GOP drafting resolution condemning media's terror finance reports

[Robbien]

By LIZ SIDOTI
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans sharply criticized The New York Times and other news media Tuesday for disclosing a secret Bush administration effort to track terrorist financing, and House GOP leaders hurriedly drafted a resolution condemning the stories.

A vote was possible as early as Wednesday, according to House Republican officials.

While a "free and objective independent media is necessary to the maintenance of liberty," a draft of the resolution said, "The New York Times and other media outlets that solicit the discovery of sensitive information and unilaterally determine to publish such information could be placing lives at risk."

http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-19/115145996628790.xml&storylist=simetro

[Roland99]

1. Sleight of hand. We need to keep our eyes on what the hand behind the back

is really up to.

[Robbien]

6. What they are really up to is to completely oppress the media

All media articles must have WH/GOP approval before being released. If not they will destroy any rebels.

[mia]

12. ...false outrage covering up the fact that the hand behind the back is

possibly deleting all traces of incriminating financial transactions.

[Roland99]

13. Hmm...keeping Sibel gagged until they can do so?

[ShockediSay]

18. Smokescreen to distract from warrantless wiretapping and data

mining of all phones and emails.

That's the biggie! Bank transactions abroad is just one more snooping step, and a baby one at that from the rewrite of the Bill of Rights guaranteeing the checks and balances involved in wiretapping.

When they harp on this Times thing, call them on the distraction and the bigger issues w/ abandonment of warrants.

[still_one]

2. as stupid as many Americans are

they are starting to realize what the repukes in congress really are, phoneys

[Skip Intro]

3. desperation n/t

[rwenos]

4. Death Penalty

There's a federal statute imposing the death penalty on journalists who commit treason by disclosing war secrets.

RW's LOVE that kind of stuff. Put those goddam journalists in front of a wall. Just like the good old days in . . . Munich, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin.

[babylonsister]

7. Let's try Il Dunce first. nt

[rwenos]

8. Sieg Heil

I think you've got an astonishingly good idea there. Of course, it would be illegal to threaten a federal official with firearms.

Good thing you didn't mean to suggest anything about a federal official.

[babylonsister]

11. I meant before they go after the press, they need to explain

themselves thoroughly, something that has never happened with this admin. There's so much we don't even know about, but so much that ticks me off with what we do know.

[Tellurian]

5. I'm sure they mean the lives of the media..

as how many journalists have been killed in the line of duty in Iraq?

Case and point, Bill Woodruff..

[rodeodance]

9. but they have no time to vote on the minimum wage!!

[Robbien]

10. and how about that Voting Rights Act? No time for that either n/t

[Jaundice James]

14. Don't they have anything BETTER to do? n/t

[Journeyman]

15. Opinions on something Rush Limbaugh said this afternoon. . .

yeah, yeah. . . I know, I know -- but the idea's been broached, it's out there, I have my own opnion and I intend to share it with the friend who brought this up today, but I'm interested in what other's may think (maybe I've missed a point or two in my response):

Evidently, Limbaugh faulted the NY Times for releasing the information because (and I'm getting this second hand so I can't say it's an accurate depiction), while the "liberal media" was quick to condemn BushCo for outing Plame, they themselves are guilty of similar transgressions by publishing info about the intent and methodologies of the bank snooping.

Any intelligent thoughts would be appreciated.

[babylonsister]

16. Here's a good thread for you to peruse:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1520084&mesg_id=1520084

[Journeyman]

21. Thank you very much. . .

some good info there -- mostly a reiteration of what I already thought, but some new ideas, too. Much appreciated.

[Robbien]

17. How do they know

that outing Bush breaking the law is causing harm to the terror campaign? It has been proven that outing a CIA agent hurts our intellengence program, but what is the effect of everyone knowing Bush is breaking the law by looking at private banking records?

Those who use international banks to move money around will not have that system to use any more if they don't want BushCo to know about it. So really it has helped stop illegal money flow.

[Journeyman]

22. In 2001 when they first announced they were going after financials. . .

they pretty much destroyed any hope of finding anything thereafter by simply making their announcement then, so to criticize the press today for reporting the details of what BushCo told us they were going to do seems the height of absurdist hypocrisy.

[pinto]

19. Red herring alert. Red herring alert.

[EVDebs]

20. NY Fed does this surveillance daily domestically...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1514341&mesg_id=1522464

[6000eliot]

23. Everyone gets swift-boated

if they disagree with the current administration or its practices. When are people going to wake up to the fact that this is a tactic to deflect attention?

[HuffleClaw]

24. a true sign of just how desperate they've become

and a really great demonstration of how much they fear a free press.

[thecrow]

25. Hey.. as if we didn't know they were doing this anyway. n/t

[radfringe]

26. where was this level of "mock-rage" when

Plame's name was printed?

oh yeah - no election that year

[intheflow]

27. GOP="George OKs Papers"

x(

[tabasco]

28. So I figure they're doing it for exposing the Plame operation too?

No? Didn't think so, even though the Plame matter is of much higher significance to national security.