I am a liberal, and I am angry.
If you are a liberal, or a conservative, or independent, or indifferent, you should be angry, too.
According to new reports, federal investigators recently seized two months of phone records from Associated Press reporters and editors in what the AP has called, a “serious interference with AP’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news.”
Damn right.
I’m not writing this as a journalist, but as an American—one who generally supports the Obama Administration. This is shameful. Beyond shameful. A. Because it’s a direct, unambiguous violation of the United States Constitution; B. Because it directly goes against the past words and promises of a president who said his administration was dedicated to transparency.
It calls into question the very ethics of the people running the country; allows one to (rightly) wonder what else is going on; who else has been listened to and tapped. When Obama was elected, many of us breathed a sigh of relief, happy the Dick Cheney-esque days of secrecy and privacy infringement were over. Well, not so fast.
In and of itself, I wasn’t overly concerned about Benghazi. In and of itself, I was somewhat dismissive of the I.R.S. going after Tea Party members. All together, however, one must (absolutely must) ask himself whether this administration is any different than the Bush administration. You must wonder whether the rule of law is especially important, and whether getting ahead remains a greater priority than serving the people.
Usually, I hear the likes of Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly flapping their gums, ripping Democrats, and I blame the messenger.
This time, however, they have every right to go off.
Every stinkin’ right.
