In their wisdom, the Founding
Fathers created two branches of
the federal legislature. Things tend
to happen pretty quickly in the
House of Representatives, where
bills can be passed by a simple
majority vote.
The Senate, with its complicated
rules and effective filibuster mechanism,
tends to act as a braking
agent on the designs of the majority
party.
Often, this is a very good thing,
preventing a “tyranny of the majority”
to the detriment of those holding
minority views.
However, sometimes worthy initiatives
just get bogged down.
We believe strongly that this is
the case when it comes to the Free
Flow of Information Act, which
is scheduled to be the first item
considered in the Senate Judiciary
Committee’s Executive Business
Meeting on Thursday.
Already passed by the House of
Representative, for five long years,
the bill has languished and has
undergone many changes to accommodate
opponents.
Simply put, this is a law intended
to shield a news reporter from having
to testify about information or
sources involved with the research
or dissemination of a story.
It would be a mistake to categorize
it as granting a special privilege
to the news-gathering industries.
What it is, is an important
extension of the First Amendment,
without which all our other freedoms
would be jeopardized.
One version or another of what
has come to be known as a shield
law is in effect in New York, 48
other states and the District of
Columbia. But there is no federal
equivalent.
This came into play during the
Valerie Plame CIA leak-of-information
affair in 2003, when reporters
were pressed to reveal their
sources. In 2005, Judith Miller of
The New York Times spent 85 days
in prison for refusing to disclose a
source.
We are proud that New York
Sen. Charles Schumer is a supporter
of the Free Flow of Information
Act as a member of the Judiciary
Committee, but it is important that
he is vigilant against attempts to
derail the bill yet again.
Ranking Minority Member Jeff
Sessions, R-Ala., and Jon Kyl, RAriz.,
are expected to introduce
several unfavorable amendments
and perhaps filibuster.
Former President George W.
Bush was an opponent of the bill,
but now it has the support of the
Obama administration.
The Judiciary Committee has
already held several extensive
hearings on the bill. Schumer and
his colleagues must press for an
immediate vote in the committee
so that it can be passed on to the
full Senate.
Not for the benefit of the news
media, but for the benefit of the
American people.
Editorials
Shield law vital for America
- Editorials
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Women must win fight for opportunity
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it will recommend that Congress officially allow women to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.
Continued ... -
Center helps victims of child abuse and neglect
We learned some good news about some terrible news in a story by reporter Joe Mahoney in Tuesday's Daily Star.
Continued ... -
Chamber made excellent choices on service awards
A special committee selected by the Otsego County Chamber has made two excellent decisions regarding the organization's annual awards for service to our communities.
Continued ... -
Cheers
To Michael Shea, Terry Bliss, and the passage of the bill to allow Otsego's exit from MOSA.
Continued ... -
A sad tale may come to an end with arrests
People are almost always sad, and sometimes outraged, whenever something awful happens to a fellow human being.
Continued ... - Saturday, February 4, 2012
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Pill abuse should be a priority for police, pols
Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas proposed a bill this week to help police combat a disturbing trend of increasing prescription drug abuse.
Continued ... - Friday, February 3, 2012
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More needs to be done to aid vets with PTSD
The recent story of Stamford grandmother Melody DiGregorio grieving the loss of her grandson, Air Force veteran Edward "Drew" Snyder, brings home the debilitating and often-unreported effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on our service men and women.
Continued ... - Thursday, February 2, 2012
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Area 'shocked' at underage drinking? That's shocking
It has been referenced so often that it has become a cliché.
Continued ... - Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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School's new lease on life a welcome development
It is a big place designed to echo with the sounds of young people in a healthy learning environment.
Continued ... - Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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Cheers
To the Central American Youth Ambassadors Program, to Ray Preston and to the NCOC building trades class and the Prattsville Fire Department.
Continued ... - Monday, January 30, 2012
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Mitt's not at fault for loopholes in tax code
As the longtime frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney has faced withering attacks from rivals seeking to upset him.
Continued ... - Saturday, January 28, 2012
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Rest in peace, Naples and Stalter
Our area recently lost two important and influential members of our community: Oneonta surgeon Dr. Kenneth D. Stalter and newly elected Sixth Ward Council Member Mike Naples.
Continued ... - Friday, January 27, 2012
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Case closed on 2 years of turmoil
"Case closed."
Continued ...
Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller was referring to possible criminal charges against fired police officer Michael Breen on Wednesday, but Miller just as easily could have been talking about the more than two years of turmoil the city has endured with its police department. - Thursday, January 26, 2012
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Obama played his cards right Tuesday
Despite a daunting economy and a challenging re-election campaign, on Tuesday night President Barack Obama displayed what Mark Twain called "the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces" in his State of the Union address.
Continued ... - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
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Searching for votes instead of honor
Say what you will about John McCain, the Republican nominee for president in 2008 who inflicted an ignorant Sarah Palin upon an unsuspecting nation.
Continued ... - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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Cheers
To MLK Jr. Day events, Diana Nicols, and Jordan Beers and Mariah Ruff.
Continued ... - Monday, January 23, 2012
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Dignity not enough to show in speech
After weeks of watching the often unseemly, if not downright humorous, antics of the Republican candidates for his job, President Barack Obama should have little trouble providing at least one thing Tuesday night in his State of the Union address. Dignity.
Continued ... - Saturday, January 21, 2012
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Tension with Iran is better than war
The dispute between Iran and the U.S. appeared close to boiling over into outright war last week, when a bomb in Tehran killed an Iranian nuclear scientist and Iran sentenced an accused Iranian-American spy to death.
Continued ... - Friday, January 20, 2012
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Let's hope no funding means no drilling
When it comes to state approval or disapproval of hydrofracturing in New York state, we certainly hope that no news is good news.
Continued ... - Thursday, January 19, 2012
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Testing is no way to judge teachers
Like him or not _ and according to the latest polls, more then 70 percent of New Yorkers do _ you've got to give Andrew Cuomo credit for guts.
Continued ...
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Women must win fight for opportunity
