Time to Go for the Low-Hanging Fruit
Our so-called “Intelligence Community,” which includes the FBI, CIA, NSA and about 14 other agencies with letters for names, is leaking like a sieve, and it is hurting our country. It has to stop right now!
Every day I pick up the paper, hoping for a headline such as, “Leakers Identified and Arrested!” But every day I am disappointed. At least one reason for my disappointment is that there are probably a gazillion suspects – it could be anyone with access to a shared database, which apparently includes what you and I had for dinner last night.
It would comfort me to know that someone is hunting for the leaker(s), but I doubt they are, or else someone would have leaked that information as well. Our elected representatives can’t or won’t discover where all the leaks are coming from, but we all know for certain where they are going – to reporters at the New York Times and Washington Post.
For almost exactly 100 years, it has been a federal crime punishable by a fine and 10 years in the federal pen to “…knowingly and willfully… publish… any classified information… obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes.” THERE IS NO EXCEPTION FOR “JOURNALISTS!”
We all know exactly what is happening. Some security agency of OUR government is, at the very least, intercepting communications between U.S. citizens and foreigners, recording and transcribing them, and entering them into a computer database.
Someone with authorization is then accessing and downloading the transcripts, and giving or reading them to reporters at the New York Times and Washington Post, which then publish them. The person who provides the information to the press is obviously committing a crime, BUT SO ARE THE REPORTERS, AND SO ARE THE PUBLISHERS.
Motive has nothing to do with it, and any decent lawyer will tell you that “specific intent” is not an element of the offense. That means prosecutors do not have to prove that an accused person “intended to commit a crime,” merely that they “intended to do the act that constitutes the crime.” This is, of course, why Hillary Clinton should be in jail instead of mouthing off at the Wellesley College commencement ceremonies.
Prosecuting newspapers and their reporters for this criminal offense is always a sticky wicket – the First Amendment and the “public’s right to know” and all that. It always involves what lawyers refer to as a “balancing test.”
Take the Edward Snowden case. His massive disclosures got some of our spies killed, BUT he also blew the whistle on our “Intelligence Community,” which was invading the privacy of American citizens on an unlawful scale hitherto unimagined.
What distinguishes the current rash of leaks from the Snowden case is, (1) none of the leaked communications establish any evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of the officials involved, and (2) they are calculated merely to embarrass the President, assassinate the character of members of his administration by insinuation and innuendo, and impair and impede the administration’s ability to govern – WHICH IS HURTING THE COUNTRY!
The Obama administration prosecuted seven government employees for leaking classified information to the press, BUT NONE OF THE REPORTERS. They did, however, put one in jail for contempt for refusing to “reveal her source” after being subpoenaed to testify. But that is not the same as charging and prosecuting reporters and their employers for the crime itself.
Now it is time. Let these reporters and their publishers protect their “sources” and spend the next 10 years bent over a toilet in a federal prison. This will undoubtedly have a “chilling effect” on “freedom of the press.” Reporters and publishers would have to think twice about publishing classified information, which is classified for a reason. Time for my favorite little Attorney General elf to grab the low-hanging fruit.
Scared Cows. Journalist were considered at one time to be scared cows. If anything happened to them then their publisher’s would scream First Amendment then portray their poor employee as a hard working, starving for the truth, conscientious reporter. As for the Government employee, it was expected of them to keep their big mouths shut, especially when they saw something wrong. The Government didn’t need to be placed into the lime light and justify their actions. However, if an employee did break faith with the Government and spoke out of turn and to a reporter they would suffer the consequences of their actions. Why? Because they knew better.
In today’s day and age, the rules are changing. What is good for the Government employee should also be good for the rest of the country. If you repeated information that was held to be sensitive then those that repeat said sensitive information SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
I worked for such an agency, DOD. It has been 20 years since I had left the Government. However, after 20 years I can now tell anyone that would listen what had happened without breaking any laws. That is the law. I followed it. Often I wanted to say something, but, I gave my word that I wouldn’t say anything to anybody for any reason without permission.
As of today, people’s attitudes have changed. Their feelings are such that they feel that they are entitled to say or do anything. Perhaps now is the time to reel them in and hold them accountable for their misdeeds.
I also want to thank you for Patriots for helping me with my food storage and everything else you guys have sent me. I do believe in you guys and I will always use you guys and build my stock pile up with you only. I have tried some of your food to test it out it is tremendously flavorful and very nutritious and easy to fix. I thank you again very much because I’m working on getting more food for my grandkids and my daughter. For they need it most because I may not be around much longer but everything I have stockpiled will be left to them. I’m in very poor health but for what time I’ve had to deal with you folks I appreciate. And again as I said all my food that I have stockpiled in seeds and everything else I’ve gotten from you folks I sincerely appreciate it it is going to be handed down to my daughter and my grandkids. Thanks again and you have a very wonderful wonderful day. My email address is all small caption [email protected] in case you feel that there’s anything I need to have for survival for my daughter and my grandkids I would appreciate any and all help you can give me to make sure of their well-being. As I said I have poor health just got out of the hospital and it don’t look like I have a whole lot longer. But while the time that I have on in the world I would like to take care of my daughter and my grandkids my other two daughters are very financially offhand have already start piled a couple years food of Supply from you guys. Again thank you very much 4patriots.
So sorry to hear about your health situation, Gregory. It’s awesome to hear about how much you care about your daughter and grandkids, and want them to be prepared for an uncertain future.
Why are they letting Hillary Clinton off without doing anything to her after she leaked all this information I just don’t understand that. Had it been anyone else they would have already locked them up and they’d be doing some main hard time she’s not above everybody else. Is it just because she has health issues or because she run for president it don’t make any difference she’s another human being just like the rest of us. We all have to pay our taxes we all have to answer to the she’s no different than the rest of us. I think somebody needs to stand up such as our president and make her accountable for her actions. And I don’t think her husband is very innocent either because hear everything points back to the Clinton Foundation to where they have used funds to their own benefit personally what is up with our government why don’t they see this. The average person can look at what’s been published was been represented what’s been put out there and can see that they are pulling some illegal stuff why can’t they be held accountable to. I just don’t understand where our country’s leading to it just seems like it’s going down even further and further all the time before long we’re not even going to have a country all the other countries are going to be ruining it especially with everybody leaking all are private and top-secret information out as they’re doing now all kinds of fingers are being pointed everywhere because there’s so many people leaking our information out somebody needs to stand up and take responsibility for this and do something take action. I’m just a average individual in this world in this country and I just don’t see it being right I’m disabled and I can’t take care of myself hardly and I don’t make much money I just make enough to survive off of and it’s just not even enough but I try to cut corners and not eat as much as I used to I’m underweight in bad Health but I’m surviving. I need to be here for my grandkids not that they got much of a future the way this world is going but at least I can be there for them and comfort them in the their needs. Please government stand up for our rights and do what’s right and put the ones that are responsible for leaking all this privileged information and top-secret information in jail or do something with it we need to protect the United States God would not like to see us go down like this. I hope someone that really can do something actually reads this and takes action God Bless America and God bless all them unfortunate and our heroes and our combat worthy people.
So you admit Trump committed treason and should go to prison for giving classified information to the Russians , not once but twice . Before he leaves office , he will have ruined our relations with allies and made of us a third world country . By the way , Trumpcare is a thinly veiled extortion of money from people who can ill afford it . But that is nothing new , when pubs are in charge they are for business profit no matter who is devastated by it .
Your MORONIC statements about the President shows exactly how pathetic your lame opinion really is. NOBODY said anything in the article that could possibly be construed as having said that President Trump had, or has committed treason.
You LEFTIES are the ones that will benefit the most from a new overhauled healthcare bill, ’cause it will cover your pre-exisiting condition of being an IDIOT. Go get some mental help there Dude. You see and believe stuff that’s not really there….It’s called being mentally deranged/deluded bordering on SKITSOFRANTIC !!!! You need to stop believing in your own lies before it’s too late…..Zombies are real !