Letters to the Editor Round-Up

From the NY Daily News June 28th...
Let freedom ring...
Lindenhurst, L.I.: It's timely that Rep. Pete King would attack and prosecute the freedom of the press, even as Americans prepare to celebrate those same freedoms for the July 4 holiday.
Susan Davniero


From Newsday a back-handed smack at King on June 23rd....
Fireworks where?
Recently, I've read about and seen several instances of large quantities of fireworks being brought to Long Island in vehicles from out of state, with the arrests being made by Long Island police. To get to Long Island from out of state, isn't it necessary to use a bridge or a tunnel? And aren't bridges and tunnels supposedly prime spots for terrorists to strike?
I feel secure that we're "keeping the terrorists under wraps" in Iraq, and building a wall to keep them from flooding in via Mexico. Maybe in its spare time (after cutting back on defense spending for New York) the administration in Washington, or someone like Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), will take notice.
Keith Alan Durkin
Glen Cove

Newsday June 30th...
Read the paper
As a constituent in Rep. Peter King's (R-Seaford) district, I was embarrassed to hear that he's urging the Bush administration to sue The New York Times for national security breaches ["King seeks federal probe of NY Times," News, June 26]. Rather than suing the paper, might I suggest he try reading it to learn some things about legality and his favorite administration's breaches.
Jay Lustgarten
North Bellmore

Newsday July 1st....
What's up with Rep. Peter King? Not content with his self-imposed title of "Bush's man in Congress," he seems to be seeking recognition as a latter-day Joseph McCarthy, clanging the disloyalty alarm at all who question the wisdom of his hero's dubious policies. Or is he merely trying to get as much free publicity as he can in this election year?
Elizabeth Levenson
Freeport

Newsday July 2nd...
Objecting to King's duplicity
Simply put, Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) is a hypocrite. He supports a program of dubious legal backing and calls The New York Times "treasonous" for exposing the program for tracking money transfers ["King seeks federal probe of NY Times," News, June 26].
But rewind a year, and the same Peter King had no problem with the Bush administration exposing the name of an undercover CIA agent. CIA agent Valerie Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, was working on searching for rogue weapons-of-mass-destruction programs, which is vital to our national security. We will never know how many sources died and how much information was lost. We don't need people like King in Congress.
North Massapequa

Newsday July 3rd...
Peter King is failing NY
It's interesting to see Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) telling Americans what they are entitled to know about our government's efforts to track money transfers around the world ["King seeks federal probe of NY Times," News, June 26]. One would think that King would be keeping a low profile, given his total failure in securing New York's federal anti-terror funding, all the more galling given that he is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
King has now removed any speck of a reason to continue representing the people of New York. Maybe instead of thanking God every night that George W. Bush is president, he should call the White House every night and ask his heavenly president why New York has had its funds cut by 40 percent.
Jason Weinstock
Atlantic Beach

From Seattle Post-Intelligencer June 30th...
Administration has its own brand of 'outing'
So Rep. Peter King wants to charge The New York Times with treason for informing the public that our government has been checking thousands of Americans' bank accounts. Never mind the terrorists already knew of this program and switched to other ways of delivering funds to their causes.
I haven't heard King call Karl Rove treasonous for "outing" a CIA operative to two journalists (which he admitted doing). Isn't that defined as treason under the law? Hasn't this "outing" put many more CIA operatives in danger in time of war? Hasn't this given aid to our enemy? Where is the balance when a top Bush adviser (salary paid by taxpayers) gets away with this, but when The New York Times prints something that is common knowledge it is accused of treason?
It never stops with the Bush administration. Leak what we want you to leak for our political purposes and you won't be held accountable but leak what we don't want the American public to know and you are helping the enemy, hurting national security, yada, yada, yada.
The frightening part of this is some Americans actually believe the Bush spin.
Lola Falstad
Seattle

San Fransisco Chronicle June 28th...
'Treason against tyranny is no vice'
House homeland security committee Chairman Peter King called the New York Times' reports on two secret surveillance programs "treason." It is revealing that the cause of this treason are the views of his political opponents. Terrorism is a legitimate threat, but it is not the only threat.
When a closed government acts in a secret and unrestrained manner against its citizenry, whatever its professed goals, it creates the appearance of tyranny, and is of great public interest to scrutinize. This scrutiny can only be called treasonous if tyranny has indeed returned to our shores.
I would remind Rep. King and his supporters that long before this war on terrorism, the American and French founders initiated the much bigger war against tyranny. This war was not ended with the defeat of the monarch. Our founders warned constantly of the enduring and seductive power of tyranny, particularly tyranny in the pursuit of a noble goal.
Tyranny is seductive because it is always the shortest path to that goal. But support of tyranny, even to achieve noble results, is anti-American. According to our founders, treason against tyranny is no vice. We must not cut and run in the war against tyranny.
ERIC CRIPE
Pacifica

From Editor and Publisher June 28th
Someone should ask Rep. King [and the GOP] if it was criminal to plant lies in the New York Times while lying their way to a criminal war. Why isn’t Rep. King railing against the bribers and profiteers obscenely grabbing money that could be used in New York for their protection services. Illegal is illegal whether by government or citizens. The New York Times should be commended. The administration has botched everything about this unnecessary war from start to present.
Robert N. Horey
Amherst, Ohio