Tipsters would face prison
'Wikileaks law' likely to cripple
Congress's investigative power
Congress is poised to cede vast power to President Obama with its proposed "Wikileaks law."
By making public dissemination of classified information a crime for anyone, not just people who take oaths of secrecy, lawmakers face the prospect of permitting Attorney General Eric Holder to have an intimidating effect on legislative investigations. Tipsters aiding the GOP could find themselves facing prison time.
It's even possible that lawmakers who are disliked by the powers that be could be neutralized by selective prosecution for events that occur off the House or Senate floor. After all, in Washington, knowledge really is power, and without inside knowledge of what's going on in government, a lawmaker is hamstrung.
Those most in danger of falling into such a trap are the Tea Party newcomers, many of whom are naive about the slippery issue of penalizing those who exercise their First Amendment right to publish leaks.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, there is a strong chance the American people would never have learned that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.
By making public dissemination of classified information a crime for anyone, not just people who take oaths of secrecy, lawmakers face the prospect of permitting Attorney General Eric Holder to have an intimidating effect on legislative investigations. Tipsters aiding the GOP could find themselves facing prison time.
It's even possible that lawmakers who are disliked by the powers that be could be neutralized by selective prosecution for events that occur off the House or Senate floor. After all, in Washington, knowledge really is power, and without inside knowledge of what's going on in government, a lawmaker is hamstrung.
Those most in danger of falling into such a trap are the Tea Party newcomers, many of whom are naive about the slippery issue of penalizing those who exercise their First Amendment right to publish leaks.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, there is a strong chance the American people would never have learned that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, Sen. Joe McCarthy's hunt for Communists in government (and we now know there were plenty) would have been criminalized, because his sources would have faced stiff prosecution.
**********************************************************************************
Washington conspiracy theory
Was the Wikileaks spigot deliberately turned on by a shadowy Pentagon force in order to jump-start a massive federal clampdown on free speech and free press? Observers note that the Wikileaks cache showed up after a decision was made to greatly weaken security protocols for the government network carrying sensitive diplomatic and military information. Recall that the 9/11 attacks were exploited in order to justify Draconian attacks on standard American freedoms, but that, in recent years, the federal intimidation effect has been waning. Perhaps, some suspect, a certain clique decided it was time for another power grab.
***********************************************************************************
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, the public might never have learned that American officials colluded with German spy bosses to deceive the electorate and slide past German democracy. U.S. and German spy chiefs were concerned that Europeans might reject the dual-use surveillance satellites.
The people shouldn't have a role in such decisions, evidently. Nor would they have learned that the Berlin was negotiating with Washington to evade dual-use technology export controls -- something both nations stridently accuse Iran of doing.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, the public might never have learned that U.S. officials sought to abridge the religious and press rights of a newspaper based on their diplomatic needs -- which, by the way, shows that the United States was doing exactly what Islamic terrorists want: forcing Sharia on the press. And, the U.S. was monitoring the newspaper's plans via a newsroom mole.
With a Wikileaks law in effect, the Executive Branch will have a powerful weapon that could be deployed to silence dissent. After all, much dissent relies on inside information, the discussion of which would be criminalized. For example, the public discussion of the information that Israel wanted to severely cripple Gaza's economy would be subject to prosecution.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/
Israeli leaders certainly favor methods of choking off criticism of Israeli policies. The Knesset has just approved a bill to investigate human rights groups on grounds that they are "deligitimizing Israel" in the eyes of the world. We may expect that the more strident Israelophiles in the United States will follow that lead.
As lawmakers scream over the Wikileaks exposes, the United States is promoting technology that would aid Wikileaks-style activists in nations where liberty, if any, is under siege, reports Britain's Register.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/05/censorship_grants_wikileaks/
Israeli leaders certainly favor methods of choking off criticism of Israeli policies. The Knesset has just approved a bill to investigate human rights groups on grounds that they are "deligitimizing Israel" in the eyes of the world. We may expect that the more strident Israelophiles in the United States will follow that lead.
As lawmakers scream over the Wikileaks exposes, the United States is promoting technology that would aid Wikileaks-style activists in nations where liberty, if any, is under siege, reports Britain's Register.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/05/censorship_grants_wikileaks/
This appeared in yesterday's New York Times:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
A column by mathematician John Allen Paulos:
A column by mathematician John Allen Paulos:
http://www.philly.com/
Media titan Rupert Murdoch faces his own version of a Wikileaks embroglio, with the News of the World suspending an editor -- at full pay -- over his role in obtaining conversations leaked from hacked cell phones used by celebrities, politicians and royals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/05/news-of-the-world
More secret cables published by Norway's Aftenposten:
Media titan Rupert Murdoch faces his own version of a Wikileaks embroglio, with the News of the World suspending an editor -- at full pay -- over his role in obtaining conversations leaked from hacked cell phones used by celebrities, politicians and royals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/05/news-of-the-world
More secret cables published by Norway's Aftenposten:
- 17.9.2009: U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE POLICY AND EUROPE
- 9.7.2007: REPORT OF SENIOR RESOURCE BOARD PLENARY MEETING JUN 28 and 29, 2007
- 04.06.2007: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2007
- 16.05.2003: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003
- 07.01.2009: ANNUAL OSAC CRIME AND SAFETY REPORT - - FOR EMBASSY BRASILIA AND CONSULATE RECIFE
- 05.05.2006: MURDER OF PRIEST PITS BRV AGAINST CHURCH
- 08.06.2007: POSITIVE MOVEMENT IN THE MISSILE DEFENSE DEBATE IN NORWAY BUT NO BREAKTHROUGH
- 3.11.2008 CASHLESS IN GAZA?
- 26.7.2007: APHSCT TOWNSEND RECEIVES ACTION PLAN ON PALESTINIANS FROM ISRAELI NSC
- 4.12.2008: GOI CALLS GAZA CASH CRISIS A HAMAS PLOY
No comments:
Post a Comment