Joe Liebermann: 'Investigate the NYT'! First they came for Wikileaks!

[sabrina 1]

Could anyone be more stupid? He just made the case AGAINST prosecuting Julian Assange, Wikileaks publisher and author, recipient of awards for 'New Media' at a time when the Government is desperately struggling to find a crime that does not involve the freedom of the press, to charge Assange with?

Did he not know that this is the reason why they have not prosecuted him already, because it is clear to most sentient human beings that if you charge Assange with 'espionage', you MUST charge every news organization that publishes material from sources who may have stolen it from governments, iow Whistle-blowers.



Joe Lieberman and George Bush

Is he so out of it that he does not know that this is the very argument that has been made to oppose the prosecution of Assange? 'If you prosecute him for espionage, you must prosecute the NYT and The Guardian and Der Spiegel and every other news organization that has published the Wikileaks Cables'?

In fact it was pointed out by Julian Assange himself in his recent OP ED for the Australian:

Don't shoot messenger for revealing uncomfortable truths

WikiLeaks is not the only publisher of the US embassy cables. Other media outlets, including Britain's The Guardian, The New York Times, El Pais in Spain and Der Spiegel in Germany have published the same redacted cables.

And to further educate Joe as to why the DOJ is having such a difficult time finding a crime to charge Assange with, Julian Assange, citizen of Australia, who appears to know more about U.S. law and history than the always embarrassing U.S. SENATOR, Joe Lieberman, provides the ultimate reason why the DOJ cannot prosecute the press on charges of espionage. Because, Joe, the matter was already settled in the Pentagon Papers case when the Government tried to prosecute the NYT for ..... wait for it Joe, PUBLISHING CLASSIFIED MATERIAL IT RCEIVED FROM A WHISTLE BLOWER:

In its landmark ruling in the Pentagon Papers case, the US Supreme Court said "only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government". The swirling storm around WikiLeaks today reinforces the need to defend the right of all media to reveal the truth.

Julian Assange is the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks.

You would think a U.S. Senator would understand the meaning of freedom of the press, have some idea of the history of the battles to preserve it in this country.

How difficult if not impossible it is to win a case that involves the 1st Amendment and the Press.

How it protects even the most vile speech because without a free press we have no democracy, the reason why the Founding Fathers felt it was important enough to include it in our Constitution.

A Constitution Joe took an oath to defend.

Nearly every legal expert has stated that to prosecute Assange for esionage would be 'almost impossible' and as some have said 'very dangerous' because it would mean that they would also have to prosecute THE NYT!

And the hapless Joe Lieberman, as he often does 'steps in where angels fear to thread' and proves them right!


Lieberman Suggests Prosecution of New York Times, Too

Sen. Joe Lieberman thinks the New York Times (and presumably others) "committed at least an act of bad citizenship" in publishing the WikiLeaks cables. Whether they committed a crime, he thinks, "bears very intensive inquiry by the Justice Department."

The persecution of Julian Assange and Wikileaks must be opposed if we are to protect what is left of this democracy.

Even those who have had disagreements with Wikileaks in the past, are stepping forward to defend Wilileaks now, chilled by the implications of the calls for prosecution of an editor and publisher of a news organization, the strong-arming of other countries and of Paypal, Visa and other businesses to stop doing business with Wikileaks based on false charges of 'criminal activity'. That activity being the publishing of material provided by a whistle blower, material also published by many other news organizations.

This is a pivotal moment for this democracy. We have known our media has been censored and we have done nothing about it except to complain. This is not just about Julian Assange or about Wikileaks anymore. It is about an idea that is a cornerstone of democracy.

It is an opportunity to fight for what we lost quite some ago. Around the world people are stepping forward to join the fight. If we let this moment pass, this opportunity to maybe get back what has been lost, what made the Iraq War possible, when will such an opportunity present itself again, and if they do shut down Wikileaks, who will be next? Us maybe?

Joe Lieberman just demonstrated clearly what others have been warning about, how dangerous to OUR democracy the persecution of any news organization is. I thought it would take a bit longer before any of our elected officials would be so foolish as to prove that our fears were not unfounded.

Thank you Joe Lieberman. Julian Assange thanks you for your, granted unwitting, demonstration of why the U.S. government must drop the notion of prosecuting the editor and publisher of a news organization.



Sen. John McCain with Sen. Joe Lieberman ~ the man who is a real threat to this democracy!

[timtom]

1. I wonder how many remember that this clown almost became our VP.

By the way, what a wonderful post. You write quite well and you're very organized.


And I concur. Thanks.

[sabrina 1]

2. I remember. In fact I thought about it today and how little I knew

about him back then. I just, naively I guess, assumed he was one of the good guys. He was a Democrat after all. To think of the influence he would have had over that administration.

Thank you for your kind words.

[unapatriciated]

20. How great that would have been...

President Gore

[Anakin Skywalker]

3. Joey is just a tool! He don't know better!

[sabrina 1]

13. Yes, he is a tool. But who in our government isn't?

He's just dumber than some of the others. He gave the game away. How they control our media.

[Supersedeas]

4. great post

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. Joe is a stupid man.. wanted to charge Julian with "treason".... ROFLMAO.....

until someone told him that Julian isn't a citizen of the US.

[sabrina 1]

10. He is a stupid man. I can't watch him as it is too painful

and embarrassing. Yet, certain people provide him with millions to buy his Senate seat which only goes to show that the PTBs do not want people with brains in Congress. All they need are tools who will do as they are told.

Joe is making news around the globe for his call for an investigation of the press. Each day we sink a little further into the abyss.

[barbtries]

6. could anyone be more stupid?

oh, yeah. sarah palin for instance suggested that assange should be tried for treason. really? when he's not even a citizen of the US?

[sabrina 1]

8. Lol, I know she's pretty stupid, but Joe is still the winner here!

HE ALSO CALLED ASSANGE A TRAITOR I believe :rofl:

Soon, no one in the world will take us seriously.

Lieberman and Palin = Dumb and Dumber

[Canuckistanian]

7. No, they should investigate people who SELL copies of the NYT

After all, they're also illegally disseminating information.

OR they could spy on those traitors who READ the NYT.

Anyone who sees something that looks like classified government documents should avert their eyes.

[Duppers]

9. R

& K, of course.

[originalpckelly]

11. Who did Arthur Sulzberger and Bill Keller rape?

First they came for Wikileaks, that's right.

[sabrina 1]

12. Unlike Wikileaks, Sulzberger and Keller are

obliged to withhold news stories when the WH calls and asks them to. Imagine if the Times had published the story they had on the Spying scandal, BEFORE the 2004 election? I remember there was outrage after it was published and Bush's numbers fell sharply and never really recovered. I think it would have lost him the election.

Otoh, if they HAD published some of the stories they've withheld, we would most likely be told who they 'raped'.

One thing this story has done is to cause me to be a little more sympathetic to American journalists. Seeing the lengths this government will go to to silence any independent news organization, at least it makes it more understand, their reluctance to expose the lies and corruption. Few people are willing to risk being accused of rape, or theft or smeared in any way, to publish a story.

[L0oniX]

14. I absolutely despise Joe Liebermann. F*cking piece of sh*t!

Fuck you're secrets ...it's our right to know what the hell you assholes are doing!

[sabrina 1]

17. Joe has a lot to hide. He's very nervous about whatever he is hiding

being exposed to the public. So scared he's making stupid announcements about prosecuting the free press. I agree with your assessment of him completely. He gives me the creeps.

[Turborama]

15. "Even those who have had disagreements with Wikileaks in the past...

...are stepping forward to defend Wilileaks now."

I have to admit to being troubled by the DHS cable that was released but I am solidly behind them.

Thanks for yet another excellent OP, Sabrina. :yourock:

:kick: & Recommended!

[sabrina 1]

16. Hey, Turborama.

One thing that people maybe are not aware of. Wikileaks AND the NYT asked the Pentagon to remove any harmful information from the documents they were going to release. The Pentagon refused both organizations.

So, imo, the ball was in their court. They are responsible for putting soldiers in harms way, and all the others they hire to inform or work in other capacities. And they are responsible for the lack of security that made it possible for these docs to be stolen in the first place. Something like over 2 million people have access to them.

Therefore I think that the responsibility for all of the dead and tortured and maimed, lies with the criminals who got us into these wars and who have so much blood on their hands. And it is ludicrous for them to try to blame anyone else for what is ultimately their responsibility.

Thanks so much for all your work. also : -)

[suffragette]

18. As Michael Moore said: "Follow the money. Joe sure does."

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/tarp-loving-joe-loves-bailing-out-banks-not-providing-healthcare
I bet Joe's feeling a bit anxious about the upcoming bank disclosures and what might be in there about some deal makers.


K&R

[FLAprogressive]

19. when will this blowhard slip on an ice cube or something?