Profiting from betrayel

Oliver North:

...

In 1985 John Walker, a U.S. Navy Petty Officer, was convicted of compromising U.S. military codesecrets to the Soviets in exchange for cash -- and placing an untold number of Americans in our Armed Forces in extraordinary jeopardy. In 1994, CIA officer Aldrich Ames was jailed for selling the names of people spying for the United States to his Soviet handlers. His perfidy enabled the KGB to eliminate more than 130 agents working for our CIA and at least 10 were executed. In 2002, FBI agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison for selling classified information about U.S. counter-intelligence operations to the KGB and its successor, the FSB, and irreparably damaging U.S. national security. These men were not "whistleblowers." All were avaricious, treasonous men, filled with hubris. Their actions directly harmed the country they were sworn to protect.

What's the difference between what Walker, Ames and Hanssen did -- and those who decided to "out" NSA and CIA efforts to track terrorist communications and financial data? Materially, there is no distinction. As in the earlier espionage cases, current and former U.S. government employees -- according to the NYT, "nearly 20" of them -- broke their oaths not to disclose classified information. Like Walker, Ames and Hanssen, "reporters," editors and publishers have hope that their exposes will result in substantial financial gain. Brutal adversaries with a proven penchant for killing innocent Americans have gained invaluable knowledge about our intelligence sources and methods. "Sources and methods." Remember those words. They are important.

...

It will be interesting to see if the media industry will also reward this betrayel with journalism prizes. The NY Times can rationalize its betrayel of secrets and that of its treasonous sources but should we continue to support such institutions?

Comments

  1. Shimmy10:19 AM

    The truth of the uniqueness of Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Robert Hanssen, and Aldrich Ames resides in the universal system that contains them.

    The spectacle is the guardian of our sleep.

    ReplyDelete

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