Right-Wing Smear Campaign Against Freedom of Speech

The well coordinated melodramatic outrage spewing from the right wing this week over the New York Times story discussing the Administration’s constitutionally questionable dive into all American’s banking records is quite hypocritical and dangerous. The President and many in his administration have been bragging about their questionable banking tactics ever since 9/11. The Times (and other papers, but apparently only the Times is treasonous) simply printed a story about a program that has been public knowledge for years. What the far right is really outraged about is that the Times story credibly questions the programs legality. Predictably, in their never ending attempt to attack the messenger rather than dealing with the uncomfortable facts, the Republican controlled Congress is now writing law to limit freedom of the press, otherwise known as sedition laws.

If we take the point of this smear campaign at its face, that it is treasonous to openly discuss secret government programs, then we must conclude that the real criminals giving away information to the “Terrorists” are the President and his cronies. They have publicly spoken about this program repeatedly, as well as made known “leaks” of classified information to the press when they could use the situation to their political favor. With those facts in mind it is hard to understand what the Times has done that has not been done by the administration’s talking heads except that the Times had the audacity to do the job of a free press and question the Bush administration’s unconstitutional power grabs. In another effort to distract the public from the real issue the heavy handed far-right propaganda machine is now trying to frame this argument by providing the false choice that you can either fight terrorism OR you can have freedom of the press. The question is not about the New York Times; it is about the illegality of the President’s actions and freedom of the press.

Democracy demands government openness to operate effectively. Our countries founders wisely build in a system of checks and balances between the three previously co-equal branches of government. The Bush administration and the Republican controlled Congress have wrongly chosen secrecy over openness at every opportunity. The Republican Congress has not done their job to oversee the Executive branch and consequently we are seeing another blatant power grab by Mr. Cheney and his puppet. Fortunately for the country there are five Justices on the Supreme Court that still believe in the constitution more than the right wing agenda (and tragically four who do not!).

Steve McGourty

June 30, 2006