This week is Banned Books Week and the government, of all organizations, has added a book of its own by buying the entire first print run of Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's memoir Operation Dark Heart. The book is about Shaffer's experiences in Afghanistan in 2003 when he worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency. While the content of the book was cleared by the Army Reserve, the Department of Defense took exception to certain things in Shaffer's writings and spent nearly $50,000 of your and my money to buy every copy of the book and destroy them.
Fortunately for free speech, the Pentagon neglected to obtain advance reader copies that the publisher sends out before any print runs are made. These copies are the final drafts of the book but have not been copy edited to a T, leaving some grammatical errors and typos that would not be found in the final product. It seems that one of these copies made it into the hands of Wikileaks. (A quick note: while many outlets are reporting that the Pentagon burned the books, begging for comparisons to Nazi Germany, official reports say that the books were "destroyed." The Pentagon would not answer my query as to what method of destruction the Pentagon uses for books it deems inappropriate for public consumption.)
The book destruction is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Obama administration hiding behind national security and state secrets. Recently his administration has taken a ludicrous stance in the Anwar al-Awlaki case, in which the government wants to put the New Mexico-born cleric on a capture-or-kill list of suspected terrorists, leaving open the option of assassination of an American citizen without due process of law.
I would expect the government to fight a lawsuit trying to prevent something like this, just as I would expect a leg to bounce up when its patellar reflex is hit with a tendon hammer. It is the assertion that the court should rule without looking at the merits of any future actions that could potentially be taken against the cleric that goes beyond the pale. They say that targeting in wartime is a matter for presidents and presidents alone.
Here's the problem with that. Anwar al-Awlaki is in Yemen, a country with which we are not at war. Secondly, there are three branches in this country's government for a reason and to tell the judicial branch to make a decision not based on merit, but on the desires of the executive flies in the face of Marbury v. Madison. Given the abuses of power of the previous administration, I think most folks in the country are weary of the "Just believe us, we know what we're doing," rationale.
Don't mistake my opposition to the Obama administration's hollow justifications as a defense of al-Awlaki. They're not. Instead they are defenses of this country's freedoms and they are respect for its system of laws and justice. If we bend the rules for al-Awlaki, we set a very dangerous precedent for other American citizens.
What the Obama administration is doing is nothing new. Every presidential administration in this country has understood the importance of information and, to some extent, has tried to control it. This does not make it any more justifiable to destroy thousands of books approved by the Army Reserve or to assassinate American citizens outside of a war zone. While the saying has become cliched, knowledge is power. This government wants to deprive its citizens of information and, thus, power. This is unacceptable.
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Stephen Montemayor: Media Must Remember Its Duty in the Face of a Threat
Frederick Reuss: Secrecy and Censorship: Book Burning in the Era of E-Books
Dan Wilbur: Better Book Titles: Giving Controversial Books A Makeover
wait...
2) These books were destroyed per order of the Pentagon.... Not Obama....
3) If the Military had doubts its better to err on the side of keeping info out of the eyes of Enemies. Period !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umRk1RHFysQ&fmt=22
In 2006, Julian Assange teams up with a group of hackers and experts to launch WikiLeaks.org; a site that enables whistleblowers to publish classified documents on the internet while preserving their anonymity.
Within a year, the site's database grows to more than 1.2 million documents; exposing fraudulent investment banks, governments, corporations, U.S. military operations... and more.
But not until 2009 does the mainstream media take notice... after the release of a single classified U.S. military video (collateral murder).
One leaked document originates from inside the CIA, containing a plan to take down WikiLeaks. The 32-page document recommends "identification, exposure and prosecution of whistleblowers - to destroy its "center of gravity."
In May 2010, Bradley Manning, U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst, is arrested by the U.S. Army for "exposing a classified video."
The U.S. Intelligence is tipped-off about Manning by another hacker, Adrian Lamo, for 'reasons unknown'. The CIA now had its first WikiLeaks whistleblower in custody.
Next, Pentagon would announce Julian Assange as a "person of interest."
On July 26, 2010, WikiLeaks makes headline news again, releasing 90,000 documents on the Afghan war.
For One Man - the 'WAR' is just starting - against abuse of Power, Greed & Corruption, UNJUST systems of government - to save the world from Militarism & War, Tyranny & Imperialism, Religious Fanaticism, Environmental Destruction... and the "disastrous rise of the Military-Industrial Complex."
It is SOP for legally removing remaining excess and out-of-print inventory off our accounting books for tax purposes, as well as for the rare occasion of discovering a printed error/liability that cannot legally wait for correction in a forthcoming edition.
Burning is not a viable commercial option for the destruction of books (although in the "old days" Random House, which used to incinerate their write-offs in their Maryland warehouse furnace, which in turn provided energy and heat to the warehouse.)
Instead the books are "pulped" or otherwise broken down and "recycled."
The truth is , after watching him courting Repulicans for for two years and setting up a Deficit Commision chaired by anti Social security fanatic Alan Simpson , I have no idea what the man stands for or believes in .
the so called leftLeaning Media is perpetually cynical and cannibalistic.
Can you imagine an article like this on a Republican politico on one of there websites...Townhall, Redstate, FreeRepublic, Breitbart, etc.
Everything the Senate doesn't do... it's Obama's fault
Everything the Military agencies do.It's Obama's fault; like he signed off on this
BP screws up....................................It's Obama's Fault
Thank you, Mr. Kane. I had NOT known of the particulars regarding this matter until reading your article.
Obama is just another president...and worse. Book burning and killing our own citizens... How does that fit in with Obama's 'vision of a better America?" What a load.
Just try, my friend
Just try, my friend.