Posted by
Jay Noble on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 12:21:31 PM
Conservatives have long known that the "driveby media" and Hollywood are biased to the extreme left. The result has been the growth of talk radio, FoxNews and blogs to offer some alternative to the daily propagandizing of the New York Times, Washington Post, the big three networks, CNN, Time, Newsweek, and on and on. In times of peace this one-sided debate would be frustrating but in time of war the liberal leftist strangle hold on the largest media outlets and the entertainment industry is extremely damaging to the nation. Even in these latter days the majority of Americans get most of their information from left to left-leaning media. Understanding this, how can not expect their views on Iraq and the war on terror to be negatively impacted? Frankly it's remarkable the president and the war effort have as much support at each does.
During the Civll War President Lincoln didn't hesitate to shut down newspapers he deemed inimical to the Union War effort. He reasoned, quite correctly in my view, that freedom of the press meant little if the nation which guaranteed that freedom disappeared. When the New York Times and Washington Post publish details of secret programs implemented by the United States government to track and impede the communications and activities of terrorists and their allies, these newspapers impede the nation's war effort and provide assistance ot the enemies of the United States. The First Amendment is not a shield to prosecution and punishment for sedition. These newspapers, the responsible editors and reporters, and any other media should be held accountable, not just in the court of public opinion, but by criminal and civil penalties. Finally, if the media persists in the practice that its right to report supersedes the national interest, I would encourage this or a future president to emulate President LIncoln, and physically shut down the offender.
Freedom of the press or any other liberty guaranteed by the Constitution is for naught if the nation does not survive.
I do not expect the current administration to take this action. It has demonstrated a notable lack of backbone in comfronting the domestic fifth column and there is no reason to believe this will change. However, the time is long overdue for conservatives to call for a meaningful accounting and punitive measures against irresponsible media outlets. If it is necessary for Americans in uniform to sacrifice their lives for defense of the nation, then members of the media are not exempt from limitations on their freedom of action.