OT What do you libs think about your New York Times?

Sure enough, they are the charter member of "Treason 'R Us", Jack Murtha is #2 there.

The media is protected. This protection is not without responsibility. The media many times have a cavalier attitude toward their freedom of information gathering and dispersal of that information. I wonder if it is profit driven.

The following is some stuff that was written in 2002 by folks critical of the Patriot Act. I'll admit to not having read every word in the recent NY Times article but other than citing the name of the banking program and the fact that it is international in scale, is there any more information in the article than in this 2002 piece?

"Section 312: Another detailed provision imposing upon banks and domestic financial entities new "minimal" and "enhanced" due diligence requirements on certain accounts, as a way of revealing possible use of accounts for terrorist financing (exhaustive Treasury regulations and other directives already have been issued on the requirements of Sections 311 and 312).

Section 319: Sets a 120-hour deadline for financial institutions to respond to certain information requests by federal investigators involving wide range of accounts.

Section 316 and 319: Creates new forfeiture provisions for those charged or convicted of certain terrorist crimes especially including money laundering, setting forfeiture authorities virtually unheard of in federal law to this point.

Section 319: Permits access by federal investigators of records of certain "correspondent" accounts with foreign banks.

Section 326: Establishes new or expanded requirements to track identities of persons opening new bank accounts.

Section 326: Authorizes a study to track aliens or foreign nationals by a system similar to social security numbers.

Section 358: Allows government investigator access to consumer records, which does not require a court order and is to be provided in secret and without civil liability.

Section 361: Establishes or expands the "FinCEN" office in the Treasury Department, accompanied by a long list of duties for this office and substantial funding.

The Treasury Department has issued tremendously detailed regulations for Title III's new requirements for banks and other financial institutions. Title III has effectively rewritten many banking laws and introduced new requirements to the point that domestic bank are virtual partners with the federal government in investigating financial aspects of terrorism. Spurred by PATRIOT Act authority to investigate any forms of money transfer that may be linked to terrorism, new arrests and detentions have been made by federal agents of principals of certain targeted charitable groups which send money abroad, especially to the Middle East, shutting these organizations down under the guise of investigating terrorism. "

Ah ok....

I guess you think it is ok to leak secret programs in time of war....

Got your number...

...and YES the NYT was asked not to publish the article and they did.

Typical.

If I were king, I'd make the NYT the first target...

Nah, the guy in the spider hole would be the first target. Oops, my hand slipped off this live grenade that I accidentally dropped into the spider hole . . . .

Then I'd find Osama Bin Laden and unladen him of a few things. . . .

And then I'd draft the Dems and fake Republicans in the Senate. I'd modify the draft act just for them. . . .

Charles of Schaumburg

Two that come to mind are John McCain (AZ) and John Warner (VA).

Disgraceful and traitorous. mark_

Since WW2, when have we NOT BEEN in a state of war? (real or contrived?)

I think you need to SMOKE THAT NUMBER! ;-)

Gee, imagine that, journalists doing their job: Trying to keep the government "honest".

Couple hundred years too late for that .

...

Ah, ok... MURDER is OK...gotcha.

Didn't GWB pass OBL off as passe?

...

Please don't send them in harms way around my tow sons....

They'd probably get Niedermeyered the first day. The Senators, that is.

Charles of Schaumburg

Hey moron, it's not a secret. It's written up as part of the Patriot Act. The only difference between the Act and the Times story is the fact that the program went international.

Oh, so you can count but not read?

Yup, same folks who asked them not to publish the story on the NSA illegal phone taps. Wonder why they didn't respond to the request.

Nice part about Democracy; no kings. Except for W who thinks he's king. At least for another few months.

What illegal phone taps?

There are/were NONE!