Journalists could be prosecuted
By on Mar 12th, 2006 at 1:43 am
Journalists could be prosecuted
for reporting on Bush’s domestic spying program. If a bill authored by Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) were to pass, reporters who dare to write about the NSA surveillance program could face criminal penalties.
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Once the laws are in place to start sending the Press to jail, will those among the 4th estate who are pumping out propaganda for this Administration finally wake up? Or will they just say “Great! My ratings are going up since by competition is going to prison!”.
March 12th, 2006 at 2:27 amThis is the police state.
March 12th, 2006 at 2:40 amThis is from a Congressional Report and ITS public information.
HOW are they Gonna Say this is Illegal to Publish?;
And this may Dissapear though its all over Web so the secret is stupid stupid stupid…..
http://www.fepproject.org/commentaries/matrix.html
(MATRIX)[x^BTHE MATRIX
March 12th, 2006 at 3:02 amThis.is.absolutely.insane.
March 12th, 2006 at 7:04 amSo the whistleblower act is straightarmed. Wasn’t it derelict of the White House to allow the NY Times to have classified material for a whole year. How did the safegaurding of our national secrets stay secure while in the Times possession? What journalists have security clearances and who vets them?
March 12th, 2006 at 7:25 amDeWine is co-sponsoring the bill with Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
Well, I see Lindsey Graham is right in the middle of it….
March 12th, 2006 at 7:27 amOops…
Well, I see Lindsey Graham is right in the middle of it….
March 12th, 2006 at 7:30 amThis is a fascist police state. What else can you call it when the administration commits crimes against peace and crimes against humanity, but investigate/imprison/torture those who exposes those crimes? An American AUSCHWITZ IS COMING!
March 12th, 2006 at 7:35 amWell, I see Lindsey ‘fifth column’ Graham is right in the middle of it….
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020700731.html
March 12th, 2006 at 7:36 amGOP seeks to criminalize wide range of leaking in legislation Clinton vetoed: Bush seeks to shut down whistleblowers and media investigations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602186.html
March 12th, 2006 at 7:38 amhttp://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/02/washington_post_on_the_aipac_c.html
The AIPAC Case: Criminalizing Public Speech
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/02/the_aipac_case_criminalizing_p.html
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/03/the_aipac_case_aiding_and_abet.html
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/02/govt_presses_aipac_prosecution.html
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/03/aipac_court_denies_amicus_stan.html
Scary stuff, folks.
March 12th, 2006 at 7:41 amRDD, thanks for the righteous links. This why i love this Blog. So much premium info. Thanks again.
March 12th, 2006 at 7:53 am“The bill would make it a crime to tell the American people that the president is breaking the law, and the bill could make it a crime for the newspapers to publish that fact,†said Martin, a civil liberties advocate
DeWine and Graham don’t deserve the people’s money or concern. They are not public servants. They are monsters.
March 12th, 2006 at 8:25 amThis the Sedition Act in new clothes.
I wonder why He needs this law, couldn’t He just arrest reporters who disclose anything against His will as “enemy combatants” by using His inherent Power as Commander in Chief?
March 12th, 2006 at 9:59 amSandra Day O’Connor has it right — dictatorship.
March 12th, 2006 at 10:12 amDictators command control of news organizations.
Fascism is at the threshhold of America.
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
(”Fascism Anyone?,” Free Inquiry, Spring 2003)
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
Sound familiar?
March 12th, 2006 at 10:13 amIt’s good to review those points, EBP, to keep our minds acutely aware of what is creeping across America.
March 12th, 2006 at 10:53 amIt is interesting to see that the pigs in Washington are no different than the pigs in Orwell’s “Animal Farm” where all animals are created equal and some more equal than others. He wrote about the totalitarian state of which the US has already become. We have become the Militaristic Fascist Totalitarian Plutocracy that previous dictators could only dream of with standing armies all across the world, using the IMF and world bank to loot those countries, and a military budget that makes sure that other democracies fall lock step in line with our policies and the ability to wipe out any country from anywhere in the world, even from space.
When are the less equal animals that represent 99% of the American population going to take back THEIR country? With 35% pimping for the end of times and the remainder to scared to speak, I have my doubts. The revolving door leadership of the heads of state, banks, military, industry and commerce are enjoying their power increase because the electorate is now irrelevant.
The lies and misdirection of our government, military and industrial leaders, leading the press to report propaganda instead of reality that started in 1947, with the creation of the NSA and CIA, is on a roll now along with the western governments that we selected for support, to consolidate absolute power in the elite. Bush made the statement after his first election to his peers: “People call you captains of industry, I call you my base”.
Our congressional and senate leaders have all been complicit in concentration of power at the top. Unless pigs like DeWine and others that serve on committees such as the Armed Services, Intelligence, Ways and Means… are voted out, the vast majority of people of America, as well as the rest of the world can only expect more of the same and worse kind of condescending attitude and treatment such as stagnating wages, gutting of the middle class, elimination of opportunity for small business by big business legislation, more wars and threats of wars, dumbing down education, poverty and death.
March 12th, 2006 at 11:08 amNice, but unfortunately not a surprise. Hey, would they write an Exemption for thier favorit Mouthpiece, Judith Miller??
March 12th, 2006 at 11:14 amso, i was mistaken that snowe and hagel were of the more reasonable brand of repugs?
March 12th, 2006 at 12:02 pmWould it be cynical to assume Bob Novak will not be prosecuted under this program?
March 12th, 2006 at 12:15 pmCall it ‘The Journalist Removal Act of 2006,’ much akin to the ‘Indian Removal Act of 1830.’
March 12th, 2006 at 12:31 pmwhat’s next? Will we be prosecuted for writing these blogs online…wait, oh no! I see some cops and Fox security at my door. I told ya this is a controlled state where you could be put in ja…
March 12th, 2006 at 12:55 pmStraight out of Hitler
March 12th, 2006 at 2:12 pmIn short, the administration can break the law in secret, but uncovering their illegal actions is punishable. I would call uncovering illegal acts by our government an act of high patriotism.
No oversight means unregulated government means tyranny. Say no to tyrants—just as we said no to George the 3rd, we need to say no to George Bush the second.
March 12th, 2006 at 3:04 pmSnowe’s up for re-election in November, she’s ticked me off by voting to confirm Alito, and now this new bill, it’s making me think twice about voting for her again. Then again, there’s rumors she may retire.
March 12th, 2006 at 4:27 pmIt’s surprising because she was one of the first to come out publically about how upset she was at Bush’s illegal wiretapping and wanted it looked into more.
This is EXACTLY the kind of crap OConnor was talking about. We’re on our way to a dictatorship, and if the moderate republicans (assuming any are left) don’t wake up and join the rest of sane america we’re flushed. Grow some stones you republican fools in congress!
March 12th, 2006 at 10:44 pmWhen we set up the guillotines, save some room in the first tumbrill for DeWine, along with Bush, Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld. Oh, and Gonzales and Yoo.
March 13th, 2006 at 3:55 amFreedom of the press is one of the last freedoms we have left to assure the country that it’s politicans are held to account for what they do. Take that away, and we might as well be living in Germany in the 1930’s. My grandmother who escaped hat batch of criminals must be spining in her grave.
March 13th, 2006 at 8:57 amNow they want to “criminalize” journalism. If they start finding out about you, put em in jail. Nice and patriotic they are.
March 13th, 2006 at 9:39 amAhh yess.
March 13th, 2006 at 1:12 pmLet’s pass a bill that makes it illegal for anyone to report on our illegal activities.
Clutching at straws.
Can anyone here point to just one example of where Bush has actually spied on someone not associated with terrorism? You kooks on the left are the only ones who feel threatened. Why is that? I believe you feel threatened because this program makes Bush look strong in the face of the enemy and in front of the voter and that is the last thing you want.
March 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pmYep, his current approval rating suggests he must look strong in front of the voter. Is he in the 20’s yet?
March 13th, 2006 at 3:56 pm#31 ; Shawn- your swastika is showing. In accordance to the rulings of the Nuremberg tribunal(1946), the Nazi leaders were convicted in plotting and waging a war of aggression(crimes against peace), and the imprisoning/torture/murder of people(crimes against humanity). Fast forward 60 years, Bush/Cheney et al, conspired to go to war against Iraq(crimes against peace) and the torture/homicides of Iraqi POWs @ Abu-Ghraib(crimes against humanity). Here at home, illegal domestic spying without warrants(violation of theth admendment and the FISA laws), herding protesters into “free speech zones”(violation of the 1st admendment- freedom of speech/freedom of assembly). Arresting American citizens on American soil and imprisoning them indefinetly with NO trail, lawyer or charges(see Jose Padilla). It is not I, BUT YOU FASCISTS WHO ARE DOING THE WITCHHUNTS!!!
March 13th, 2006 at 7:39 pm