Declan wrote:
I believe that as a matter of principle, there is no difference between what I do in my articles and what John Young does on cryptome.org. Both of us *should* be treated by the law as professional journalists.
Hmm. Oddly enough, I agree with that. And yet, I doubt we are thinking of the same thing. Because I ALSO agree with the Usual Suspect in a way -- I don't think professional journalists should be "treated by the law" any differently than the rest of us mere sheeple. If this makes any sense, I'm not saying professional journalists shouldn't get special breaks, I'm saying we should ALL get 'em and they shouldn't be special. If freedom of the press is to have any meaning, we can't have a gatekeeper empowered to say "you are legitimate press and you, scoundrel, yes you, the guy with the wireless Palm Pilot, you don't count!" Of course, since we live in an age where the rule of law is a fast-fading memory, it doesn't matter very much. As Declan is discovering, the usual protocols are not observed when the government is conducting show trials of the randomly selected politically incorrect loser of the month. -- Daniel ======================================================= The Law Office of Daniel J. Boone 326 Fourth Avenue, Suite B Juneau, Alaska 99801 (907) 723-9902 djb@gci.net ======================================================= "No man's life, liberty, or property is safe when the legislature is in session." -- Judge Gideon Tucker =======================================================