Posted on 06/30/2006 4:31:26 AM PDT by seanmerc
June 30, 2006 "Show Me The Money!"
By: Oliver North
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In the movie, "Jerry Maguire," Tom Cruise, playing a sports agent in the title role, euphorically shouts, "Show me the money!" Until this week, when the editors of the New York Times decided to reveal highly classified details about the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program, that's exactly what the U.S. government has been doing to Al Qaeda. In an effort to prevent another Sept. 11, the CIA and Department of the Treasury -- with the help of several U.S. and European financial institutions -- have been secretly mapping terrorist networks through the use of financial data. It's not a secret anymore.
The paper that boasts about delivering "all the news that's fit to print" defends its right to divulge state secrets by arrogantly claiming that "the public has the right to know." In the wake of publishing accounts on how the National Security Agency monitors overseas communications with suspected terrorists and the means by which the CIA has been tracking terrorist finances, the NYT, other media outlets and "civil libertarians" describe those in government who leaked this classified information as "whistleblowers," "patriots" and "watchdogs against government abuse of our right to privacy." They're not. They are traitors.
In 1985 John Walker, a U.S. Navy Petty Officer, was convicted of compromising U.S. military codesecrets to the Soviets in exchange for cash -- and placing an untold number of Americans in our Armed Forces in extraordinary jeopardy. In 1994, CIA officer Aldrich Ames was jailed for selling the names of people spying for the United States to his Soviet handlers. His perfidy enabled the KGB to eliminate more than 130 agents working for our CIA and at least 10 were executed. In 2002, FBI agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison for selling classified information about U.S. counter-intelligence operations to the KGB and its successor, the FSB, and irreparably damaging U.S. national security. These men were not "whistleblowers." All were avaricious, treasonous men, filled with hubris. Their actions directly harmed the country they were sworn to protect.
What's the difference between what Walker, Ames and Hanssen did -- and those who decided to "out" NSA and CIA efforts to track terrorist communications and financial data? Materially, there is no distinction. As in the earlier espionage cases, current and former U.S. government employees -- according to the NYT, "nearly 20" of them -- broke their oaths not to disclose classified information. Like Walker, Ames and Hanssen, "reporters," editors and publishers have hope that their exposes will result in substantial financial gain. Brutal adversaries with a proven penchant for killing innocent Americans have gained invaluable knowledge about our intelligence sources and methods. "Sources and methods." Remember those words. They are important.
In a candid letter to the editors of the New York Times, Treasury Secretary John Snow observed that the most recent revelations have "alerted terrorists to the methods and sources used to track their money trails." Vice President Cheney bluntly noted, "The New York Times has now made it more difficult for us to prevent attacks in the future. Publishing this highly classified information about our sources and methods for collecting intelligence will enable the terrorists to look for ways to defeat our efforts.""
The revelation of yet another super-secret operation to root out terrorists has prompted some in Congress to call for hauling editors of offending media outlets into court. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., has called on the Justice Department to prosecute the New York Times for "treasonous actions." As our FOX News "War Stories" documentary, "Deception In The Pacific" noted, that's what President Franklin Roosevelt wanted to do in June of 1942 when Robert McCormick's Chicago Tribune revealed that we had won the Battle of Midway because we had broken the Japanese JN-25 naval codes. Though the story did terrible damage, leading the Japanese to immediately change their codes, McCormick was never prosecuted -- in part because Admiral King, the Chief of Naval Operations, feared that a public trial would result in revelations about other ongoing intelligence operations.
That's just one reason why the "reporters," editors and publishers who repeatedly promulgate classified information will never be tried for treason. But that shouldn't be the case for the leakers. They clearly have broken the law -- and they need to be found, prosecuted, convicted and jailed -- for they are no different than Walker, Ames and Hanssen.
Defenders of what the NYT has done will claim that the press must "protect their sources" -- and not reveal the leakers. That too is wrong. The courts have the power to compel media moguls to reveal government employees who unlawfully divulge classified information about intelligence sources and methods during time of war -- or be jailed for contempt. If we fail to do so, we're accepting the premise that media "sources" are more valuable than the sources and methods used to protect the American people from those who seek to kill us. If that's the case, we might as well just fax all our secrets to our enemies.
Gollie, Ollie - it wasn't Tom Cruise that said "Show me the money"! It was Cuba Gooding, Jr.
i.e., you lost me at hello
Actually Tom Cruise shouted it at Cuba Gooding Jr.'s request as well.
And Oliver North turned on President Reagan and spilled the beans on Iran Contra to stay out of jail.
Hey Ollie! The secretary still disavows any knowledge of your actions.
No kiddin'? I don't recall that, although it has been several years since I saw that movie. Ah, well...
The NYT editors originally said said they had to go public because it's the public's right to know about such a secret program. They have since changed that excuse to the fact that there is no harm in their reporting on this program because everyone knew about it anyway. So which one is it?
Civil rights groups certainly didn't know about it. But they do now and are threatening to sue the financial institutions involved in the EU.
Co-Chairman of the 9/11 Commission Kean said that very few people even in the banking world know about SWIFT and how it works, and almost no one would have had any idea that the US was able to get access to this data.
Kean further said that: "The terrorists didn't know the financial transactions went through this one group. Treasury told me, this was a method of financial tracking that people didn't understand, that nobody knew this was how things were done. Top-notch people in the US didn't even know
If the Dem's had had their way, Ronald Reagan would have taken the fall for the Iran-Contra Scandal, but Oliver North stood up, waved his hands over his head, and shouted that he was the man responsible for the whole enchilada, thereby keeping Reagan out of the crosshairs of a political disaster that probably would have led to his impeachment, and with the Dem's controlling both houses of Congress, it is not difficult to see how it would have ended.
"No kiddin'? I don't recall that, although it has been several years since I saw that movie. Ah, well..."
TOM CRUISE: Show me the money.
CUBA GOODING, Jr.: Yes! Louder!
TOM CRUISE: Show me the money!
CUBA GOODING, Jr.: That's it, brother! But you got to yell!
CUBA GOODING, Jr.: I need to hear you, Jerry!
TOM CRUISE: Show me the money!
CUBA GOODING, Jr.: I love black people!
TOM CRUISE: I love black people!
CUBA GOODING, Jr.: What're you going to do, Jerry?
TOM CRUISE: Show me the money!
CUBA GOODING, Jr.: Congratulations. You're still my agent.
Exacty right, glad someone jumped up on that careless remark.
Tom Cruise said it too - Cuba made him yell it over the phone, remember??
If you don't like Oliver North, that's fine for you, but can you take it to another thread (instead of hijacking this one)? This discussion is about the New York Times and their indefensible betrayal of the American people. The issue is not Oliver North or Iran-Contra. You may or may not approve of his actions during the Reagan Administration, but that's not the point here. If you have something to say about the issues Lt Col North raised in his column, that would be germane. An anti-North diatribe is not germane.
North never turned against President Reagan. He was loyal unto the end a sordid affair created by the democrats who were unAmerican. Make no mistake, North never, ever, ever rated his commander-in-chief. But North did stand up to Inohuea and the rest of those goddamn democrat bullies who would have sold their mothers souls to gain advantage against Reagan.
Ollie North ping*
Hoo ah!!! to Ollie North!
If you know a lawyer willing to take such a case, please let me know.
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