In an interview with Fox News (12/7/2010) Senator Joseph Lieberman stated that not only did WikiLeaks violate U.S. law under the Espionage Act, but the New York Times itself was on shaky legal ground for republishing some of the cables. Lieberman went on to say,
“To me, The New York Times has committed at least an act of bad citizenship, but whether they have committed a crime, I think that bears very intensive inquiry by the Justice Department."
One is left to wonder. Does Senator Lieberman mean that the law should seek to punish some sort of unspecified "bad citizenship"? Or does he mean that "bad citizenship" (whatever that might be exactly) should be subject to equally vague sanctions or pretextual prosecutions under other statutes?
In either case, the Senator's remark bespeaks an official mindset that is hostile to any exercise of free speech that might inconvenience or have an actual impact on the impunity of government.
1 comment:
The bottom line: criticizing this government is bad and can lead to criminal prosecution.
DO NOT CRITICIZE THOSE IN POWER!
Regarding information: The government will decide what we need to know - and when we need to know it. Seeking out information (investigative reporting) has been criminalized.
The government will take care of us. Trust them.
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