Posted on 12/31/2005 5:06:54 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
December 31, 2005 - 07:56
In their heart of hearts, do the liberal media believe that when it comes to the struggle against terrorism, we are truly at war? To judge by liberal Newsday columnist Ellis Henican's performance on this morning's Fox & Friends Weekend, you would have to conclude not. Thankfully, fellow Newsday columnist Jim Pinkerton was there to remind his colleague of some cold, hard facts.
The topic was the Justice Department's investigation into the leaks behind the New York Times' publication of the highly-classified program of NSA surveillance of possible Al-Qaeda-related phone calls. Henican appeared utterly unphased by the way in which the Times' revelations could undermine national security and the fight against terrorism. His overwhelming focus was on the possible infringement of civil liberties. He brushed off the security leak in these terms:
"Frankly I'm much more interested in the government spying perhaps illegally on American citizens than trying to blame the people who revealed and told the truth about it. We see another example of trying to turn the attention onto the messenger and blame the people who stood up and told Americans what they need to know instead of those who are doing something that at the very least was highly questionable."
Pinkerton scored a direct hit with this response:
"There's also the issue of course of telling Al-Qaeda what they need to know."
Bada-bing!
Although Pinkerton's bullseye seemed to momentarily rock Henican, in no time he was back to his one-sided view of the struggle, in which the only real concern is for civil liberties, even at the price of intentionally undermining secret government security programs.
Henican: "Without confidential sources investigative reporters can't do their work."
Pinkerton reminded Henican of the flip-side of that formulation: "Without confidential methods, government can't do its work."
Henican could care less:
"[The government's] job is to keep the secret, our job is to tell the truth."
So even in a time of war, Henican views the media as the government's antagonist on national security matters. Wonder how during WWII the administration of liberal-icon FDR would have dealt with a Henican trying to undermine secret programs aimed at the enemy?
Henican makes me physically sick.
When he speaks it is pure leftist rot.
If he is a journalist, God help us all.
He is not worth listening too.
His smarmy, smart-a$$ed answers drive me up a wall. Someone should tell Ellis to zip it up, then smash him in the mouth to help. Now that, I would TIVO, and watch it over and over again. This guy is a jerk, and is typical of the so-called MSM!
If the Barrett Report is the tip of the iceberg in terms of how Toon used and abused the powers of his office, no wonder the Dems are going nuts. And that's all the more reason why the Barrett Report and any other info on Toon's abuses needs to see the light of day. And Congress isn't off the hook, either. They either knew what Toon did and condoned it, or were too incompetent to oversee properly. Either is an indictment of them.
I'm hearing how "heroic" the "whistle-blowers" (yes, they're using that term!!) were from lots of libs on the screaming head shows. I wish I could recall which columnist, though, said that if we lose this war, there won't BE any civil liberties. These libs don't seem to realize that this is what is at stake. If we lose, those loud-mouthed fish-wives, swishy gays, and media wh*res will be silenced, burka'ed, and in some cases, beheaded or otherwise put to death.
Had to turn Fox off this morning, Julian and Ellis in the same time frame is just too much.
Ellis Hennican--in the dictionary, see "smarmy".
Mark..you've done such great work all year, keeping us apprised of all the Today Show goings son, AND also the occasional lunacies on FOX wekends, that on behalf of all your friends here, we've decided to give you Monday off..
Even a blind acorn finds a squirrel from time to time.
I view the media as antagonist too, FWIW.
This is a good time to reread the Pentagon Papers case -- NEW YORK TIMES CO. v. UNITED STATES, 403 U.S. 713 (1971).
Asking questions like that is an excellent discussion technique. But it's not as fun as mud-slinging, name calling and general flame throwing ;-)
And the terrorists as well.
Thanks Ken, but while I appreciate the sentiment, I couldn't possibly take Monday off. I will be glued to my set, on the look-out for liberal bias in the reporting of the Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Tostitos Fiesta Bowl! ;-)
That's precisely how Pinkerton replied, which was terrific.
The American left first and foremost believe they won the contest to eliminate war forever when they forced the withdrawal from Vietnam.
To admit another war is to admit the leftistis cause lost.
- with the help and support of Congress
- only those that were located near the West Coast
Since the petitioner has not been convicted of failing to report or to remain in an assembly or relocation center, we cannot in this case determine the validity of those separate provisions of the order. It is sufficient here for us to pass upon the order which petitioner violated. To do more would be to go beyond the issues raised, and to decide momentous questions not contained within the framework of the pleadings or the evidence in this case. It will be time enough to decide the serious constitutional issues which petitioner seeks to raise when an assembly or relocation order is applied or is certain to be applied to him, and we have its terms before us.The issue of internment was confronted in Ex parte Endo, 323 US 283 (1944).Toyosaburo Korematsu v. United States, 323 US 214 (1944)
Korematsu's conviction was later overturned - see brief discussion at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1547700/posts?page=486#486.
Where is the media outrage over the suppression of the Barrett report? Their mantra of the people have a right to know peters out on this one.
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