'Wash Post' Reveals: Surveillance Program Has Spied on Thousands

according to accounts from current and former government officials and private-sector sources with knowledge of the technologies in use.

I hope these leakers are found and prosecuted. I am surprised that there are that many people willing to leak classified data. This is continuing to damage national security.

 

There are other ways to handle it; otherwise, you will have classified information flying around everywhere. By leaking the data, they have shown that they cannot be trusted with classified data, and have violated the terms of their security clearances. Which is a criminal offense.

 

Franklin pled guilty. I don't care who they are -- if they violate their clearances, they should be prosecuted.

 

I repeat -- if they violate their clearances, they should be prosecuted.

Neither Karl Rove nor Scooter Libby have been convicted. Oliver North was acquited, I believe, but that doesn't excuse leaks. Look, my entire family is military or civilian intel, two of whom can't tell me where they are or what they are doing. Their lives are on the line, and vulnerable to leaks.

 

Sorry, I missed the word "if." I won't defend leakers, no matter who they are.

 

Yup. I agree. If either are convicted, I hope they serve time. That goes for Conrad Burns, & Tom Delay, also.

 

For the record, Rove has not been charged with anything, and Libby is not charged with leaking classified information.

 

Libby is charged with lieing in an investigation, the exact thing Martha Stewart had to serve time for. Am I mistaken ?

 

You're right Curtis. And the thing is, it wasn't even lying about anything that really mattered. This is a problem showing up more and more in these "special investigations", where after months and months of investigation, they can't prove that a crime was ever committed, but because people can't remember word for word or minute by minute details of events that happened a long time ago, they go to prison. Martha Stewart went to prison for covering up a crime that never happened. If Libby goes it will be the same thing.

 

Martha Stewart could have avoided jail time with this statement.....

"I was given inside information on a stock about to tank, and I sold my shares. The person who told me was named......"

It makes no sense that Libby would lie about the investigation.

Also, it is starting to look like Delay did some tricky re-districting in Texas.

Back to Libby,why would he lie, if it wasn't important ? I agree that trickery, questions aked in an attempt to trip him up, and other unsavory tactics were used, but in the ultra partisian atmosphere we have today, people need to work very hard to keep all their ducks in one row.

[ February 07, 2006, 03:33 PM: Message edited by: Bro. Curtis ]

 

10 to 1 it is a liberal democrat!

 

That's not a sane bet. Offer me 1:10 and I'll take it!

 

North was convicted on three out of twelve counts.

On appeal, the conviction was vacated due to a "tainted witness".

What happenned was that before his criminal trial, North gave immunized testimony before Congress wherein he was compelled to speak freely of his misdeeds and criminal acts. Although the appeals court agreed that Prosecutor Walsh and his office were scrupulous in not using any of his congressional testimony as evidence or a lead to obtaining evidence, North's boss, McFarlane swore to the appeals court that he was influenced by North's congressional testimony. McFarlane was then deemed a tainted witness and since his statements about North had been used to convict North, the judgement was vacated.

That was quite different from an aquittal. There was no doubt of North's guilt, but his right not to be compelled to testify against himself was paramount.

Libby's case will be different.