If You Do a White Collar Crime then You Will Serve Blue Collar Time

We can only hope that Fitz doesn't fizzle. I think Mr. Fitzgerald's motto should be: "If you do a white collar crime then you will serve blue collar time." Look where he lodged Judith Miller. A few months in a blue collar jail and she was ready to sing. Unfortunately, she says she forgot the words.

And then there is Harriet Miers. Perhaps the covert and the overt reasons for her withdrawal are both off the mark. Maybe, she got a courtesy call on October 26 from Mr. Fitzgerald informing her that she was a person of interest or an unindicted co-conspirator. Even if she didn't, she would probably be called as a witness for those who are indicted. Can she claim executive or attorney client privilege and avoid releasing her writings again. It would be hard for her to serve on the Supreme Court when she is knee deep in such a contROVErsy.

The Times They Should Be A-Changin

Bloggers Request:

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the Times should be a-changin'.

Good Bye Sulzberger, Keller, and Miller!

Fitzgerald's response:

Come politician's, journalists
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the indictments they are a-comin'.

--Bob Dylan

Judy plans to write a book.
Now that's a novel idea.
It certainly won't be based on facts.

First Aid for First Amendment

I would like to see this type of Press Release ASAP as a temporary solution pending the passage of an effective journalistic shield law:

Judith Miller’s Lament:

“On July 6, I chose to go to jail to defend my right as a journalist to protect a confidential source, the same right that enables lawyers to grant confidentiality to their clients, clergy to their parishioners, and physicians and psychotherapists to their patients.”

Inspired by the eloquent words and cogent ideas expressed by Judith Miller in her resignation letter, the New York Times announced today that they have entered into secret negotiations with a yet to be named national counseling service. Through a well-established network of neighborhood treatment centers and other outpatient facilities, the service has established an effective national presence in the behavioral health care marketplace. Volunteers at each facility will receive 8-week courses in journalism. Once trained, this dual duty cadre will be available to see whistle blowers and other unnamed sources who wish to leak important facts to the press. The conversations will be protected by the psychotherapist/patient relationship and will avoid any First Amendment conflicts. Besides saving the paper millions in insurance and legal expenses, this project will provide free counseling to those leaking as they deal with the anxiety of testifying before future grand juries. Individuals close to the talks say NYT will conduct a campaign asking their readers to suggest names for this new entity. Got any ideas?

In an unrelated story, the parent company of the unnamed national counseling service plans to establish a series of self-help urgent care centers in major U.S. cities. Each site will stock an abundant inventory of self-help publications and medical supplies and will be called “Suture Self.”