More on looming vigilante justice and repression of the free flow of information

glenn greenwald promised us this post yesterday and he's made good... here's just a sample...

The clear rationale underlying the arguments of Bush supporters needs to be highlighted. They believe that the Bush administration ought to be allowed to act in complete secrecy, with no oversight of any kind. George Bush is Good and the administration wants nothing other than to stop The Terrorists from killing us. There is no need for oversight over what they are doing because we can trust our political officials to do good on their own. We don't need any courts or any Congress or any media serving as a "watchdog" over the Bush administration. There is no reason to distrust what they do. We should -- and must -- let them act in total secrecy for our own good, for our protection. And anyone who prevents them from acting in total secrecy is not merely an enemy of the Bush administration, but of the United States, i.e., is a traitor.

glenn, in his usual highly articulate and comprehensive fashion, crafts the definitive response... the key bullet points...

(1) There is not a single sentence in the Times banking report that could even arguably "help the terrorists."
[...]
(2) The reason there is "no evidence of abuse" is precisely because the administration exercises these powers in total secrecy.
[...]
(3) The Founders unequivocally opted for excess disclosures by the media over excess government secrecy and restraints on the press.
[...]
(4) How can any rational person believe that the reporters and editors of The New York Times want to help terrorists attack the U.S.?
[...]
All of this is truly the stuff of hysterical, deranged, hateful lynch mobs -- not of rational discussions -- and yet it is driving radical changes in how our country functions.

we must absolutely keep in mind that the driver for these "radical changes" is coming squarely from the top... one cannot read the pronouncements of bush, cheney, and snow over the past several days without coming to the inescapable conclusion that they are actively seeking this kind of reaction and will use it to further clamp down on the free flow of information in this country...

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