Our editorial last Wednesday said that the media must exercise its First Amendment freedoms with great care, but that the call by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, and others to jail reporters who won’t reveal confidential sources goes against the very freedoms our country is promoting to the world. Check out Tiahrt’s response in today’s opinion pages (and my editor’s note at the end on how Tiahrt made up some of his claims). He wrote: “If enforcing current law and protecting the citizens of this country is how the board defines ‘authoritarian,’ it needs a new dictionary.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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55 Comments
Go figure, toad regurgitating the GOP party line that was hand fed to him by Rove’s secretary. When is this $1 whore going to get a brain or get voted out of office?
Maybe Todd should reread the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. This government is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. Lately it has been of the president, by the president and for the president. Tell me that is the American way!
Todd seems to think the terrorist organizations are filled with really stupid people. I doubt they have failed to figure out the government is watching the money trails, chat rooms, etc, etc.
As for his assertions the board members want a time table for troop withdrawal, it really doesn’t matter considering we are in a country we had no business invading in the first place. When the top executive of a country lies to the people who elected (?) him about the reason(s) for going to war, I would ask Todd, “Who belongs in jail?”
ARE WE STUPID? Or is it that Tiahrt and this administration think the American public is? Maybe it is that they think we have the attention span of a Goldfish! Back in 2001 Bush did not name the exact institutes that were being used to track terrorists money, but he did say it was being tracked!Is Tiahrt saying that the President of the United States should be charged with aiding the enemy?More then likely this is just a shiny object that is playing to the smaller audience that still think that every word coming from the administration and their followers is the Gospel. Having forgotten or ignored that last week they said just the opposite was the truth. Boy if you have not read Orwell’s “1984” you really should, the similarities between what is happening and that book can cause nightmares!
I doubt I am the only one that is somewhat amazed that there was not this outrage from Tiahrt and those he sides with when the NSA leak was made about the Warrant less wiretapping and the phone number collecting became public. Both of which was more a surprise to the American people then the terrorists.
Phillip’s rebuttal of Tiahrt’s straw men:”Editor’s note: Contrary to Rep. Todd Tiahrt’s claim, The Eagle editorial board didn’t question the length of the war or call for a timetable for ending it. The editorial board also has not supported gay marriage, desecrating the flag or surrendering the war on terror.”
Any chance the WE board will take a position on the above issues? I would be interested in reading any consensus opinions from the WE board on these matters. Bet I am not alone. If there is no consensus, where do individual editors stand. Being a loyal reader, I think I could almost guess.
Tiahrt:”The board also questions the length of the war. While it would be more convenient for everyone to have a timetable for winning the war, especially our young men and women of the military who are so ably serving, it is disturbing and somewhat telling that the board believes we can set a random schedule. If this was possible, wouldn’t Republicans have the war wrapped up just in time for the November election?”
Anybody else remember Kissinger’s pre-election 1972 speech in which he declared “We believe that peace is at hand.” Which, of course, had no political motivation at all [/sarcasm]. Expect many such speechs and gestures towards drawing down our troops. Not that I am complaining about the result, but please give the public some credit, please.
Tanker todd is just preaching to the choir, like he always does. I find his writings to be little more than slanted fiction. It’s too bad he will probably stay in Washington for the forseeable future because of the hillbilly mentality of his base. They give America a bad name.
Tanker Todd supports the imperial presidency. He ALWAYS votes to give bush unlimited power. He supports bush’s very successful efforts to destroy the constitution and he especially loves any vote that tries to reign in the bill of rights. You know, the document that slows their totalitarian regime?
Given those truths, exactly WHAT WOULD BE authoritarian to tanker todd?
BTW, how’d that little tanker thing work out?
I think that the responsible press may agree that when a government agent commits a serious crime, as in the White House leak of Valerie Plame, which not only endangered her, but all the overseas connection people whom she had cultivated for information, and the matter underlying the leaks is not illegal activity, then press immunity should be limited. E.g. Judith Miller, who went to jail, and Bob Novak, who strangely didn’t. (Oh, is he a conservative? Oh, no, don’t go after him.) Valerie Plame was not engaged in illegal activities as a CIA operative. Outing her was purely political, against her husband, and was an egregious, immoral act.
On the other hand, if people inside the government are doing illegal things, and somebody leaks this to protect Americans’ constitutional and statutory rights, this is whistleblowing, and the press sources’ identities merit confidentiality, as in leaking of the administration’s scheme of invading of innocent Americans’ phone and internet transactions without court-issued subpoenas.
“On the other hand, if people inside the government are doing illegal things, and somebody leaks this to protect Americans’ constitutional and statutory rights, this is whistleblowing, and the press sources’ identities merit confidentiality”
Heartlander, under an imperial presidency, there is no such thing as whistle blowing because the preznit is ABOVE the law.
Rule of law is just.. so… for the little people, ya know?
IOKIYAAR
With Herr Tiahrts glorious and unwavering support of the BushRiech may we a thousand years of conservative rule.
heheheheheheh….
I’ve always said you just can’t trust the drive by media…….jail them all
Just got done reading Toads diatribe.
Um Toad?
Please do not feel you reperesent MY “best interests” in any way at all. I can assure you that you do not.
Please spare me and your President your efforts also to “protect me”. I am not afraid of terrorists, the bogeyman, or the dark. I DO fear and do not trust you, your president, or the hidden agenda that you mask behind efforts to “protect me”.
I DO trust and count on the media to keep me informed of that agenda.
In short Toad, if someone is to be jailed for endangering the safety of myself or this country, it is you and this freedom stealing administration that I should like to see incarcerated.
That the best you got “rush”? Using the name and the platitudes of that serial liar as the entirety of your post?
These parts that is what is known as a “blogfart”.
No points this round “rush”. I’d call your future here bleak. Thank you for playing.
Get em JR.
Phill klein on another thread doing his “blame the media” thing and now todd doing his “blame the media” thing.
Is it this week’s talking point from Ken Mehlman? Or just a fallback position.
As a person who lives in Goddard, is there anyway we can remove that R-Goddard from behind Todd “Tanker” Tiahrt’s name and replace it with a R-Washington DC.
Just because the guy owns a small house in Goddard doesn’t mean he actually represents us. No one has seen him in town since his last election. Oh wait, we saw him once a week after his son committed suicide. The man is never here, how can he possibly represent us!
Oh sorry to get off topic, First thing, the media HAS kept topics under their hat that is/were confidential. Things that were LEGAL. I agree with who ever said earlier, if the government is breaking their own laws than confidentially doesn’t matter.
Our founding fathers believed in this, that’s why they built into the government system “Checks and Balances” (review your American History books for those of you who have forgotten).
I say if TWO of the three branches agree on something, lets say wire tapping, than let them go for it AND ILL BET YOU that if the two branches agree and ask the media not to print it, ILL BET YOU THEY DONT… Because they haven’t in the past…
(If you remember, both the wiretapping and the bank tapping were authorized by the white house alone and not corroborated by either the judicial branch (i know activist judges) or the legislative branch (lazy congressman arguing about gay marriage).
Ive already signed up to fight Kline in the next AG race. I don’t care what party his opponent is from. That guy is a disgrace to Kansas.
Phillip Brownlee was just a tish defensive wasn’t he?
Phillip is taking one more step into the consistency abyss.
I don’t think Tiarht said the Eagle had an opinion one way or the other about gay marriage.
He was making a point, of which I agree.
I find it difficult to believe tha the Eagle has never questioned the length of the war, but maybe they haven’t.
I’d hardly call publishing Tiahrts own words and then pointing out where they were incorrect “defensive”
“I don’t think Tiahrt said the Eagle had an opinion one way or the other about gay marriage”
john? Let me help you with your reading.
Tiahrts words:
“If I or any of my Republican colleagues supported gay marriage I presume we would be declared courageous statesman by the editorial board”
Pretty clear to ME john.
Tiahrt also got in the obligatory shot at patriotism and charge of cowardice at the board.
I say Phil did not go far ENOUGH. Tiahrts rant should have been run with a FULL REBUTTAL right beside it.
That way I could feel like at least SOMEBODY was representing my interests. Toady Todd sure does not.
Judith Miller
They dont let anyone rebutt values boy directly. It has to be done with LTE and on the blog or opinion line.
What makes you think they would be any more “fair and balanced” heheheh with toddy?
…and dont ya just love the black and white, you are either with us or against us gist of his gay marriage, flag burning, war length comments?
If the WE is against the hate amendment, then they must be FOR gay marriage? Not that I can see.
If they dont want the constitution amended to limit free speech regarding flags, they are IN FAVOR of flag burning?
heheheh.
And I guess the majority of americans must not be “clear thinking” because they dont support bush’s war for oil.
But according to todd, bush, cheney and the RNC, that means they also support terrorists, love bin laden, and hate our troops.
You are either with us or against us. Period.
He is slick with those talking points….
Yeah kfg.
Read through a second or third time you see he hits ALL the buttons. It really is a pretty poor piece of writing though. Little more than a political screed really. He could have said what he meant with far fewer words.
Let’s break it down.
Paragraph 1 boils down to BE AFRAID!!!!! and THE MEDIA IS HELPING THE SCARY ENEMY!
Paragraph 2
The media is not credible! I know what is best for you ! YOU ARE EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US! BE AFRAID OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT AFRAID! DON’T TRUST THEM
Paragraph 3
I am right and the media is irresponsible to question me! BE AFRAID! The Eagle board is not only not credible, they are stupid.
Paragraph 4
Bush and I know what is good for you. You do not need to know what we know, or what we do or why or when. Shame on you for asking questions when you are supposed to be afraid. Secrets are secret. That is what secret means. That is all you need to know.
Paragraph 5
Now I am gonna take a real leap. Since the Eagle does not say stay the course, it is clear that they are for cutting and running. The board is not patriotic. They hate the troops. Questioning the war is playing politics. Republicans never play politics.
Paragraph6
The board is stuid and they hurt my feelings. How dare they hold me and their government accountable? The media isn’t under rhetorical attack from me and the administration! That is precisley why I wrote this hit piece against the board. See how I am not attacking them? See how I am getting just about everything I believe in politically said in a piece where I accuse the board of playing politics? The Board is just wrong about everything and they don’t like me saying so.
Paragraph 7
I’m just about done but I missed a few buttons I need to push. The Eagle board is for fags getting married. They and anyone that isn’t a Republican are flag burning snivelling little cowards. They hate America and they want us to lose the war. I’m a good American!!! The Eagle just is being mean to me because they are bad Americans. I’ll get elected again because I have lots of money and the people who have lots of money like me. People who don’t have lots of money like me too! They know I know what is best for them. I’m a good guy!!
Toad? you are a lousy representative. With this little screed you prove that you are also a liar and a very poor writer.
Maybe you could impress me with a new skill? Try resigning. Let’s see how you are at that.
Good job to The Eagle editors for not taking Tiahrt’s crap today in the paper.
Phillip Brownlee had the guts to say the obvious–The Eagle does not support flag burning and all the other slanders Tiahrt laid against them.
Now, when will The Eagle understand that this is take-no-prisoner style “dialogue” the right-wingers ALWAYS USE when they argue.
They are as nasty as they want to be, but woe unto the man who serves them what they dish out.
Remember when Toad Tiahrt ran on TERM LIMITS?
Well, he’s been there like 12 years.
Hey, Mr. Washington Insider, your term has reached its limit.
Judging by Tiahrt’s tone, sounds like somebody hit a nerve. He sounded a little shrill.
That was my thinking too XXX. When you are as defensive as Tiahrt was there’s gotta be a reason.
Be intersting to see if he could be pushed further toward a meltdown.
Phil??? I say a full rebuttal of Tiahrt is required. Press this issue. Hound him about it.
CAN WE SEND TODD A BIG MESSAGE THIS FALL AND LET HIM KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!.
His little diatribe in the paper today proves he is nothing but a republican hack. Lets let the nation know we are not the typical stereotype Kansans the media portrays us to be, and taking Tiahart out would prove that.
Please be sure to vote this fall!!!
jr that the best u got you liberal commie sissy
Well said Gary!
And little rushl is back!
(See here folks the intellectual depth and writing skills of what must be a fan of Tiahrt and Rush Limbaugh)
Well rushl your first post here was a blogfart.
Your second doesn’t even rise to the stature of a blogfart.
You are not improving.Do post again. You are an amusing opponent!—–
Dear Toady,1. I have never questioned the length of the war. I knew before we went in that it was another Nam, and the Administration’s claims that it would be over in a matter of weeks was pure pie-in-the-sky!
2. Pardon me, but I’ve never seen any harm in gay marriage, and it would help to no end a part of your constituency! Whether two guys or two gals or an old lady and her cat get married has no effect whatsoever on anybody else’s marriage. If protecting marriage is your priority, you might just look at the high divorce rate among evangelicals and try to figure out the cause (hint: it has nothing at all to do with gay people).
3. I’ve been around for 61 years, through the ’60’s and everything, and I’ve never actually seen a flag burnt, or ever wanted to burn one. That said, the only real result of a flag being burned is that some poor Joe at a flag factory might get a little overtime; hardly a reason for a Constitutional amendment that limits freedom of speech!
4. As for surrendering to terrorists, don’t you have to actually be fighting them in order to surrender? This war in Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism and never has, no matter how much your supreme deity, Lord Bush, says it does!
4. One of you primary campaign promises when you first ran against Glickman was that you would place a limit on congressional terms in office. Since you failed us there, why not set an example for your fellow congressmen and announce that you’re limiting your own stay in congress and not filing for reelection? Not that I hold out much hope for that; your record on promises would shame a used-car salesman!
%. As a representative of this district, aren’t you supposed to represent ALL of your constituency? I sure don’t feel that I have a representative in congress. I will admit that the one time I asked you for help to save a woman’s life, your office did come through- eight weeks after she died! When you do run again, I don’t think you’ll get my vote, and I’ll be working hard to elect ANYBODY BUT TIAHRT!Jed Closson
Heheheheh. ABT. heheheheh.
Jed, damn… you rock!!!
JR, you too. Good post.
“Now, when will The Eagle understand that this is take-no-prisoner style “dialogue” the right-wingers ALWAYS USE when they argue.”
I guess we will know they got it when values boy disappears.
Tony I would rather see something like Todd Tiahrt, R-Unemployed.
And JR don’t you know it isn’t nice to tease the ’special’ kids?
K, would have to agree…
I’ll support anyone who wants to run against him… Hell, id vote for Hillary Clinton over him…
Since the tanker jobs never happened even Todd campaigned on how he created all these new jobs 4 years ago inst time to quit calling him “Tanker Todd”?
Touche Phillip, don’t let the Republican party run roughshod over jounalist and the free press. It should be painfully obvious to even the sheepies, that Bush will brief congress on his secret programs, not on a need to know basis, but on a “If you find out basis” thank god for leakers and whistleblowers, whom without the Congressional Intelligence committees would be kept in perpetual darkness.
Phil, ask todd his feelings on this article concerning his committee http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060709/pl_nm/security_intelligence_dc_2
Todd, come to the WE blog and defend yourself, Kansas is waiting.
If the Wichita Eagle Editoial Board is such a Left loving committee, why did the endorse Todd Tiahrt in ‘02? I hope they now see the error of their ways!
Attempts to silence the press are not new in our history. The lowlifes FDR and Wilson did so prior to and during both world wars. Of course, the worst tyrant and trampler of press freedoms was the excerable abe lincoln. The actions he took during the War of Northern Aggrssion were desipcable.
V.L.R.B!!
Would todd be for sending scooter to say Gitmo for his leaks, or more to the point, Judith Miller for her refusal to finger the scooter?
Actually Ian, I think the trophy goes to the Great Leader of the White (or was it German only?) race, Uncle Adolf. Propaganda is so much more effective at achieving ones socio-political goals rather than silencing the press. A brainwashed public is so much more impressionable than an uninformed public.
We have seen a shift from WE editorial board’s total support of Bushco, to questioning and criticism, over the past 5 years. That’s good. It means a sentiment of , “Let’s give our President respect, let’s give him a chance to lead,” has turned to, “We have LEARNED things. We know more now than we did then.” The board has learned that there was no Nigerian yellowcake, the aluminum tubes imported by Iraq were incapable of being used to purify uranium, the “mobile labs” to make bio and chemical WMDs that Donald Rumsfeld said, “We KNOW WHERE THEY ARE,” didn’t exist, at least not where Mr. Rumsfeld knew. We know that Al Quaida wasn’t imbedded in Iraq in 2001-2002, because President Hussein didn’t want them in his country.
We now largely have reason to believe that after President Hussein learned a sharp lesson about the U.S. in 1991–don’t mess with the snake. He lowered his ambitions from expanding his empire to merely holding onto what he had. Which was a pretty nice life. That’s what Gulf War I’s “cut and run” strategy, devised by Bush I and Co. was predicated, correctly, on.
But then some oilmen realized, “The world’s reserves are being depleted, and China is rapidly tapping into them => major oil price increases,” so they met with Dick Cheney to map out a scheme to get superrich. Oil-rich Iraq was led by a weak “king”. With a short pipeline across a strip of cooperative Turkey, and a long pipeline down Iraq, the Caspian Sea’s rich reserves could be captured. Iraq’s takeover could also send a message to the other Arabian kings, to cooperate.
The only two problems were, selling this scheme to the American public, and submitting to UN authority under which the original Gulf War was conducted, and peace terms administered. To circumvent a democratic debate and get out of UN oversight, the administration came up with a fictional rationale, i.e. Iraq’s development of WMDs and colluding with Al Quaida.
The WE’s editorial board bit the lure, like a bass gulping in molded plastic with hooks. But it escaped. Then it watched things unfold, and started thinking. Mr. Tiahrt’s position is, “Come on, I’m throwing the same plastic lure out, why aren’t you stupid bass biting it again. I hate the big bass signaling the little bass that this lure won’t nourish them and is totally phony. I don’t want to leave Congress yet, even though I once campaigned on term limits.
This is my opinion, it isn’t a fact, but I personally think that Mr. Tiahrt thinks, “When my time in office as a Kansas representative is over, I’m never moving back to Kansas. I’m from Missouri. If that makes me a carpetbagger, so what? I’m not a hick Kansan. I’m an officer here to advance my own personal interests. When my time is done, I’m outta this dips**t hick state. I’ll do some time lobbying in the Beltway, make some big money, and then retire to a NICE state.”
My opinion could be wrong. Let’s see where Mr. Tiahrt lives 1 year after he he leaves Congress, and 10 years after he leaves. I just don’t think it is going to be in Goddard, Kansas. But it’s just my opinion.
Heartlander!
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
I’m hoping you hit the nail on the head. Fool me once… We don’t get fooled again!
Thanks Joe. I just read an article about Chinese-serving military-industrial-complex workers here selling out “secrets” that are making China a formidable potential advesary. Scary, except if you are an American military industrial executive or big shareholder.. If you are such, you will argue, “We need more money for NEW technologies to keep ahead of China.” And they will get the money.
Heartlander. It’s just like recently that Congress lifted the ban to sell fighter jets to Pakistan. Lockheed right away sold two dozen F-16 jets to them.
Lockheed lobbied hard to remove that ban. They threaten the Congressman in their district that if they didn’t lift the ban, they would shut-down the F-16 production and layoff a bunch of workers. So Congress gives in.
But what happened when Lockheed sold 24 jets to Pakistan? Yep! India had to counteract that and they bought 24 F-16’s as well. Like a mini Cold War between them.
Yeah! It’s great being on both sides selling them the arms. Lord of War!
Joe,
Exactly. The war industries don’t want peace. Or they want peace as a “balance of power” that requires their product.
“It was nice to see The New York Times commemorating Independence Day this week with a tribute to its favorite Revolutionary War hero, Benedict Arnold. Times editor Bill Keller spent the day attending Revolutionary War battle re-enactments, where he passed the Continental Army’s secret battle plans to the British.”
Memo to the Bush Lapdog formerly known as Tanker Todd:
No, I don’t trust BushCo to protect me. I don’t trust them about anything. They long ago breeched that trust in a malestrom of lies.
Just heard about a new book that might be relevant on the subject of “authoritarianism”.
It is called “Conservatives Without Conscience” by John Dean
In it, he apparently delves into how conservatives are manipulating fear and using the “war on terror” to drive America in the direction of an authoritarian state.
You know, sorta like Todd Tiahrt calling for journalists to be jailed?
Anyone recall Todd demanding that Novak give up his source, oh yea, he’s a republican conservative journalist, and hence exempt.
Hoekstra, the Chairman of the House Intelligence committee has just announced there will soon be a push to prosecute leakers (even though he and Tiahrt wouldn’t have heard about still secret programs the Administration has going without inside whistleblowers), If congress can’t or won’t stop Bush, the next best thing in this election year is to minimize the damage and keep the Bush law breaking under wraps.
To read about the pending crack down; http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060712/pl_nm/security_hoekstra_dc_1