Letter From Bill Keller on The Times's Banking Records Report

NYTIMES ^ | 06/25/06 | Bill Keller

[Pikamax]

The following is a letter Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, has sent to readers who have written him about The Times's publication of information about the government's examination of international banking records:

I don't always have time to answer my mail as fully as etiquette demands, but our story about the government's surveillance of international banking records has generated some questions and concerns that I take very seriously. As the editor responsible for the difficult decision to publish that story, I'd like to offer a personal response.

Some of the incoming mail quotes the angry words of conservative bloggers and TV or radio pundits who say that drawing attention to the government's anti-terror measures is unpatriotic and dangerous. (I could ask, if that's the case, why they are drawing so much attention to the story themselves by yelling about it on the airwaves and the Internet.) Some comes from readers who have considered the story in question and wonder whether publishing such material is wise. And some comes from readers who are grateful for the information and think it is valuable to have a public debate about the lengths to which our government has gone in combatting the threat of terror.

[12th_Monkey]

The AG needs to take all the Slimes involved with this story to the woodshed. They need to be made into an example.

[Doc Hunter]

See you in court,Bill.

[palmer]

The central argument we heard from officials at senior levels was that international bankers would stop cooperating, would resist, if this program saw the light of day. We don't know what the banking consortium will do, but we found this argument puzzling. First, the bankers provide this information under the authority of a subpoena, which imposes a legal obligation.

Sounds like a red herring. My first thought was terrorists would stop using banks.

[The Brush]

Do you think they'll plead insanity?

[shalom aleichem]

It is high time Al Gonzolez earned his stripes. He was chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, a court that routinely put the hammer down on death row appellants. No mercy.

Meanwhile the whole White House has been tied in knots for a couple of years because a mad independent prosecutor, Fitzpatrick, is out of conytol and playing for keeps as he seeks to nail the big fish in the WH. The Justice department put this guy on the job. It may have been Ashcroft, but none the less, they sic the meanest hombre in the world on their own people (or on our troops at Pendleton Brig), but they ignore blatant violaitons of the law: Clinton's pardons for cash, Sandy McBurglar's theft from the National Archives, all these top secret leaks and the treasonous media who cash in national secrets for Pulitzers. This is one thing that is NOT Bush's fault. It IS the Attirney General's time to get to work! and stop making his boss look like a fool and impotent.

[rj45mis]

What a pathetic defense of one's position. This BS reeks with animos towards the Bush administration. I despise these people.

[leprechaun9]

Does this agent of the Jason Blair Gazette have brown eyes? I would not be surprised because he is full of crap!

[Socratic]

I wish a private citizen could sue for endagerment and reap millions from a sympathetic jury. (Although I usually abhor such doings).

[Chesterbelloc]

I could ask, if that's the case, why they are drawing so much attention to the story themselves by yelling about it on the airwaves and the Internet.

This is called being deliberately obtuse. Even Bill can't be this stupid.

[torchthemummy]

Last line:

But nobody should think that we made this decision casually, with any animus toward the current Administration, or without fully weighing the issues.

I'm convinced...not. I wish there could be a mole in the NYT's editorial offices that would leak "privledged" conversations and see how they would feel.

[Master Shake]

I'd like to see this traitor reading his letter in court while in shackles and wearing an orange jump suit.

[spanalot]

The NYTimes has always been the enemy of the US - and western civilization in general.

http://ucca.org/famine/gordondispatch.html

[12th_Monkey]

"Fitzpatrick, is out of control and playing for keeps as he seeks to nail the big fish in the WH."

You said a mouth full, we need to star playing for keeps, and it needs to start with the Times.

[wildcatf4f3]

Tell it to the judge Keller

[SE Mom]

Mr. Keller, you are FUBAR.

[Diogenesis]

"It is high time Al Gonzolez earned his stripes."

He will do NOTHING except to encourage more treason by doing NOTHING.

Licorice: "Even us hamsters know that we would be much safer if you stupid dhimmis would hang
some of these seditious traitors already who repeatedly violate 18 U.S.C. §798 over and over,
beginning with Bill Keller and my Mistress' competition for my savior, hottie Emma Gilbey, now Ms. Keller."

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18 U.S.C. §798. Disclosure of Classified Information.
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
(1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or
(2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States or any foreign government for cryptographic or communication intelligence purposes; or
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—Shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. (b) As used in this subsection (a) of this section—
The term “classified information” means information which, at the time of a violation of this section, is, for reasons of national security, specifically designated by a United States Government Agency for limited or restricted dissemination or distribution; .........
The term “communication intelligence” means all procedures and methods used in the interception of communications and the obtaining of information from such communications by other than the intended recipients;
The term “unauthorized person” means any person who, or agency which, is not authorized to receive information of the categories set forth in subsection (a) of this section, by the President, or by the head of a department or agency of the United States Government which is expressly designated by the President to engage in communication intelligence activities for the United States.

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"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana

[dighton]

This is called being deliberately obtuse.

In line with this whole affair, it shows astonishing contempt for the public.

[shalom aleichem]

If you only knew how must trouble exposure is. The same is true about USA using other countries to hold prisoners (to put them beyond the reach of US judges and ACLU), or airfields to transport bad guys (for refueling etc). The media blows whistle smoking out our silent partner allies, cauning them internal trouble. That is the intent of MSM to isolate the USA and leave us berift of allies. I could see cumbersone procedures imposed on foreign banks, passing new laws requiring targets to be informed when USA asks for info, give them a right to prior hearing, etc. This would gum up the works completely. The usual goals of ALCU and MSM when it comes to helping or hurting the goals of the US government. They also climbed all over Turkey before invasion to the point Turkey parliament would not allow us to use their territory. This prevented us coming into Iraq from both North and South. We had a pincher planned, but then had to take them all in through Kuwait. But did MSM apologize? No, they said Bush could not recruit allies. MSM criticised that we had not brought enough troops in. There are only so many who can come in when you are limited to one entrance. Oh, I cannot wait for accounting day, if it ever comes. I think an indictment reading U.S. v NY Times would help, or at least would be music to these tired eyes.

[Brilliant]

If al Qaeda attacks the NYT, I for one will celebrate.