"Freedom of the press is not an absolute".
A. Gonzales
Reporters at The New York Times and The Washington Post have had criminal referrels to the CIA, Department of Justice and the FBI, based on stories that have run about CIA secret prisons and the story at The New York Times about NSA wiretapping. These agencies have confirmed that criminal investigations have started on these two targeted reporters. Once again, it is okay to leak classified information for some, but not for others.
Daniel Ellsberg/Pentagon Papers
New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971) was a United States Supreme Court per curiam decision. The ruling made it possible for the New York Times and Washington Post newspapers to publish the then-classified Pentagon Papers without risk of government censure.
The Times case featured a constitutional crisis in which the U.S. President Richard Nixon had claimed executive authority to force the prominent newspaper to suspend publication of classified information in its possession. The question before the court was if the constitutional freedom of the press under the First Amendment was subordinate to a claimed Executive need to maintain the secrecy of information. The Supreme Court ruled that First Amendment did protect the New York Times' right to print said materials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ellsberg
Posted by Judith at May 22, 2006 01:36 AM
And how many times have we heard recently that if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't care about wiretapping? Sounds like the gumment doesn't like its dirty laundry aired, but if they're using tax money to do their dirty work, they should be held accountable....unless this is a fascist dictatorship. Which it sounds like it is.
Posted by Sharon at May 22, 2006 05:26 AMThere's hope in the latest polling
Posted by Joseph at May 22, 2006 05:35 AMi got spam calling for the censure of jimmy carter today. anyone else?
Posted by benjoya at May 22, 2006 05:57 AMjimmy carter failed to stop 9/11!
and killed tens of thousands in iraq!
Posted by cult member at May 22, 2006 06:31 AMCensure Carter? For what? Building houses without plumbing or something?
Carter's so removed from power it's laughable. Statesman, sure, but actual power?
Posted by idiosynchronic at May 22, 2006 07:21 AMWhat's up with this William Jefferson guy?
I know it's not illegal to stash cash in your freezer but $90,000 in cold hard cash (pun intended) in the freezer is somewhat suspect, no?
Posted by snark at May 22, 2006 07:22 AMJimmy Carter?
And his crime is?
Being a peanut farmer or building houses?
Posted by Judith at May 22, 2006 07:24 AMI think they're going to try to tag Carter for the rising gas prices or something. Didja hear noted tranvestite Dan Coulter is demanding Murtha show his military records so s/he can tell if his purple heart was awarded for a scratch. The wingnuts have gone as wacko as scout the prophet.
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 07:40 AMDaniel Ellsberg knew that he might be arrested, but still went ahead and printed what became the Pentagon Papers. He is a hero in the minds of many, because he was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the Country.
Such a novel idea now, isn't it?
"In 1970, Ellsberg covertly attempted to convince a few sympathetic Senators (among them J. William Fulbright) to release the Pentagon Papers on the Senate floor, because a Senator cannot be prosecuted for anything he says on record before the Senate. No Senator was willing to do so."
They were chickens then and they are chickens now.
Ellsberg felt "that nearly everyone in the Defense and State Departments knew that the United States had no realistic chance of achieving victory in Vietnam, but that political considerations prevented them from saying so publicly. McNamara and others continued to state in press interviews that victory was "just around the corner" (or Mission Accomplished).
Sound familiar?
Posted by Judith at May 22, 2006 07:45 AM
"Didja hear noted tranvestite Dan Coulter is demanding Murtha show his military records so s/he can tell if his purple heart was awarded for a scratch."
These guys need a new playbook. Coulter started this line of questioning Murtha's medals back in December of last year, writing that he "refuses to release his medical records showing he was entitled to his two Purple Hearts." Maybe we should demand that Coulter release all information about her illegal campaign contributions and her dubious voting records.
I'd like to see him/her show her medical records so we know exactly when he became a she.
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 08:16 AMi think the spammer was trying to mislead unobservant victims into thinking it was about censuring the chimp. the email didn't mention carter, but the email and link was from censurecarter.com. nutty stuff.
i guess jimmy carter is evil incarnate to some people because he's a democrat while simultaneously demonstrating what a real christian looks like.
Posted by benjoya at May 22, 2006 08:25 AM"i guess jimmy carter is evil incarnate to some people because he's a democrat while simultaneously demonstrating what a real christian looks like."
Benjoya, Carter certainly has practiced what he believes. Judge not what they say, but what they do is appropriate here. Ya all think Bush will go out into the world and make it a better place?
Ya all think Bush will go out into the world and make it a better place?
Bush already got his photo op banging a nail in New Orleans.
After retirement, Carter built houses. Is Bush going to blow up clinics?
Posted by TIKI AL at May 22, 2006 10:09 AMNagin's the mayor of a dead city, he's only sticking around because he thinks there's fame and fortune for him now that he's Bush's butt boy.
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 10:10 AMWhats the deal with the Mormons btw? Are they required, under threat of excommunication, to vote for and support to the bitter end every Republican candidate come hell or high water? Was Joseph Smith a conservative Republican?
Posted by jondee at May 22, 2006 11:50 AMHey, does anyone have any experience with portable headphone amplifiers? There's tons of them - and ranging from $30 "Boosteroos" to mind-bogglingly $500 units for the true audiophilic snob who wants his sound chocolately with a creme center.
Posted by idiosynchronic at May 22, 2006 11:50 AMDidja hear noted tranvestite Dan Coulter is demanding Murtha show his military records so s/he can tell if his purple heart was awarded for a scratch. The wingnuts have gone as wacko as scout the prophet.
Oh, boy....Sorry, but I have to do this - as I've done on other liberal blogs.
I for one am extremely disturbed by the preachers of tolerance and acceptance knee-jerk willingness to jump on Couter for rumored transgendered status. I don't know if she's transgendered or not. And I don't care.
Don't misunderstand me - if she is, she should be condemned for supporting a party and policies that would deny her and her fellow trans-people their rights.
But it saddens me when her possible trans status is interjected as an insult where it's irrelevant to the topic. It smacks of bigotry and is likely very hurtful to any transgendered people who might read and learn from this blog every day.
Plenty of rumors surround Rep. David Drier's sexuality, but I don't think I've ever seen progressive bloggers interject anything like "noted homo" into comments about his policies (unless specifically calling him out on his hypocritical stances on gay rights).
If a male public figure had an effeminate gate or lisp, and someone were to post, "What's with the fem behavior on that dude?" into a comment here, they'd never hear the end of it. But for Coulter, even progressives and otherwise tolerant people feel free to spread rumors, point out her adam's apple, and slip in references to her (possible) transgendered status all over the place.
It bothers me, and I had to say so.
Thanks
Posted by Liveliest Crib at May 22, 2006 12:47 PMCrib, I'm as tolerant as anybody but really, fuck that bitch! She's nothing but a 'merchant of hate'!
Posted by Seven of Six at May 22, 2006 01:19 PMLC, I respect your opinion greatly, but that bitch deserves any rotten tomato, cream pie, or javelin thrown at her. I've been very close friends with a transgender person, and she laughs at this characterization of Dan the She-man who should not even be considered human, much less female. Besides, I was just repeating what Stephanie Miller on AAR calls her. Shoulda used quotes, huh?
She has invited all the abuse we can fling at her, it's her schtick. If people didn't hate her, she'd be just another nobody - a toothless whore on the street corner. Along with Michele Malkin, Dan Coulter is the only other "woman" truly deserving of the moniker "cunt." In fact, she gives cunts a bad name.
There is such a thing as going too far with the sensitivity thing, that's why political correctness is such a joke today. Save your umbrage for someone who's worth it.
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 01:45 PMI wish someone, anyone, would punch Lionel Annie Coulter in the mouth. All she uses it for is to spew crap and lies...and her lunch after a 5000 calorie binge.
It bothers me, and I had to say so.
Me too. So I'll sit and think about republi-cons calling all liberals "Broke Back Mountain Hollywood liberal faggots," bashing gays and lesbians at every opportunity, and I'll feel much better about myself for not having said that Coulter would look like a porcupine if all the meat that had been laid to her made a dent in her skin. Lionel Annie Coulter...she prefers her protein straight from the pump; and if there was a god she would suffer the same fate as Nikolai Chauchesku's wife for little Annie's pandering to this administration.
Posted by phidpides at May 22, 2006 01:47 PMI'm as tolerant as anybody but really, fuck that bitch! She's nothing but a 'merchant of hate'!
Yeah. She's a merchant of hate! God damn tranny!
I respect your opinion greatly, but that bitch deserves any rotten tomato, cream pie, or javelin thrown at her.
I tend to use the same hyperbole about Condoleeza Rice, but it is hyperbole for me, as I wouldn't call her a nigger, nor Gannon/Guckert a fag.
I've been very close friends with a transgender person, and she laughs at this characterization of Dan the She-man who should not even be considered human . . . There is such a thing as going too far with the sensitivity thing, that's why political correctness is such a joke today.
I know plenty of trans people. Friends, colleauges, clients. And yeah, when we're with one another the un-PC jokes fly. I live in Berkeley, CA, for crying out loud, and the PC atmosphere (though it's gotten better since I went to college here in the early 90s) drives me crazy.
And while I think I understand where you're coming from, I don't think I am "going to far with the sensitivity thing." Consider that you said:
Along with Michele Malkin, Dan Coulter is the only other "woman" truly deserving of the moniker "cunt."
Heh, I agree with you. I'm a woman, and I think it's hilarious to call either of these people cunts, the unease society has with that word be damned. But note how you didn't reference Malkin's race. You could have called her a god damn chink cunt (or gook, or whatever the 'proper' pejorative would be), but you know as well as I do that it would needlessly offend Asian readers. You also know that such a remark would stick out like a sore thumb, and even detract from the humor of your remark ('cept maybe with close Asian friends who know you well).
I guess I'll lighten up, as it were, and stop being so sensitive when trans people receive the same respect in general as everyone else from progressives. If Anne Coulter were black, I would be incredibly surprised if anyone even dared to reference her race in any way - even when it might be funny to do so. The fact that she's been pegged as a trans person, though, becomes instant fodder even for otherwise enlightened people, and trans people reading this site could easily become not offended, but saddened. Saddened that even on the Left Coaster, such humor doesn't even warrant a double take. It's just funny and acceptable.
She has invited all the abuse we can fling at her, it's her schtick. . . Save your umbrage for someone who's worth it.
Come on, you can't actually think I'm defending Anne Coulter, can you? I wouldn't even have a problem with someone confronting her about her trans status right to her face - on TV - and even hurling the insults I find on blogs. Because the point would be obvious - "How do you like it, mAnne?" It's not an attack on trans people - it's an attack on her.
But when her trans status (which I don't buy, personally, but I could be wrong), is simply interjected into quips on blogs - quips for which I've never even found an anological reference for someone as hate-filled as Louis Farrakhan - well, it's not clear that even the trans people reading are supposed to be in on the joke. It just comes off like her BEING trans is another legitimate reason not to like her, as if another reason were needed.
I'll sit and think about republi-cons calling all liberals "Broke Back Mountain Hollywood liberal faggots," bashing gays and lesbians at every opportunity, and I'll feel much better about myself for not having said that Coulter would look like a porcupine if all the meat that had been laid to her made a dent in her skin.
Hey, we can rationalize fighting fire with fire all we want, and yeah, a lot of times it'll be hilarious. But I'll hasten to point out that sometimes we'll singe innocent bystanders with our remarks, and ultimately, I'd rather fight fire with water.
Posted by Liveliest Crib at May 22, 2006 04:08 PMAny women/man who raiser questions about John Murtha's metals, deserves anything and everything coming her/his way. She has left herself open to this, and personally, I don't give a damn. It's that old adage "what goes around......"
Posted by Judith at May 22, 2006 04:09 PMAny women/man who raiser questions about John Murtha's metals, deserves anything and everything coming her/his way. She has left herself open to this, and personally, I don't give a damn. It's that old adage "what goes around......"
I'm surprised, Judith. Especially when you take such offense when people begin hurling insults about which they should think twise at the likes of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and Christians as a whole become collateral damage.
Now, I realize that the thread to which I'm referring is NOT a perfect analogy, AND I realize you apologized for the tone in which you condemned that thread.
Just trying to explain that I'm not in any way defending Anne Coulter. And I couldn't care less if SHE'S insulted by the remarks. Indeed, SHE deserves them.
But again, it's not clear, when such quips are made, that our trans readers are meant to be in on the joke. It just appears as though her being trans is another on a long list of legitimate reasons not to like her, and that can hurt many of our trans supporters.
That's all I was saying.
Posted by Liveliest Crib at May 22, 2006 04:29 PMBut again, it's not clear, when such quips are made, that our trans readers are meant to be in on the joke.
Okay. I see your point. We need to stay away from the "Annie is transgendered," and instead claim she was born with ambiguous genitalia.
Is it still okay to call her a neo-con skank hose-bag train-pulling whore of suspect intellect who shills for this administration while on her knees puffing Rush Limbaugh's flacid and pasty white penis which is covered in chair sweat from his hours at the microphone?
Please tell me it's okay...
Posted by phidipides at May 22, 2006 04:45 PMJondee: Joseph Smith was a New York Jew who climbed a hill and "found" articles with instructions from "god" made by a local artisan who later confessed, along with Smith's partners.
But, like 2-time Bush voters, this did not stop the merry band of Mensa level members from starting the Mormon church, and going on to own many of the casinos in Vegas. The Mormon massacre, and trying to start their own country, are just 2 of their greatest hits.
Yes, they are told who to vote for, like the catholic ban on Kerry deal. A certain Mormon presidential candidate should be watched closely.
Posted by TIKI AL at May 22, 2006 04:45 PMLC, I totally understand your position, and I hope I didn't seem harsh. I didn't think you were defending Coulter, either. I really don't think anyone believes she's transgender, that's why it's fun to say so. I also understand that a lot of people don't like the word cunt either, and I refrain from using it most of the time. I only use it on those two witches who betray everything about being a woman. I'm not sure if you realize I'm female, too, so I can say it, where men are not allowed to. Well, except for Al Swearingen, he can cuss all he wants 'cos he's written that way. Thanks for your discussion on this subject, if you want to get in deeper, come into the comments at L&L where every thread's an open thread if you want it to be. I really like your style!
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 04:47 PMOkay. I see your point. We need to stay away from the "Annie is transgendered," and instead claim she was born with ambiguous genitalia.
Oh, you're going to hate me for this phid, but that would just offend our intersexed readers.
Is it still okay to call her a neo-con skank hose-bag train-pulling whore of suspect intellect who shills for this administration while on her knees puffing Rush Limbaugh's flacid and pasty white penis which is covered in chair sweat from his hours at the microphone?
Yeah, what's wrong with that? Geez, you didn't even throw in any swear words. Come on, phid, don't wuss out, on us.
See...I can play along too. I mean, I may not be any good at it, but I'm not the PC prude I appeared to be.
;)
Posted by Liveliest Crib at May 22, 2006 04:50 PMDid anybody catch "Bagdhad ER" on HBO? I wish the chicken hawks that launched this wretched war could spend a week in that place...
The irony is that you see the best of what American's are dealing with the results of the worst that American's are...
Posted by Roy Batty at May 22, 2006 05:06 PMLC, I've read enough of your stuff to know you're not a prude, and certainly not humorless. Maybe I seemed pretty venomous, but someone referenced AC saying Murtha needs to give up his medical records to prove his purple hearts are real - I heard that clip this morning. It was ghastly. She's a ghoul. I certainly wouldn't want to compare my friends to her - you're right, it's an insult. But hey, being mean is my schtick, too, I guess. Just ask scout.
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 05:10 PMiamcayote,
No, no, don't worry about it. Actually, on this blog, I'm pretty confident that people don't intend any offense (to anyone other than Coulter herself, who, yes, is grousome and deserves some sort of horrible fate).
I just see these remarks everywhere when she appears and mutters yet another bit of offensive nonsense. On other blogs, trans people have written in saying how sad it makes them - they thought they'd found forums where they were welcome, and then they had second thoughts.
So, I figured I'd speak up.
As for scout, ehh, I resolved a few threads back to ignore scout altogether, and I'm sticking with that. ;)
Thanks for the compliments, by the way.
Posted by Liveliest Crib at May 22, 2006 05:18 PMPossibly we should be careful to be sensitive to the needs of all those who are similar to Ann Coulter in certain respects, but obviously arnt Ann Coulter; even though they may at times be mistaken for Ann Coulter either because of a physical similarity, similar speech rhythms, or philisophical orientation.
Posted by jondee at May 22, 2006 06:41 PMprairecritterette: Referring to Ms Coulter as a "ghoul" has upset me. Prior to receiving 4 blood transfusions, I resembled a ghoul, but not anywhere near as vile as Ms Coulter.
Could you be a little more PC, please?
Posted by TIKI AL at May 22, 2006 07:13 PMWe also shouldnt discount the fact that there may be actual "ghouls" - as have been documented for years in European folklore - who have suffered enough victimization at the hands of the ignorant and fearful without being disempowered further by a pejoritive associations made about their condition.
Posted by jondee at May 22, 2006 07:55 PMLighten up guys!
And no, that's not a comment about those who happen to be caloric intake challenged!
Posted by snark at May 22, 2006 08:03 PMYou guys make me laugh!
Posted by iamcoyote at May 22, 2006 08:07 PM