With [Judith Miller] locked up in the same maximum-security prison as would-be Sept. 11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, we no longer have to worry that a 57-year-old New York Times reporter is out there blatantly interviewing people. – Leonard Pitts, Knight-Ridder, Charlotte Obs. Op-Ed
Damn straight, Leonard. What do you BooTribbers think?
And, why?
Ha! I’m too lazy to register and read the whole thing, but I gather he’s being snarky. Thing is, though, that any time Judith Miller can’t do what she is best at–helping to start wars–the country is safer. Gee, with her behind bars maybe we won’t attack Iran. I hope they don’t give her a phone and a typewriter.
Sadly:
Oh, for god’s sake!
I want to make sure you know my “Oh for god’s sake” was directed at Leonard, and not at you! “Sadly,” indeed. And I often like his columns.
Now knowing Ms. Miller’s nomenclature and her attitudes and the way she directs her business, I find it very satisfying that she is behind bars. I am very concerned as to the role she played in the run up to the war and how she presented herself, very non-professional, IMHO, towards our country and how she played us all along. You bet I am glad she is finally behind bars!
With Judy in jail we no longer have to worry about wmd: weapns of mass distraction.
personally, I could give a rats ass about any reporter in this type of situation, being quiet. For heavens sakes, Folks, we are talking about national security here! possibility treason and espionage. What in the hell are we even discussing her with any such gratitude. IMHO, she is just as responsible/complicit as anyone else that sent our men and women off to war, without a second thought as to the ramifications as to their consequence! We are talking about lies and deceit and the fact that the WH had its fingers everywhere, were fixing the intel around the policy!!!! Please do not forget this….PLEASE!!!!!!
What troubles me about Miller going to jail is the propaganda effect it has on people who aren’t paying much attention. A coworker of mine brought the subject up the other day. He’s a reasonably smart guy, progressive in his attitudes, but not terribly well-informed about the details of this situation, and he bought the poor-martyred-Judy line wholesale. A reporter going to jail to protect her source — of course we good liberals must be outraged on her behalf! I explained to him, as patiently as I could, the backstory on this one, and pointed out that she isn’t protecting a whistleblower against government retaliation, but a government official retaliating against a whistleblower. I think he took my point, but it’s frustrating (though wholly unsurprising) to realize how many people are probably ready and willing to swallow the spin on this one.
you do have a point to be made. I do, however, feel what you did as to give background was worth much. See, he will go and tell another, and they will go and tell another and so forth. We do have to get the word out about the REAL story here.
I was worried about this too, Jennifer. Then I read some more, including BooMan’s fine essays here. And try to get your friend to check out those Editor & Publisher pieces I linked yesterday … it’s astonishing how much Judith Miller is despised.
She’s despised by — last night, my daughter and I were trying to make a list:
MORE?
me, Susan. As I have read her pieces, I came to that conclusion on my own, a looooong time ago. Since I had a good feeling there were not WMD’s to be had in Iraq, I could not stomach her rhetoric in her articles and her associates too boot.
If Judith Miller gave up Valerie Plame’s identity, she is not protecting a source, she’s protecting herself. If she did not leak Plame’s identity, but knows who does, she is obstructing justice. I am very concerned about the ability of the federal government to jail reporters and do think it could have a chilling effect on actual whistleblowers.
That said, Judy is a terrible poster girl for a free press. I don’t want to see her in jail because I hate her role in the run up to Iraq. I don’t want to see her martyred because I don’t think she’s defending a principle. My understanding is that Miller has not asked anyone for a personal, specific waiver, and that makes me more than a little hesitant to give her the benefit of the doubt.
debraz, you have a good point in what you have said; however, when it comes to the point of why she is doing this against our own ethics of governing, this is it plausable that she is not who we would want to defend our priciples is said matters.
To me, there is no straddling of the fence here. It is either or or. I know we all have to wait and see, and I am the first to acknowledge this fact; however, I want a chance to voice my opinion on why she is a bad example for us to setting standards on. I can only hope that those making the judgment calls here can see thru the fog of this matter and come to a reasonable decision on this matter. It is very and extremely important for reporters to have that clearified in their ethics/rules book too. When it really is spelled out to us and them, then we can all sit back and do our thing and see what really happens.
We are not talking about whistleblowing here, we are talking about national security thru malicious deeds of the government. Am I wrong here? If so, please set me straight. I will listen to you and others.
That’s what makes this so hard. We can’t know unless Judy talks. If she talks without a waiver, there goes the principle she says she’s defending. Who’s right?
We’ve seen so much abuse of power from our government and from our “free” press. How on earth do you balance the competing needs and serve democracy? I dunno.
She got burned ? Too bad!
IMHO and of several judges who reviewed her case BTW, protection of sources doesn’t apply to this case: violating national security and helping the government’s vendetta against a whistleblower.
Tell her to go cry to her “daddies” at the WH.
Novak should be in jail as well.
The way I understand it is that she has been given a general waiver to testify by Rove and Libby. I think I read this at kos last night. Anyway, she no longer needs to play the altruistic journalist protecting the 1st ammendment.
Clearly she is protecting either her own ass, or the ass of a much higher official than Rove. If she testifies and reveals the name of that person and it is made plain that she was given a waiver, then perhaps the ability of reporters to protect sources in the future won’t be damaged too much. I don’t know. I do think though, that she is holding the key, or one of the keys that will get Fitzgerald to the next level.
As long as she is in jail she looks like a hero to the average person and will probably come out of this deal with her professional reputation intact. Not a good thing. If she testifies however, I think that when her level of involvement is revealed it could have the desired effect of diminishing her stature in the eyes of the public and in turn will have a limiting effect on her ability to s”make” the news, instead of just reporting it. I want her to have to testify. Period. Maybe some other player in this, will be forced, in an effort to protect themselves, throw her under the bus. Then she’ll sing, and the whole thing will unravel. She is in love with her own skin too much to let someone else discredit her.
I think that we would be safer with every reporter, hired spin gunner, editor, producer or politician who was ever involved in the runup to the Iraq War in a maximum security prison. (There could be other topics that would do as well, but that one was classic.)
Preferably in solitary confinement.
At LEAST with no communication privileges.
Of course…that would decimate the entire media industry, most of the federal government (Ratpubs AND Dems alike), and a large portion of the higher echelons of both parties, but…what the hell.
Whole hog plus postage is MY motto.
We could start over again.
Wouldn’t THAT be nice!!!
(And…the sheer number of inmates would solve the unemployment problem on the spot. THINK of all the extra guards and other prison workers it would take!!!)
BRILLIANT!!!
Later…
Well, it gets even better.
I watched “Billionares for Bush” the other day on INN World Report … they explained how Microsoft, airlines, etc., etc. are all using prison labor now! It’s so cheap!
They want a lockdown world.
People like that have ALWAYS wanted a lockdown world.
That’s their job.
Just like it is ours to oppose them.
Keep the faith.
AG