NYTimes editors should go to jail

What purpose did the NYTimes story revealing the SPECIFICS of how America is monitoring financial transactions serve?

Did it help ordinary Americans? No.

Will this story get Bush impeached or affect him at all? No.

Is what Bush is doing illegal at all? No.

Does this help terrorists and other criminals by learning the details of how transactions are monitored? Yes.

The only purpose the story served is to help criminal and terrorists know more details of our law enforcement efforts, hurting our ability to monitor illicit transactions.

Thanks, NYTimes.

The Justice Dept. needs to charge editors from the NYTimes with a crime, prosecute, and send them to jail.

Will this send a "chilling effect" across the American Press? YES, that's the point!

No one rational is arguing for the abolition of the 1st Amendment. I LOVE the fact that politicians can get lambasted in the media, Bush included. The NYTimes is liberal, but there are other conservative media outlets to make the case for Bush; let the viewer decide who is right.

But releasing national secrets is not rational political discourse. When the program (like this one) is LEGAL, revealing it doesn't serve any purpose. Bush White House hasn't done anything wrong, so there is nothing to impeach Bush over. Yet the damage done in our fight against terrorists or other criminals is irreperable and long-lasting, and ultimately not knowable.

The Justice Dept. needs to prosecute the NYTimes for the same reason why we prosecute ALL other crimes: to DETER future criminals from committing the same crime.

We definitely want to DETER future media such as the NYTimes or LATimes from releasing national secrets. If we do NOT prosecute, NYTimes will be emboldened to release MORE secrets that are LEGAL but the NYTimes doesn't like.

Again, prosecuting media aimlessly or without merit is abhorrent in a free society; it's part of the backbone of our country that politicans are attacked in the media. Obviously, NYTimes can run stories all day, every day, about Abu Grahib, Bush's mismanagement of the war, Katrina, gas prices, etc. Bush doesn't like it, but too bad. But when national secrets are revealed, the media has crossed the line and the media MUST be punished.

It is up to the Justice Dept. to prosecute the NYTimes and tell the media where the line is, for the good of the country. Without punishment, NYTimes et. al. will CONTINUE to reveal ANY and ALL secrets they come across, REGARDLESS of the effect on America, if they THINK revealing the secret will damage Bush.