PATRIOTISM AND THE PRESS - NYT Editorial

Editorial
Patriotism and the Press
Published: June 28, 2006
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From our side of the news-opinion wall, the Swift story looks like part of an alarming pattern. Ever since Sept. 11, the Bush administration has taken the necessity of heightened vigilance against terrorism and turned it into a rationale for an extraordinarily powerful executive branch, exempt from the normal checks and balances of our system of government. It has created powerful new tools of surveillance and refused, almost as a matter of principle, to use normal procedures that would acknowledge that either Congress or the courts have an oversight role.

The Swift program, like the wiretapping program, has been under way for years with no restrictions except those that the executive branch chooses to impose on itself — or, in the case of Swift, that the banks themselves are able to demand. This seems to us very much the sort of thing the other branches of government, and the public, should be nervously aware of. We would have been very happy if Congressman Peter King, the Long Island Republican who has been so vocal in citing the Espionage Act, had been as aggressive in encouraging his colleagues to do the oversight job they were elected to do.


The United States will soon be marking the fifth anniversary of the war on terror. The country is in this for the long haul, and the fight has to be coupled with a commitment to individual liberties that define America's side in the battle. A half-century ago, the country endured a long period of amorphous, global vigilance against an enemy who was suspected of boring from within, and history suggests that under those conditions, it is easy to err on the side of security and secrecy. The free press has a central place in the Constitution because it can provide information the public needs to make things right again. Even if it runs the risk of being labeled unpatriotic in the process.

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/opinion/28Wed1.html?ex=1309147200&en=e16b323635b4b0c4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

ADMIN and War long ago, they shouldn't be surprised at the "War of Rights" they are in right now with the WH.

on edit: I think this may get worse

I almost missed you...

and, yes, you are right about the press-

As far as it getting worse -

I am beginning to think that we are heading for the bottom - SOON?

Once we reach the gutter - thats when I will have the most hope!

look for inspiration, clarity, and direction in the Jeffersonian principles(the good ones) to guide us through the battles that lie ahead.

The History Channel has been airing a good series this month on the American Revolution, I highly suggest everyone take a peak at it. It would really make people appreciate what we have along with what we have gained and lost through the years.

Thank you to the editorial staff of the NYT.

controls the Press? Someone help me out here :shrug:

papers like the NY Times. They may not be perfect--they may try too hard to swing right to reach those in Topeka, KS, but they are one of the last bastions against and out of control government.

all with the point and documentation that the WH is lying when it says the NYT broached National Security on the financial spying.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1526503
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1524858
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1521871
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1524676

(not a complete list)