-Caveat Lector- Danger Zone: Justice Department looking more like secret police <http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/1030811> Sept. 3, 2001 Houston Chronicle To some, it will no doubt sound like journalists whining over the treatment of other journalists and trying to curry some special favor from society. To most, however, it will hopefully sound like what it is, a true and legitimate alarm over the U.S. Justice Department's handling of First Amendment rights that profoundly affect how we all find out what our government is up to. First, as most Houstonians now know, came the strange case of Vanessa Leggett, who sits in federal detention here for refusing to let her notes and tapes, gathered for a book about a River Oaks murder case, fall into the hands of federal prosecutors. If the feds succeed in making Leggett, in essence, a surrogate investigator for the government it will have a dangerous and lasting chilling effect on the way information gets gathered and disseminated in this supposedly free and open society. And now comes the case of Associated Press reporter John Solomon in New Jersey. The Bush Justice Department has subpoenaed and acquired Solomon's home telephone records, both incoming and outgoing calls during a five-day period in which he investigated and reported on New Jersey Sen. Robert Torricelli's 1996 campaign. Even more frightening, the Justice Department subpoenaed the bookstore purchase records of eight people, including those of Toricelli and an individual purported to be a central witness in the investigation. "The Justice Department must immediately stop its attempts at threatening and intimidating journalists and writers," says Ray Marcano, president of the Society of Professional Journalists and managing editor of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News. "Someone at Justice needs to be held accountable for these outrageous acts." Observers are also concerned because the Justice Department has refused detailed comment on either Leggett's or Solomon's cases. What's going on here? Why the reluctance on the part of the government to at least explain itself? Targeting journalists for simply doing their jobs. These secret police tactics are more appropriate for some Third World, fascist regime. No journalist is above the law, but the jobs they do play a special role in our society that needs to be safeguarded not for the sake of journalists, but for the sake of knowing what the government is doing and to whom. The press may not be popular, and our excesses may anger many people. But a pattern of government agents raiding citizens' personal records and clamping down on information (and information gatherers) about what they are doing without explanation ought to scare the devil out of us all. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
