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Gonzales Says Publishing Leaks Is A Crime

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the battle-of-the-legal-wars dept.

loqi writes "The NY Times is reporting on a statement from US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales declaring that journalists may be prosecuted by the federal government for publishing classified information. On the 1st amendment ramifications: "'But it can't be the case that that right trumps over the right that Americans would like to see, the ability of the federal government to go after criminal activity,' he said. 'And so those two principles have to be accommodated.'" So our 1st amendment rights don't trump the right of the federal government to violate them?"

10 of 889 comments (clear)

  1. Persecution by zoward · · Score: 3, Funny
    Am I the only one who read that as:

    "...journalists may be persecuted by the federal government for publishing classified information".

    --
    "Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
  2. Workaround: by Ant+P. · · Score: 2, Funny

    Outsource information leaking.

  3. You missed a part of the first amendment. by forgotten_my_nick · · Score: 4, Funny

    The bit where it says "unless Gonzales says so" at the end. Granted its written in Crayon, but it is a sacred document so you have to follow it to the letter.

  4. Re:Chilling effects! by crawling_chaos · · Score: 4, Funny
    Why is it not okay to prosecute Journalists but okay to prosecute lobbyists?

    Because the First Amendment guarantees rights to humans only?

    --
    You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
    -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
  5. Old Polish joke springs to mind. by Vo0k · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seems currently in the USA the 1st amendment guarantees freedom of speech, but not freedom after speech...

    --
    Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
  6. Re:Depends by enitime · · Score: 2, Funny
    "They are both wrong - it needs to be a depends."

    I agree. Dealing with leaks definitely calls for depends.

  7. Re:A Slippery slope by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thank you!

    At least someone got the joke. I mean, +5 informative :-( I got not one of the +1 Funny modifiers that I am always 'fiending' for.

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
  8. Re:Military is supposed to "Defend the Constitutio by delcielo · · Score: 2, Funny

    I could tell you; but it might get me thrown in jail.

    --
    Hot Damn! It's the Soggy Bottom Boys!
  9. Ashcroft by maxume · · Score: 2, Funny

    This makes Ashcroft's religious fanaticism and messiah complex seem rather quaint now doesn't it.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  10. Re:Thanks for voting for Bush! by Bassman59 · · Score: 2, Funny
    Hey - thanks again to all of you who voted for Bush. Lemme guess, some of you even have stickers that say "Vote Freedom First."

    There's a monster truck in town with two stickers in the rear window.

    One is a Bush/Cheney '04 sticker.

    The other says, "Don't Steal. The Government Doesn't Like Competition.

    The irony is so thick it's blocking the guy's view out the back of his truck.