Wipe your Lamo notes now
Tim May
timcmay at got.net
Mon Sep 29 16:15:49 PDT 2003
On Monday, September 29, 2003, at 11:42 AM, Major Variola (ret) wrote:
> http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/187
>
> The Subpoenas are Coming!
> By Mark Rasch Sep 29 2003 05:00AM PT
>
> ...
> The Bureau recently sent letters to a handful of reporters who have
> written
> stories about the Lamo case -- whether or not they have actually
> interviewed Lamo. The letters warn them to expect subpoenas for all
> documents relating to the hacker, including, apparently, their own
> notes,
> e-mails, impressions, interviews with third parties, independent
> investigations, privileged conversations and communications, off the
> record
> statements, and expense and travel reports related to stories about
> Lamo.
>
> In short, everything.
Hypocrisy is the name of the game in Washington, as in all imperial
cities.
Robert Novak, a reporter, revealed the name of a clandestine CIA
operative, which is said to be a felony (the revealing of a name, that
is). Will he face jail time, or does he get one of those special
"exemptions for reporters"?
Long time readers here know that I argue we are all reporters, we are
all writers, we are all ministers, we are all preachers. There are no
special rights for "badged" or "licensed" reporters, writers,
ministers, witch doctors.
If it's a felony for _me_ to say "Sources tell me that Valerie Plame,
the wife of Ambassador Joseph Wilson, has been a CIA covert operative
since 1980," it is a felony for Robert Novak to do so.
And yet he will not be prosecuted, while Jim Bell was prosecuted
essentially for "outing" the names of some lower-ranking investigators.
(As for the Plame case, Novak will not be prosecuted, because he's a
loyal Republican and Ashcroft won't touch loyal Republicans. But were I
to talk about Plame's role in assisting with CIA-sponsored diamond
smuggling in Niger and Gabon, and her involvement with the death squads
in South Africa in the early 80s, I could expect a visit from the
Thought Police. So I won't talk about these things. Novak can talk
about her, we cannot.)
And in the Lamo case, reporters who clam up will face Patriot Act
consequences.
Will Robert Novak and Karl Rove get the same Patriot Act treatment?
Don't be silly.
Washington is corruption on earth. The Great Satan needs to be
destroyed with a 40 megaton bomb.
Corruption on earth.
--Tim May
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