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?
Wonder how Henican would feel if one UNMONITORED phone call led to a chain of events that allowed a terrorist to blow up his kids or mother or boyfriend ?OHHHHHH then it would be "Bush didn't protect us " See, it's all a set up . Bush is wrong either way it goes.
Only 64% of Americans favor legal surveillance of AL Queda
That is REALLY hard to believe. WHO in their right mind would oppose listining in on the enemy .
It seems to me that many in the US have forgotten 9/11..that it was never real to them in the 1st place..just a TV show
Ultimately, the federal courts decided, forty years later, that Roosevelt's Executive Order to round up the Japanese-Americans was unconstitutional. A link earlier in this thread has both of the Korematsu decisions, the original one in which the Supreme Court (to its eternal shame) upheld that order, and the final one which expunged the conviction of Fred Korematsu for violating that Order.
The now-unclassified documents, some of which I got declassified for my book, make it clear that there was no justification for that imprisonment, as does the action of the Commanding General on Hawaii who avoided the order to ship "his" Japanese-Americans to the mainland on grounds of lack of transportation.
(0% of the carpenters on Hawaii then were Japanese-Americans, and the General needed them to rebuild from the attack on Pearl Harbor, and to do the construction required for the war effort build-up there. And he was right. They were essential, able, and loyal workers.
Your assumption that the round-up had any real (as opposed to claimed at the time) connection with espionage is wrong. General deWitt actually submitted a report saying that the lack of espionage before the round-up was an indication that the Japanese-Americans were "well-organized" and were "holding off on their attacks."
You are perpetuating the kind of wrong and racist thinking that was prevalent then. You should read my book. It contains the photograph of a Lt. from the 442nd, the "Christmas Tree" Regiment that fought with great honor and many casualties in Italy, returning to Manzanar to visit his parents, who were being held behind garbed wire by other American soldiers. Think about that.
John / Billybob
A truth that's told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent.
William Blake
"[The government's] job is to keep the secret, our job is to tell the truth."
The TRUTH, they can't identify, let alone, tell the TRUTH.
The truth of the msm is subjective and if facts do not align with the story, change the facts. Remember danblather and marymapletree, the facts were fraudlent, but the story was still true. And they want a shield law to cover all of thier lies.
He looks like he knows his way around a bathhouse...
You nailed it. See new tagline. Can't wait for Rush's return on Tuesday.
The moral bankruptcy of the Left continues to amaze me. Just when you think you have heard it all...along comes another clueless, fellow-traveling idiot!!!!!
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