US Blues
It appears as though speech began in Africa some time between 200,000 and 500,000 years ago. And not long after the legendary Garden of Eden—which historians believe was located somewhere in Iraq—written speech was invented. And as soon as it was invented, efforts to suppress it began.
Our own government regards as seditious speech the leaking of classified documents. As a result, it now tends to classify volumes of material which it formerly did not, especially materials not necessarily dangerous for the country so much as causing anger in the government on the part of its populace.
The current invasion of Iraq is the most literal example, of course. Information that ought to be published (was published in the last century during WW I, WW II, Korea, Vietnam) is not available, so journalists must get it through leaks. If they publish it, they can be subject to arrest.
This war is assaulting the reporter’s right to protect confidential sources. Under the Patriot Act, the FBI is serving warrants without court authority.
I remember back in the days of the civil rights movement, protesters marched in the streets, bringing the issues to the residents of the community, and to the authorities against whom they were protesting. Today’s protesters are put behind fences and barriers.
On Friday I listened to a nationally-respected judge regarding his abridgement of speech last year. He was chosen by the US government to lead efforts to rebuild the judicial system in Iraq. The judge, Gilber S, Merritt, US Court of Appeals, lives in Nashville and had agreed to write stories about his experience for his hometown newspaper.
Those Americans with whom he was working decided to create a web site so their families could see what was happening to them during their Iraq experience. Merritt admitted the web site was intimate, humorous, compassionate, and at times riské. Eventually, officials learned of the web site and told them what they were doing had not been cleared by the government and that it was “important for Americans to stay on message.” The web site was eventually taken down because the group feared US government retaliation.
Each and every dispatch this judge sent back to the Nashville newspaper outlining his experiences and not revealing anything of critical or confidential nature had to be cleared by the US government.
The irony is the government says it is liberating Iraq and is helping it create a constitution, which includes free speech.
Our own government regards as seditious speech the leaking of classified documents. As a result, it now tends to classify volumes of material which it formerly did not, especially materials not necessarily dangerous for the country so much as causing anger in the government on the part of its populace.
The current invasion of Iraq is the most literal example, of course. Information that ought to be published (was published in the last century during WW I, WW II, Korea, Vietnam) is not available, so journalists must get it through leaks. If they publish it, they can be subject to arrest.
This war is assaulting the reporter’s right to protect confidential sources. Under the Patriot Act, the FBI is serving warrants without court authority.
I remember back in the days of the civil rights movement, protesters marched in the streets, bringing the issues to the residents of the community, and to the authorities against whom they were protesting. Today’s protesters are put behind fences and barriers.
On Friday I listened to a nationally-respected judge regarding his abridgement of speech last year. He was chosen by the US government to lead efforts to rebuild the judicial system in Iraq. The judge, Gilber S, Merritt, US Court of Appeals, lives in Nashville and had agreed to write stories about his experience for his hometown newspaper.
Those Americans with whom he was working decided to create a web site so their families could see what was happening to them during their Iraq experience. Merritt admitted the web site was intimate, humorous, compassionate, and at times riské. Eventually, officials learned of the web site and told them what they were doing had not been cleared by the government and that it was “important for Americans to stay on message.” The web site was eventually taken down because the group feared US government retaliation.
Each and every dispatch this judge sent back to the Nashville newspaper outlining his experiences and not revealing anything of critical or confidential nature had to be cleared by the US government.
The irony is the government says it is liberating Iraq and is helping it create a constitution, which includes free speech.
posted by Gr8fulTed at 10:25 AM
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