#1 2012-02-27 11:37:25

NY Times wrote:

The Obama administration, which promised during its transition to power that it would enhance “whistle-blower laws to protect federal workers,” has been more prone than any administration in history in trying to silence and prosecute federal workers.

The Espionage Act, enacted back in 1917 to punish those who gave aid to our enemies, was used three times in all the prior administrations to bring cases against government officials accused of providing classified information to the media. It has been used six times since the current president took office.

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#2 2012-02-27 12:58:52

Ribbit.

https://cruelery.com/sidepic/newbush.jpg



Auto-edited on 2020-08-02 to update URLs

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#3 2012-02-27 13:35:02

Compaired to these thugs, Nixon was a pussy.

Auto-edited on 2020-08-02 to update URLs

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#4 2012-02-27 14:40:13

Ignorance of history is just that.

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#5 2012-02-27 14:48:43

it has become easier to ferret out leakers in a digital age, but just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be.

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#6 2012-02-27 17:20:48

Leaking classified information is, and should be, a crime.  However justified leaking the information might be, it still has to be punished.  If a soldier or federal employee feels morally justified in leaking information, they should also be prepared to fall on their own sword and go to jail for it. 

Manning doesn't have a moral leg to stand on though.  He was indiscriminate in the information he took and leaked.  If he had leaked only the video of the civilians being killed in that helicopter attack, then he might have had an argument for moral justification.

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#7 2012-02-27 18:59:03

I'm more concerned about the on-going trend (accelerating since the WTC attacks) of militarization of our civilian police forces and the increasingly centralized power of the executive branch.  I see this as a partisian trend which does not bode well for our long term well-being.

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