OP-ED; LIBBY'S WAR ON JOURNALISM

The Libby War on Journalism

The court case surrounding I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s indictment has scared journalists and journalism alike. Reporters are being subpoenaed to testify in a court case about the very nature of their work: the cultivation of information for the good of the republic, and the people for which it serves.

The case strikes at the heart of the current political climate: Libby was indicted for obstructing the investigation of the source of a leak of a clandestine agent’s name; that name belongs to Valerie Wilson, the wife of administration war critic Joe Wilson.

Valerie Wilson was a CIA agent investigating weapons of mass destruction around the world. Joe Wilson was sent by the CIA to investigate a claim made by President Bush in his State of the Union address that Saddam Hussein was actively looking to procure uranium from Niger, which Wilson found to be false.

He published his findings in an op-ed in the New York Times, and a week later, Valerie’s name was printed in a column from noted conservative Robert Novak. An investigation took place, which resulted in the indictment, but the source of the leak was not identified, allegedly because Libby obstructed the investigation.

Recently, there has been concern from journalists about how this case can affect them, because many notable Washington journalists have testified during the trial, including Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine, Tim Russert of NBC News, David Sanger and Judith Miller of the New York Times, and Bob Woodward and Walter Pincus of the Washington Post.

The trial thus far has shown how deep the contempt of the newsmedia is by the administration. The distrust of the skeptical press is nothing new to government officials, but the press has never seen its watchdog status undermined to this extent. The administration challenges its critics by attacking the most vulnerable parts of a person’s psyche, that is, his or her family.

Rather than engage the press, the administration spoke, and continues to speak to fragments of the population by concentrating on its conservative base. Look at Vice President Cheney and his dogged insistence only to be interviewed on the pandering network Fox News. When Wolf Blitzer on CNN interviewed Cheney, he refused to answer many of the questions asked of him, claiming that no man would answer such questions. In addition, the administration was caught in 2005 paying a conservative pundit $240,000 to promote its education agenda.

The reporters are at the center of this story, due to the aggressiveness of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, and his insistence on getting access to the reporter’s notes and sources, both of which were confidential in their reporting, especially Cooper and Miller. Judith Miller went to jail for 85 days to protect her source, who signed an agreement to allow her to testify to the grand jury.

There were many problems associated with the journalists as well, however. Many saw Miller making herself a martyr in order to gain back credibility she lost at the Times for her flattering coverage of the WMDs in the run-up to the Iraq War. Some said she fabricated the stories without sources. Others accused her being a mouthpiece of the administration, planting stories for officials to cite.

Other journalists complain that their level of access to officials at the White House will be even more limited than before. The administration set a new standard for secrecy. Because it saw that the jailing of a reporter did nothing to benefit either Miller or the paper she represented, secrets are more closely protected, journalists are loathed even more vocally and information concerning government action is both scarcer and more carefully scrutinized.

The story by James Glanz in Monday’s New York Times concerning intelligence that Iran is supporting the Shi’ite death squads is a perfect example. The military had to conduct its briefing in anonymity, because they would not attribute a face to the accusations. “The officials also asserted, without providing direct evidence, that Iranian leaders had authorized smuggling those weapons into Iraq for use against the Americans… That inference, and the anonymity of the officials who made it, seemed likely to generate skepticism among those suspicious that the Bush administration is trying to find a scapegoat for its problems in Iraq, and perhaps even trying to lay the groundwork for war with Iran,” he wrote. None of this would have been added to the report in a time of trust between the administration and the press.

The new precedent of subpoenaing journalists can only be a bad thing for the news business. If access is limited and credibility decreases, how can the public find the information it desperately needs and requires to make decisions on the actions of the government? The press will be seen as an arm of the government, exactly what the founders feared when writing the Constitution. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said about the importance of press and security: “The only security of all is in a free press.”

Unless this free press, and its ability to do its work is lionized in the country, the days of watchdog journalism will be over, state-sponsored propaganda will seize the day and we will inch ever closer to the world to which Orwell referred in his controversial dystopian world in 1984.

ALBUM REVIEW; PIEBALD-ACCIDENTAL GENTLEMAN

Piebald-Accidental Gentleman
Side One Dummy

3.5/5

Somerville, Mass.’ Piebald’s latest record, Accidental Gentleman, is the band’s sophomore release for super-indie label Side One Dummy.

The band has come a long way since it was a hardcore band in Andover, Mass. They now sound more like alternative rock from the 1990s. Its previous release, All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time, was a large departure from previous releases, featuring a large emphasis on vocal harmonies and piano-driven melodies.

Accidental Gentleman is a return to the sound of 2002’s We Are the Only Friends We Have, with driving rock and vocal hooks. A piano is still present, but it is no longer at the forefront of the sound throughout the album, but rather used sparingly, to excellent effect. The vocal harmonies remain, but are used better than before.

Standout tracks include the aptly titled “Opener,” which features an immediate burst of energy and urgency sorely lacking anywhere on All Eyes. “If you don’t want to know/Why’d you ask?” frontman Travis Shettel angrily demands at the outset. An energetic drumbeat propels the song, while guitar noise feeds in and out, but the hook lies in the bass, which rumbles along mercilessly.

“Oh, The Congestion,” sounds like Ixnay­-era Offspring and mid 1990s emo (The Promise Ring); it has a straightforward punk riff motoring over a steady drumbeat. “There’s Always Something Better To Do” takes lounge-rock to new heights, sounding effortlessly like a blues band at a bar messing around and having fun—just as the guys of Piebald always seem to be doing.

NEWS; DAY LABORERS PROHIBITED FROM BLOCKING COUNTY ROADS (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

SELDEN, NY, Jan. 24—County legislators proposed to prohibit the obstruction of roads by day laborers in a press conference Wednesday at the Suffolk County 6^th Police Precinct.

Legislators Joseph Caracappa (R-Farmingville) and Jack Eddington (WF-Medford), members of the Public Safety Committee of which Eddington is Chairman, proposed the legislation.

“This is a continuing problem in the villages of Farmingville and Medford, as well as other areas around Suffolk County,” said Eddington. “There are individuals that congregate on the county roadways and sidewalks, and they solicit employment from passing motor vehicles.”

The legislators decided that they needed to take action, because they claimed Washington was not acting fast enough. “It’s time for the Suffolk County Legislature to do something,” Eddington said.

This proposal comes after a heated debate concerning Resolution 17-1, which barred Level 2 and 3 sex offenders from loitering at places where children congregate, such as playgrounds and video arcades.

Caracappa sought this application of loitering law during the debates concerning Resolution 17-1. “If we are going to use it in one area for the common good, we are certainly going to try to use it in another area…this issue has been festering for far too long,” he said.

Police are apprehending day laborers already, but not with such direct legislation. “The police have told me that there have been accidents because the pedestrians run out to be the first to the car,” said Eddington. “In fact, they’re now using the jaywalking law, because it’s the only tool they have.”

Resolution 17-1 made loitering by sex offenders a misdemeanor, with punishment of up to a year in jail. The proposed legislation would call for day laborers who violate the law to pay a fine of up to $500.

Caracappa acknowledged the issue of constitutionality of the proposed legislation. “We are willing to go to court,” he said. “We’ll argue this when challenged.”

The legislation does not call for the building of “hiring halls,” a place where people can congregate when looking for work or workers. “Day laborer advocates want us to pay for it with taxpayer dollars,” Caracappa said. “That’s just something that I don’t support.

Caracappa said it was up to the advocates of day laborers to provide a place for them to congregate. “Do some fundraising for them,” he said. “Do not count on county government tax dollars to promote what I consider an illegal activity.”

Eddington compared the solicitation of work by day laborers to that of prostitution. “This is really equality,” he said. “No one should be able to solicit employment on our roadways and cause a dangerous hazard.”

Caracappa clarified the legal definition: “Under the law right now, prostitution and drug dealing falls under loitering, as defined by the State Supreme Court, as well as higher courts across the country.”

Owners of private property, such as the 7-11 in Farmingville at the corner of County Roads 16 and 83, have signed affidavits authorizing police to apprehend congregants who solicit employment as loiterers, according to Caracappa. “Access to their commercial establishments is being blocked constantly,” he said. “Now we are going to apply this on public property.”

The legislation is mostly focused on the “hot spots” of Farmingville and Medford, but Caracappa said there are smaller spots in Rocky Point and Centereach where day laborers congregate to look for employment. Caracappa did not cite specific locations in either Rocky Point or Centereach, however.

Despite the consensus on the proposed legislation, the legislators disagreed over federal proposals. “McCain-Kennedy provides amnesty,” Caracappa said. “I supported the Peter King Bill.”

Eddington supported McCain-Kennedy. “We need to treat people fairly,” he said. “We need to make sure these people have no criminal record at home, [as well as] make sure they broke no laws while they were here.”

Caracappa has taken action at the national level to try to address the issue. “I tried to sue the INS for the lack of doing their jobs,” he said. “It seems to always fall on the local officials to do something.”

Eddington spoke with Congressman Tim Bishop about immigration. Eddington said he believed that the president would work with Congressional Democrats to pass immigration reform because “he is desperate to have success in his tenure.” However, if the legislation is not strong enough, “we are going to continue with our own initiatives,” he said.

“We are hoping that this is an initiative that will be picked up by the town, the county, all over,” Eddington said. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley chose not to comment on the proposed legislation, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

“We are supportive of any measure that seeks to curtail the illegal underground economy and its effects on suburban communities,” said Ed Dumas, Director of Communication for County Executive Steve Levy. “We will work with the bill’s sponsors to shape the measure and to ensure its constitutional validity.”