Treason of the Clerk.As soon as I saw David Weigel's article "Treason of the Clerk" (July), I knew I was in for more thinly supported charges that free speech is endangered because of the "political climate" produced by hysterical right-wingers. So let me get this straight: A scrappy V.A. nurse wasn't fired for writing a letter to a newspaper calling for people to "forcefully remove" the Bush administration for its acts of "criminal negligence The failure to use reasonable care to avoid consequences that threaten or harm the safety of the public and that are the foreseeable outcome of acting in a particular manner. "; her idiotic supervisor was forced to make a personal apology (and apparently disciplined) for harassing her; therefore, 1984 is nigh nigh adv. nigh·er, nigh·est 1. Near in time, place, or relationship: Evening draws nigh. 2. Nearly; almost: talked for nigh onto two hours. . Would this even be a story if the supervisor hadn't reached for his thesaurus and found sedition sedition (sĭdĭ`shən), in law, acts or words tending to upset the authority of a government. The scope of the offense was broad in early common law, which even permitted prosecution for a remark insulting to the king. ? I just can't get excited about chubby computer techs led by a cranky crank·y 1 adj. crank·i·er, crank·i·est 1. Having a bad disposition; peevish. 2. Having eccentric ways; odd. 3. middle manager "seizing" the government's own computer. Weigel's attempt to present the U.C.-Santa Cruz incident as a further example of this hostile political climate is simply perverse. When an angry mob prevents fellow students from freely speaking and associating with military recruiters, the mob is the threat to free speech--not conservatives who vigorously protest this lawlessness. I do think the right-wing frustration with anti-war criticism that Weigel's article recognizes is real. But it is part of a growing sense that irrational media coverage--including articles trumpeting overblown o·ver·blown v. Past participle of overblow. adj. 1. a. Done to excess; overdone: overblown decorations. b. fears of a clampdown clamp·down n. An imposing of restrictions or controls: "Advertisers and broadcasters would raise howls of protest against any strong clampdown" Wall Street Journal. on civil liberties--has crippled our ability to effectively use the military and police. That subject deserves an honest examination--especially now, as we observe sophisticated Hezbollah media operations that are deliberate attempts to use our free press to manipulate our policies. Such "information warfare Also called "cyberterrorism," it refers to creating havoc by disrupting the computers that manage stock exchanges, power grids, air traffic control and telecommunications. While the term often deals with attacks against a nation, it may also refer to attacks on organizations and the " appears to be a leading asymmetric threat to Western-style democracies. The return of sedition laws surely isn't the answer to this problem, but a more conscientious attempt by journalists to put civil liberties and national security stories in context couldn't hurt. Michael Hoes Overland Park, KS |
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