CIA recommends prosecuting press outlets for espionage

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2003 14:01:35 -0700
> From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
>
>
> The Bush Administration wants to use espionage laws to prosecute any media 
> outlets that dare publish or disclose [embarrassing] information if it 
> turns out to be "classified".
>
> http://www.msnbc.com/news/919521.asp?0si=-&cp1=1
>
> But ... wait!
>
> Remember the screeches from multiple administrations' "leaders" when the 
> New York Times published "classified" documents obtained from Daniel 
> Ellsberg -- that came to be known as "The Pentagon Papers" -- showing 
> decades of systematic deception of members of Congress and of American 
> citizens and voters by the Pentagon, and by presidents and other top 
> officials in multiple Republican and Democratic administrations, regarding 
> our participation in Viet Nam's civil war? (57,000 Americans killed; 
> hundreds of thousands maimed for life; millions of innocent Vietnamese 
> killed and maimed; U.S. torn apart politically and economically.)
>
> Or the Reagan-Bush administration's embarrassment when their Col. Ollie 
> North disclosed their "classified" secret document, where they authorized 
> trading arms to the Iatollah for hostages plus his funding assistance, 
> hidden from Congress, of Central American terrorists/rebels -- that became 
> known as "Iran-Contra"?
>
> Or the many, many other press disclosures of "secret" documents that 
> embarrassed numerous administrations ever since the beginning of the 
> nation -- where such documents were "classified" mostly to protect 
> bureaucrats and politicians, rather than to protect legitimate operations 
> that were truly essential for the well-being of the nation's citizens?
>
> (SHOULD politicians' and bureaucrats' desire to hide their misdeeds from 
> citizen review really be sufficient basis to further-crush what's left of 
> First Amendment freedoms of speech and of the press?)
>
> --jim
> Jim Warren; jwarren () well com, columnist, writer & public-policy advocate
> 345 Swett, Woodside CA 94062 U.S.A.; 650-851-7075; fax/off due to spam-glut
>
> [self-inflating puffery: InfoWorld founder; Dr.Dobb's Journal first editor;
> Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Cal.James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award;
> Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1992, its first year);
> Playboy Foundation Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award (1994);
> founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; blah blah blah]


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