Libya Learns from US Right's Approach to Wikileaks-- Treats Journalists as Terrorists

[kpete]

Don't Shoot the Messenger
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/uk-court-rules-assange-extradited-4040265

By Rob Kall
opednews.com
James_Redfield, author of the bestselling Celestine Prophecy, recently tweeted a quote from his new book, The Twelth Insight,
"..Karma has nothing to do with payback. It reflects back to you what you're doing."

Now, we are seeing the regime of perhaps the worst, most despicable dictator, Muamar Gaddafi, doing to American journalists what America's "Right" has done to the journalists at Wikileaks, treating them like terrorists. I can't imagine a more ironic, real reflection of Redfield's definition of Karma.

The US State department has issued a warning:

Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
February 24, 2011

In meetings with senior Libyan government officials, U.S. diplomats were told that some members of CNN, BBC Arabic and Al Arabiya would be allowed into the country to report on the current situation. These same senior officials also said that some reporters had entered the country illegally and that the Libyan government now considered these reporters Al Qaida collaborators.

The Libyan government said that it was not responsible for the safety of these journalists, who risked immediate arrest on the full range of possible immigration charges. Foreign journalists already in Libya who are not part of the approved teams were urged to immediately join the approved teams in-country.

Be advised, entering Libya to report on the events unfolding there is additionally hazardous with the government labeling unauthorized media as terrorist collaborators and claiming they will be arrested if caught.



PRN: 2011/274
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This is what happens when members of congress, like Peter King, (R-NY) call for treating a genuine, revolutionary, heroic news organization like Wikileaks as a terrorist group. King wrote, ""WikiLeaks appears to meet the legal criteria... WikiLeaks presents a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States."
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Libya-Learns-from-US-Right-by-Rob-Kall-110224-385.html

[sabrina 1]

1. He was a U.S. ally after all and I'm sure he learned a lot from

the U.S. The attacks on Wikileaks here was one of the more shameful episodes in our history of journalism. It appears to have back-fired however as there never was any basis for going after a news organization, a prize-winning one at that on espionage charges. That should have sent chills down the spines of anyone in the least bit concerned about freedom of the press.

Joe Lieberman was another who wanted Wikileaks prosecuted, and when asked why then we should not prosecute the NYT and the Guardian etc. he responded, chillingly, that 'maybe it is time to start investigating the NYT.'

King and Lieberman are two of the reasons why this country has so many problems.

[cali]

4. uh, guess what? There has NEVER been any journalistic freedom under

Khadafi.

[sabrina 1]

5. Uh, guess what, I KNOW that.

So did the U.S Govt and they knew a lot more, but was was apparent in their failed pursuit of Wikileaks, a free press is not all that important here either.

[damntexdem]

2. Oh, and all this time I thought that the U.S. had learned from Libya.

;-)

[cali]

3. hahahahaha

Khadafi learned this from the treatment of Wikileaks in the U.S.

What an incredibly, astoundingly stupid claim.

I really detest stupid.

[sabrina 1]

6. What he learned was, as have many others, that the U..S.

lost its moral authority on issues such as the free press, torture, illegal invasions and killings of innocents in other countries. He learned that the U.S. was willing to overlook his various crimes if he gave them access to the profits to be made in his country, and he drove a hard bargain, as the Wikileaks cables show, demanding help with starting up a nuclear program, demanding arms etc.

Seems they were willing to consider anything just to get into Libya. He learned that there is very little morality attached to our foreign policy, and he took advantage of that. And if he is critized for any of the things he is doing, he will most likely point to the U.S. killings in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Iraq with their deadly drones and other WMD, and the pursuit of a news organization in an attempt to cover up crimes that in a moral society, would have been dealt with long ago.