The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post CEO's need to be charged under the Espionage Act.

Yes. This latest infamy on the part of these termite publications is not just a crime; it is also a grave mistake. The Pub's should take advantage of this serious miscalculation and dust off Ken Starr. An agonizingly thorough investistigation that rummages, perhaps for years, through the dark corners of these Rat publications could pay handsome dividends.

[stevem]

While the legality of printing secrets may be debatable, it's clear there's a crisis among media elites that have allowed hatred of the president and his party to taint their reporting.

I think liberals do hate Bush, despite the fact that he isn't conservative, and his party. However, their hatred of the United States is boundless.

[mware]

The WSJ is one of the most liberal newspapers when reporting the news.

The editorial page is another story though.

[SandRat]

[PerConPat]

That image drives home exactly what is at stake. The Bush administration must keep the heat on the Rats over this latest outrage. I hope Cheney keeps pouring it on to those worthless wags in the MSM.

[RAldrich]

The NY Times and Ahmadinejad are adopting the same kind of provocative, confrontational tactics.

In Ahmadinejad's case, he thinks a war will result in chaos that will bring about the return of the Hidden Imam.

In the Times' case - who knows? But they definitely seem to want to provoke the Administration into some kind of action. Maybe they feel that a confrontation over the first amendment + privacy rights will bring about a Democratic renaissance - "people power" vs. the Bush right-wing, religious fundamentalist, big oil dictatorship??

[driftless]

Using the "publics right to know " argument is a fallacious one just by that mere fact. What the public must know are government plans to do harm to the republic. If the government is trying to protect the citiznery, which they were doing in this case, then the media must be extremely circumspect in revealing info. Clearly The Slimes crossed over the line and should be severely penalized for it. Considering the gravity of the offense and what is involved, national security, I believe long prison sentences are in order for Pinch and company. After a brief stay in Gitmo.

[driftless]

Thats citizenry ...not citizerny.

[Marine_Uncle]

This is all good and well what Dick had to say about the news goons leaking national security secrets on a regular basis, but they will just continue doing it.
What the Justice Department should be doing is finding out in each case who spilled the beans to the L/MSM and rigorously prosecute them. GWB should make an announcement that anyone in the federal government that leaks things they know they should not, will end up with a long prison sentence. Throw a half dozen of them in jail with 30 years no parole privelege and see things change over night.

[Valin]

The The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post CEO's need to be charged under the Espionage Act.

Eastman Testifies Before House Intelligence Committee
Friday, May 26, 2006

http://www.claremont.org/projects/jurisprudence/houseintelligence.html

Posted May 26, 2006



Dr. John Eastman, Director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, testified Friday, May 26, before a hearing conducted by the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence addressing whether the media can be prosecuted for publishing classified information about ongoing intelligence operations designed to prevent another terrorist attack.

Eastman contended that the First Amendment's Freedom of Press clause does not provide the institutional media a special exemption from the Espionage Act and other laws, and that enforcement of those laws is particularly important in the present assymetrical war against international terrorist organizations. A copy of his prepared testimony is available here.

(Click on link for more)

Modern History Sourcebook:
United States:
The Espionage Act, May 16, 1918
http://www.fordham.edu/HALSALL/mod/1916espionageact.html

---

Be it enacted, That section three of the Act . . . approved June I5, 1917, be . . amended so as to read as follows:

SEC. 3. Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall wilfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall wilfully make or convey false reports, or false statements, or say or do anything except by way of bona fide and not disloyal advice to an investor . . . with intent to obstruct the sale by the United States of bonds . . . or the making of loans by or to the United States, or whoever, when the United States is at war, shall wilfully cause . . . or incite . . . insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall wilfully obstruct . . . the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall wilfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag . . . or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States, or any language intended to bring the form of government . . . or the Constitution . . . or the military or naval forces . . . or the flag . . . of the United States into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute . . . or shall wilfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall wilfully . . . urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any thing or things . . . necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war . . . and whoever shall wilfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any coun try with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both....

[SandRat]

I would add one more stipulation:

even if that said individual be an elected public or appointed personage whatever the station or any government servant (sic employee) regardless of station from the highest even unto the lowest state/city/county level.

[do the dhue]

The failure of the DOJ and Pres. Bush to act, just ENCOURAGES more sedition and treason.

This is why I call the rats terrorist traitors: Our Troops in Iraq are trying to build a relationship with the Iraqi people. We are asking them to be Police and Soldiers. We are asking them to Govern their own nation. We are asking them to show us where the bad guys are. Then Hack Murtha, Coward Dean, and a mess of other commie traitors stand up and yell, 'we need to pull out of Iraq!!! YEEEEHAAAAW!!!!'. Well this makes the Iraqi Government, the Iraqi Police, the Iraqi Soldiers, and especially the Iraqi people who would like to show us where the bad guys are very nervous. Now, the terrorist threaten the people by saying, 'if you work with the US we will kill everyone in your family'. We ask them to help and then our politicians back home start yelling, 'we need to pull out'. The Iraqi people know that Al Quada in Iraq are not talking about pulling out. The Iraqi people know a US early withdraw is exactly what the terrorist in Iraq want. If we withdraw now, the terrorist will survive. Because of Murtha and Dean's words and actions, the Iraqi people will think twice about helping our Troops. The words of Murtha hurts our cause and helps the terrorist. That is treason. Yes, Demorats like Kerry, Kennedy, Dean, and Murtha are traitors. If you have the damn freedom to act like a traitor then by inalienable rights, I should have the right to call you a frickin' traitor!

Our media supports the DNCs treasonous actions. We should bring them all to justice. Try them in a court of law, then we should hang them, then deport them all to North Korea, Iran, and France. And then we should nuke the treasonous scum bags.