Thursday, May 30, 2013

Eric Holder’s Predicament

Written : May 30, 2013

I’m now active on Twitter. Please follow me there at @markacohen


 Freedom of the Press

If a government uses strong-arm tactics to silence opposing viewpoints, repression comes to mind. People must be allowed to voice their opinions. This is considered healthy and vital for freedom and democracy, and has been a hallmark of the “American way.” Recent generations have feared the overreach of bureaucrats, especially concerning wiretapped telephone conversations, the collection of private information, and spying on individuals.


Wiretapping

The media has been known as the fourth estate for a long time, meaning that it is a counter-balance to the three branches of government. When the media questions an administration and its officials and probes deeply, this stems the chance for tyranny, otherwise known as oppression of the people by its government. Even my father, a self-avowed Communist, hailed freedom of the press as a landmark of democracy. “Without a free press you have dictatorships,” he said. “Reporters must be free to obtain information and publish it.” When regimes harass the media, information can’t flow freely.


Eric Holder, testifying.
Eric Holder, testifying.

The Obama Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) suspected Associated Press (AP) reporters of leaking classified information, so it targeted the call logs of more than 20 AP phone lines. The DOJ, amidst suspicions that James Rosen, a FOX News reporter, blogging about classified information so the DOJ seized his phone records and e-mails. They appeared ready to charge Rosen as a “co-conspirator” for leaking such information, although Rosen may not have known its’ classification. Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General (AG), appeared before a Congressional hearing last week to answer related questions. He testified, using similar phrases, such as, “I did not know… I am not familiar…” He also said, “In regard to potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material... This is not something I’ve ever been involved in, heard of, or would think would be wise policy.” It turned out that Holder did sign the warrant ordering the seizure of Rosen’s e-mails. Hmmm.


 James Rosen, reporting.

The oddest thing about this scandal, no matter how you might feel about it, is that President Obama, instead of assigning an independent counsel to get to the bottom of it all, has assigned Eric Holder to investigate the matter. So we have Holder investigating… himself. How would that work, and does it make sense?


Holder Investigating himself.
Holder Investigating himself.

Here are my observations and opinions: Republicans in a pickle generally resign in embarrassment among a hailstorm of accusations and/or innuendo in the media (Bush’s AG, John Ashcroft, Sen. Trent Lott, Sen. Larry Craig). Democrats in the same situation usually don’t admit wrongdoing until there is an avalanche of proof (President Clinton, Sen. Menendez, Anthony Weiner, presidential candidate John Edwards). The mainstream media will support them by either ignoring the stories or covering them lightly until they can’t be ignored. (Are there exceptions? Yes, of course.) Most of us can’t predict the future with accuracy, but I think it will take a ton of evidence for Eric Holder to step down.


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Keywords: Conservative blog, Mark A. Cohen, From the Left to the Right, President Obama, AP Scandal, Obama Scandal, James Rosen, Eric Holder, Freedom of the Press

Keywords: "Conservatism", "Conservative blog", "Mark A. Cohen", "From The Left to the Right", “President Obama”, “AP Scandal”, “Obama Scandal”, “James Rosen”, “Eric Holder”, “Freedom of the Press”

Mark A. Cohen is currently seeking representation for his memoir, From The Left to the Right.

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Please save the date: Castle Rock Writers will hold the Castle Rock Writers Conference on Saturday, November 23, 2013, at the Douglas County Events Center in Castle Rock, Colorado. Please stay tuned for further information.

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Mark A. Cohen spoke for about 20 minutes at the Coffee4Conservatives meeting at the Firehouse on State Road 83, in Franktown, CO, on Oct. 21, 2012.

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