The Lamp Post Pisses BackAmerican writer HL Mencken earned himself a place in the reporter's hall of fame with his comment that the proper relationship between a journalist and a politician should be akin to that between a dog and a lamp-post.
But the lamp-post has a nasty habit of pissing back, as it did yesterday when President Bush savaged the US media for its "disgraceful" disclosure of a CIA programme that monitors millions of international banking transactions.... UK Guardian
In the case of The New York Times v. Bush the lamp post is pissing back (H. Res. 895) and further, attempting to muzzle the dog. I'm putting up a challenge. I will give a subscription to the New York Times to the first two Daily Kos posters whose pieces get printed in the New York Times. see below the fold for contest rules:
Watching the Watchers Watch What You Say -- CONTEST
There are some excellent articles running on Daily Kos re: the New York Times reporting on government surveillance of financial records. I'm recommending these top six, and welcome your additions to the discussion.
I'm putting up a challenge. I will give a subscription to the New York Times to the first two Daily Kos posters whose pieces get printed in the New York Times.
Your entry must be judged "best of show" by the Daily Kos readership. Letters to the editor are good, op-eds are better, guest columns are best.
Please include in your byline that you are a diarist with Daily Kos. Do not however, "out yourself." The New York Times respects the pseudonymous writer's protection of free speech, privacy, anonymity.
** Identifying yourself through your DK pseudonym is optional!!! Just ID yourself as a DK member, that's good enough.** See:A Dictatorial Kos? in which the letter writer identified herself as a DK reader, and not a "rabid lamb."
Why identify as a Daily Kos writer?
1. Because the New York Times has, through its recent reporting, been establishing a relationship with Daily Kos that has run the gamut between giving good publicity (profile of Markos in Sunday New York Times Magazine) to joining in a smear (David Brooks "Repect Must Be Paid").
2. The quality of news writing, and op-ed journalism at Daily Kos is extraordinarily high. It would be great to introduce the NYT's readership to our standard of reporting here.
Submit as often as you like.
Keep to the topic of the New York Times' reporting on the story of financial record surveillance, and the charges by the Bush administration, and members of the GOP, Republican representatives, that this is reporting was in violation of the treason act.
When writing refer to the New York Times on this topic by title, author and date. Here's a few to get you started:
NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLESCan't Win the War? Bomb the Press!; by Frank Rich; July 2, 2006
Media Defend Reporting On Secret Programs By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; Published: June 30, 2006
When Do We Publish a Secret? By DEAN BAQUET, editor, The Los Angeles Times, and BILL KELLER, executive editor, The New York Times; July 1, 2006
A Secret the Terrorists Already Knew; June 30, 2006 - By RICHARD A. CLARKE and ROGER W. CRESSEY (NYT)
Richard A. Clarke (born 1951) provided national security advice to four U.S. presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, consulting on issues of intelligence and terrorism, from 1973 to 2003. Clarke's specialties are computer security, counterterrorism and homeland security. He was the counter-terrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council when the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred.
He resigned in January of 2003 to work on his book, Against All Enemies, which came out in early 2004. He testified before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States on March 24, 2004.
In March 2004, Clarke's published, Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror--What Really Happened (ISBN 0743260244). The book was critical of past and present presidential administrations for the way they handled the war on terror both before and after September 11, but focused much of its criticism on Bush for failing to take sufficient action to protect the country in the elevated-threat period before the September 11, 2001 attacks and for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which Clarke feels greatly hampered the war on terror, and was a distraction from the real terrorists.
Many of the events described in the book were also described by Clarke in his almost 20 hours of testimony under oath before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), a portion in its public hearings.
Clarke's testimony and tenor were vigorously attacked by conservatives and the Bush Administration. Some families of the victims of September 11 attacks were very supportive of him, while others felt he was self-aggrandizing and that his criticisms were misplaced. Some 36 family members critical of Clarke signed a letter written by Jim Boyle that stated, "few of the voices of September 11th have been critical of President Bush's campaign advertisements that, in a respectful way, recall the incredible challenges we all faced. These few voices do not speak for us." Citation
Bush Says Report on Bank Data Was Disgraceful By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG; Published: June 27, 2006
Letter From Bill Keller on The Times's Banking Records Report; Managing Editor of the New York Times, Bill Keller; June 25, 2006
EditorialPatriotism and the Press June 28, 2006
Bush's Use of Authority Riles Senator; By KATE ZERNIKE; Published: June 28, 2006
Damage Study Urged on Surveillance Reports; By SCOTT SHANE; Published: June 28, 2006
Secrets, the President and the Press (7 Letters); June 28, 2006
BEHIND BUSH'S FURY, A VOW MADE IN 2001; By SCOTT SHANE; Published: June 29, 2006
Try to keep your writing in the greater context of the December 16th New York Times story reporting on the all inclusive telecommunications net cast in the NSA warrantless domestic spying campaign. More general letter writing guidelines below.
Anyone want to join me in my support for the New York Times by offering matching subscription pledges for Daily Kos writers who are published in the New York Times??
TAKE THE PLEDGE !!!
DAILY KOS NYT SUBSCRIPTION PLEDGE
PLEDGE BY THE FOURTH OF JULY !!
PS. WOULDJA EVER GO AN RECOMMEND THIS SUCKER?!?!