The Right To Know

 

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    Charlton Heston Speech
September 15, 2001

This past Tuesday, our country was savaged with a sneak attack by a phantom enemy. As I write this, there are calls for an explanation of how we could have been so surprised  -- how we could have been so unprepared. How our intelligence agencies failed us. There are many reasons. This is the first of several articles that try to begin to answer those questions.
 Although some will say that I seek to destroy our democracy, I cannot help but ask the question, "Are there no limits on Freedom of the Press?" Although I have asked that same question many times over the years, I believe it to be more timely than ever in the aftermath of one of the most costly intelligence failures in history. 
 
In the months and years ahead, there will be blame assessed and fingers pointed at the intelligence community for this catastrophic failure. I'm sure that much of it will be deserved and much of it will be widely reported. What is far less likely to be mentioned and far less likely to be reported, is the fact that a member of the press felt it appropriate to report that the National Security Agency was intercepting cell phone traffic of Osama bin Laden - and that upon learning of this compromise to his security, bin Laden switched to other communications methods that were far more difficult for our intelligence agencies penetrate. Having been deprived of a major defensive weapon, our intelligence system failed.
 
There is no question in my mind that this disaster could have been averted had it not been for the handiwork of one greedy and self serving reporter. So, thousands of innocent men, women and children died and thousands of families were destroyed because one reporter publicized a secret method of collecting intelligence.
 
The media will talk about "The Public's Right to Know". In reviewing the US Constitution I find no such "Right".  I submit that the "The Public's Right to Know" is a bogus argument which has it's roots in the "Big Lie Theory" of Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels 60 years ago. The theory is simple. It says that if you tell a big enough lie often enough, people will start to believe it. And so it is with "The Public's Right to Know". It is the media's "Big Lie".  It is the bogus argument used by the media in their self serving quest for personal glory, competitive advantage and enrichment.
 
Earlier this week in looking at the passenger manifests of the hijacked jets, I found this partial list of victims:

Bernard Brown, Age 11, student, Leckie Elementary School in Washington

Asia Cottom, Age 11, student, Backus Middle School in Washington

Rodney Dickens, Age 11, student, Ketcham Elementary School in Washington

Zoe Falkenberg, Age 8, University Park, MD

Dana Falkenberg, Age 3, University Park, MD

David Brandhorst, Age 3, Los Angeles

Christine Hanson, Age 3, Groton, MA

Juliana Valentine McCourt, Age 4, New London, CT

Each of these children were incinerated on the alter of, "The Public's Right to Know"  -- the work product of a greed ridden and self serving American press. If anyone would dare to argue that this is the price of "Freedom" that America must pay -- let him stand up and show his true colors!

Alan M. Kaplan, Director