Melanie Morgan, New York Times, KSFO

STILL GOING

Media Elites Pound KSFO's Morgan Over Comments





Nearly two weeks after KSFO / San Francisco morning talker Melanie Morgan called for New York Times Editor Bill Keller's potential execution if both charged and found guilty of treason, the liberal press backlash continues.

Mainstream media elitists have since made Morgan the poster child for their new crusade against "bullies" who are "unfairly" out to get them. Like the Energizer Bunny, their "outrage" just keeps going and going and going.

Is it nothing more than a transparent attempt to deflect from their own recent questionable behavior?

Not often mentioned by these "victims", of course, is the fact that Keller's paper kicked off the entire controversy in the first place, by reporting on what was supposed to be a secret program to investigate terrorism financing. Since then, conservatives, the White House and congressional representatives have sharply criticized the Times for its lack of discretion.

And sure enough, Morgan had the honor of being selected as Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person In The World", shortly after making the comment on another MSNBC show.

Morgan says her statements have since been twisted by partisan opponents. On FOX's Hannity & Colmes show, she recently made the case.

And in Melanie's own words, this is from WorldNetDaily:

The producers for the MSNBC news program "Hardball with Chris Matthews" had asked me to come on their show to discuss the leaking of classified anti- terrorism programs by the New York Times.

I made it clear with my very first words that I saw this as a case of treason. Yes, for those of you in the "cut and run" crowd, I said TREASON.

Matthews was shocked. He seemed to think he misunderstood me. I couldn't have really meant that, could I? Long prison sentences for reporters because they repeatedly leaked classified information on America's efforts to combat terrorism?

Absolutely.

Since my comments on Monday, a growing chorus of patriotic Americans have joined in the call for prosecution of the New York Times for committing treason.

New York Times editor Bill Keller and his accomplices should face prosecution by the government of the United States for willfully and repeatedly undermining the war effort against terrorism by repeatedly violating the law and reporting on classified anti-terrorism programs.

For those with short memories, the New York Times pulled the same stunt in December of last year when it exposed the terrorist wiretapping program to the world under the sensational headline, "Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts."

In each of the cases where the New York Times leaked information on our efforts to battle America's enemies, the Bush administration made pleas for the Times not to publish the stories.

After the Hardball visit, Morgan was quickly slammed by the American Prospect, a liberal website:

RIGHT WING TALK SHOW HOST WOULD HAVE "NO PROBLEM" WITH KELLER "BEING SENT TO THE GAS CHAMBER."

According to this morning's San Francisco Chronicle, conservative talk show host Melanie Morgan of KSFO-FM said she'd have no problem if Bill Keller were executed for publishing the big Times piece on the U.S.'s secret financial surveillance program. From the Chronicle:

San Francisco talk show host Melanie Morgan believes that Times editor Bill Keller should be jailed for treason for approving the publication.

The maximum penalty for treason is death.

"If he were to be tried and convicted of treason, yes, I would have no problem with him being sent to the gas chamber," Morgan, whose show airs on KSFO-AM, told The Chronicle on Wednesday. "It is about revealing classified secrets in the time of war. And the media has got to take responsibility for revealing classified information that is putting American lives at risk." (Emphasis added.)

Behold the forces that have been unleashed by this despicable and dishonest attack on the Times by the White House, Congressman Pete King and their craven enablers in the conservative media. Who owns KSFO-AM? Who are its advertisers? Are they OK with this?

Morgan has since (apparently unsuccessfully) attempted to get the Prospect to publish this response to recent attacks against her there:

To: letters@prospect.org
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 6:57 PM
Subject: Response from Melanie Morgan to Greg Sargent (please forward to Mr. Sargent)

If the Left ever wonders why so many conservatives are outraged by what they read from Liberal publications (such as the American Prospect) one need not meander any further than Greg Sargent's interview with me last Thursday.

No, I am NOT backing away from any of the comments I made in the "Horse's Mouth" blog.

But I am pointing out that the summarization of my comments is completely misleading, and totally in character for people who despise those of us who work ceaselessly to stand-up for our troops in time of war, and who are outraged when others refuse to do the same.

First, folks, to the headline:

TALK SHOW HOST MELANIE MORGAN SAYS 'ANY NEWSPAPER EDITOR' WHO PUBLISHES CLASSIFIED INFO SHOULD BE 'LOCKED IN A STEEL CAGE,' MURDERED BY FAMILY MEMBERS OF SLAIN TROOPS, AND SENT TO THE 'HOTTEST CORNER OF HELL.'

The truth: I pointed out in my comments that if a person is TRIED AND CONVINCTED of committing treason then obviously they should face the punishment for that crime.

That includes the death penalty.

I never suggested murdering Bill Keller of the NY Times or anyone else. Period. Look up the definition of murder. It's in Wikipedia, by the way.

The protest by The American Prospect and other anti-war liberals in the blogosphere over my statements shows either a naivete concerning the law, or more likely it demonstrates once again that those in the 'Blame America First' crowd are rabidly against the war on terrorism, and are blinded by all logic and reason.

And then there was this by Mr. Sargent "Now she's basically said that any editor printing classified national security information should be murdered, maybe it's time to check in with the corporate owners of her local station."

Again-- a complete mischaracterization of my quotes. A more accurate summary should have read "Any editor who is responsible for leaking classified information and results in the deaths of American soldiers at a time of war should face the ultimate punishment for that crime, including the death penalty."

The exact quote to Mr. Sargent is "Let me answer your question with a question. If by leaking classified information that resulted in the deaths of American soldiers-- let's just say that a terrorist purchased all the ingredients necessary for an IED and detonated it against a convoy of 18, 19, 20-something Marines, killing them--- do you honestly think I would give a rat's rear-end how the editor who leaked that information dies? ....NO. I DO NOT CARE."

Because, after all, he or she is recieving the ultimate penalty for the charge of treason.

My WISH list for traitors who undertake to subvert national security interests that results in the deaths of American Soldiers is "to be locked in a steel cage with the family members of slain troop members who would happily deliver the ultimate punishment of death, and then sent to the hottest corner of hell."

As a journalist of over 30 years experience covering the Mideast, the uprising for Democracy at Tiannamen Square in China, the return of hostages from the hijacking of a jetliner, I have a bit of experience in observing media convention, classified secrets, and the rule of law. And apparently Richard Valeriani, a long time former NBC reporter agrees by saying that the New York Times decision to publish is akin to 'giving Anne Frank's address to the Nazi's.'

I might also point out to Mr. Sargent that his squealing over my comments most likely would evaporate if one of his friend's or loved one's were to suffer harm at the hands of the terrorists as a result of the repeated attempts to undermine the war effort by deliberately leaking/publishing classified material, and in doing so provided aid and comfort to the enemy.

One other thing. The people within the United States government who actually leaked to the NYTimes, WaPo, LAT, and Wall Street Journal such a successful, worthy program as the SWIFT database should join the folks I have suggested in taking up residence in the hottest corner of hell.

Finally, I'm delighted to report that your efforts to have me blackballed from Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC were entirely unsuccessful. And my radio station KSFO AM in San Francisco, owned by ABC/Disney, has no intention of firing me.

After all, there is a First Amendment. And it works both ways. Much as the Left hates that.

I look forward to seeing my comments in print.


Melanie Morgan,
KSFO, San Francisco
Co-Host, Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan Show

While most issues of this nature might be expected to blow over after a few days, this one is still going strong, fueled by the likes of Salon.com and the NYT's own Frank Rich, who lambasted Morgan in his column yesterday:

All the News That's Fit to Bully
By FRANK RICH

TWO weeks and counting, and the editor of The New York Times still has not been sentenced to the gas chamber. What a bummer for one California radio talk-show host, Melanie Morgan, who pronounced The Times guilty of treason and expressly endorsed that punishment.

She and the rest of the get-the-press lynch mob are growing restless, wondering why newspapers haven't been prosecuted under the Espionage Act. "If Bush believes what he is saying," taunted Pat Buchanan, "why does he not do his duty as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States?"

Here's why. First, there is no evidence that the Times article on tracking terrorist finances either breached national security or revealed any "secrets" that had not already been publicized by either the administration or Swift, the Belgian financial clearinghouse enlisted in the effort.

Second, the legal bar would be insurmountable: even Gabriel Schoenfeld, who first floated the idea of prosecuting The Times under the Espionage Act in an essay in Commentary, told The Nation this month that the chance of it happening was .05 percent.

And, from Salon.com:

The state secrets that weren't secret

Right-wingers desperate to intimidate the press have accused the New York Times of treason for publishing details of a terror investigation -- ignoring the fact that everything significant about that operation has been known for years.

By Joe Conason


Losing the national debate over the war in Iraq while falling to unprecedented lows in public approval, the Republican right is returning to a favorite smear tactic: charging the loyal opposition with "treason."

For now the New York Times is the most prominent target of these charges, having published an article on the Bush administration's investigation of terrorist money laundering using SWIFT, an international banking correspondence system. But the current campaign against the paper of record is merely rehearsal for a barrage of accusations against Democrats as the November midterm approaches.

In recent days, the buzzing swarm of right-wing drones has spread the treason meme, from the House Republican caucus to Fox News Channel, MSNBC, talk radio and the Internet.

The ubiquitous Ann Coulter compared Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger to Tokyo Rose, while a California radio host named Melanie Morgan, who also operates a Republican-funded Web site, convicted Times executive editor Bill Keller of capital treason and urged his execution by gas chamber. A Wall Street Journal editorial suggested that (unlike the Journal news editors who also had published the SWIFT story) the Times is guilty of intentionally "obstructing" the war on terror.

Weekly Standard editor William Kristol demanded on Fox News that the Justice Department prosecute the Times under the Espionage Act. (If Kristol and his ilk really believe that the Times is a nest of traitors, shouldn't they call for their patriotic friend David Brooks to resign from the paper's Op-Ed page?)

Even though liberal columnists continue to pound away at Morgan, other than the KSFO host herself, it's hard to see who's really gaining from this continued fuss. Where she does have a legitimate beef is with those who have taken her words badly out of context for their own partisan purposes.

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