US spying on media

[CptStern]

Secret gov't source tells ABC News: 'Get new cellphones'

ABC News has a very disturbing report today, at least for reporters and anyone else who believe that whistleblowers serve an important role in safeguarding American democracy.

On its blog, The Blotter, ABC News reports that a senior government source has told its reporters that the reporters’ phone calls with sources are being tracked by the U.S. government “to root out confidential sources


Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling
May 15, 2006 10:33 AM

Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:

A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.

ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.

Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2006/05/govt_source_tel.html


so much for freedom of the press ...when is enough enough?

 

[gick]

He needs all the weapons available to him Stern!

You do love freedom dont you??

 

[Lemonking]

yes, Bush its all his fault.
impeach him so we get pussy Democrats in the white house,they better job by far!

 

[CptStern]

He needs all the weapons available to him Stern!

You do love freedom dont you??

dont you?

 

[Steve]

yes, Bush its all his fault.
impeach him so we get pussy Democrats in the white house,they better job by far!

That's what we call a false dichotomy, Spicy. It's a logical fallacy.

Bush and "pussy Democrats" are not the only two options.

 

[Lemonking]

I dont mean to be a jackass, but impeaching him wont fix anything.
I dont like him either, and I dont agree with the CIA listening to everybodys phone calls,but it simply wont change even If we do impeach him.

 

[Steve]

So do you believe that we should do nothing, and send a message that corrupt officials can get away with anything?

 

[Lemonking]

no,Im just saying it wont fix anything, (Iraq) maybe its even gonna get worse.

 

[Steve]

Why do you say it won't fix anything?

 

[Stigmata]

Uhh... it might fix something. Either you take a shot at making things better, or you sit around and watch things crumble.

 

[Glirk Dient]

IDK...I don't really see this as a threat. We aren't really losing any freedoms. They are just listening in on phone calls to root out threats. I personally am not planning another 9/11 over the phone so I don't feel threatened. Perhaps if they start mis using the information they gather then it will turn ugly.

 

[Lemonking]

Uhh... it might fix something. Either you take a shot at making things better, or you sit around and watch things crumble.

thats true...I just wish we had more choices then just Coke and Pepsi.

 

[CptStern]

That's what we call a false dichotomy, Spicy. It's a logical fallacy.

Bush and "pussy Democrats" are not the only two options.

lol! is that what it says on ballots?

Bush

or

Pussy Democrats

 

[Steve]

lol! is that what it says on ballots?

Bush

or

Pussy Democrats

There was an old Outland comic strip. Opus went to the ballot, and the two options were "Wimp or Shrimp"

 

[Gray Fox]

IDK...I don't really see this as a threat. We aren't really losing any freedoms. They are just listening in on phone calls to root out threats. I personally am not planning another 9/11 over the phone so I don't feel threatened. Perhaps if they start mis using the information they gather then it will turn ugly.

Threats? These are people who speek to the media, not terrorists. If it wasn't for them so much shit would have gone unnoticed. This is serverly going to limit the amount of info people can get on their leaders, and that means we can't keep a close eye on them which in turn will mean more corruption and more shit done that against the ****ing law.

 

[DeusExMachina]

I really don't understand what's going through their heads right now.

"Alright fellas, I know we're getting a lot of bad press lately...what else could we possibly do to make even more negative press of ourselves?"
"PHONE TAP THE MEDIA!"
"Hmm...you might be on to something Papa Cheney! Any objections?"
"Uh...yes?"
"Quiet Congress. I've had enough of you're bickering. Anyone else?
"How about us, the freakin' people you're supposed to be caring for?"
"I gotta make sure we're absolutely safe!"
"Oh ok n_n"
"Glad the right-wing pundits agree."
"We don't."
"...Do you hate America? DO YOU HATE FREEDOM?"
"O__O"
"Then it's settled. Let's tap it!"

 

[Parlez]

I don't know who to blame for this so I am just going to blame hillbilly AKA George Bush. Anyway as Glirk Dient said "I don't see this as a threat" I would have to agree. Just my opinion on this subject.

 

[Korgoth]

Do you guys not understand? They aren't spying on the media phone conversations because they believe they will catch potential terrorists, they are listening in so they can catch inside whistleblowers who tell the truth to the media, who in turn inform us of whats going on in our government. But if these sources know they are being listened to now, and could face reprocussions, they are less likely to tell what they know, therefore, we are less likely to know what washington is up to. How and why did bush vs, democrats, and Iraq get drawn into this thread?

 

[CptStern]

Do you guys not understand? They aren't spying on the media phone conversations because they believe they will catch potential terrorists, they are listening in so they can catch inside whistleblowers who tell the truth to the media, who in turn inform us of whats going on in our government. But if these sources know they are being listened to now, and could face reprocussions, they are less likely to tell what they know, therefore, we are less likely to know what washington is up to.

qft

..which is what the whistlerblower act was supposed to protect against in the first place

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c101:S.20.ENR:

 

[Sulkdodds]

Perhaps if they start mis using the information they gather then it will turn ugly.

Not to be alarmist, but...take a look at your government.

'Perhaps'?!?

The whole reason you're not supposed to do this stuff is because misuse is inevitable!

 

[CptStern]

http://ibiblio.org/Dave/Dr-Fun/df200605/df20060517.jpg

 

[$kelet0r]

IDK...I don't really see this as a threat. We aren't really losing any freedoms. They are just listening in on phone calls to root out threats. I personally am not planning another 9/11 over the phone so I don't feel threatened. Perhaps if they start mis using the information they gather then it will turn ugly.

naive is all I can say
a free media is all that stands between democratic freedom and the illusion of democratic freedom
If citizens are threatened into silence by the fact that the government could destroy their lives if they spread the truth how is that not a threat to your freedom?

 

[Glirk Dient]

Not to be alarmist, but...take a look at your government.

'Perhaps'?!?

The whole reason you're not supposed to do this stuff is because misuse is inevitable!

Good point. So why does Bush think he really needs this? IDK...it doesn't seem to be any immediate harm but as sulk and john said it will cause problems down the road and I don't really see this benefitting the american people by spying on our media.

 

[CptStern]

why does bush do this? well lets see there's abu gharib torture, domestic spying, secret torture prisons, kidnapping of foreign nationals ..all broken to the media by whistleblowers ...so ya I can see why the bush admin would want to catch them before the damage was done

 

[jverne]

yep...i totally agree...this will lead to such abuses of rights!

 

[Maxi]

Thank god he's out of there soon.

 

[ríomhaire]

Is anyone actualy suprised at this?

 

[Mechagodzilla]

At this point, I don't think I'd be surprised if he started watching children urinate in an effort to fight the war on terror.