Friday - July 14, 2006

Out Of Order

Question: we have “contempt of court” to charge people with when they act badly in court and we have “contempt of Congress” when people behave badly toward Congress - so why don’t we have “contempt of the President” to charge people with when they make genuine jerks out of themselves, harass the Executive Branch mercilessly and make all kind of false accusations against the President out of spite or partisan political reasons?

If we had such a law Plame and Wilson would be hit with heavy fines by now. Unfortunately, we don’t have such protection for the President and so the man or woman who occupies the nation’s highest office continues to remain the target of every miserable miscreant with an axe to grind. Plame and Wilson are prime examples. I’ve read the 23-page suit they filed and it strikes me as not having a leg to stand on. The arguments are weak and the so-called damages are really stretching the First and Fifth Amendment. I’m not a lawyer but if I were on the jury I’d throw the thing out of court as having no merit.

Just for grins, I asked my attorney what he thought about it and after reading the complaint he also said their arguments are too vague and very weak. He also made note of the fact that the process of discovery that the WAPO refers to in the article below as “possibly compelling the administration to reveal information they would rather not” as a two-way street. The government will also have the opportunity to ask for discovery and take depositions from associates and acquaintenances of Wilson/Plame - including media contacts and political party affiliates. This could backfire on the pair. We shall see.

If you want to read the entire complaint, click here (23-page PDF document). Here are the key claims by Plame/Wilson: (1) “The Defendants’ action described herein violate the Freedom Of Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits government officials from subjecting any individual to retaliatory action in reprisal for the exercise of the right to speech”; (2) “The Defendants’ actions described herein violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits government officials from intentionally subjecting any individual to treatment that is different from that accorded to others similarly situated and is without legitimate basis.”

I really hate stupid people - especially ones who take a simple document like the US Constitution and read all manner of weird “rights” into it. This is simply twisting the words of the Constitution to fit an agenda, no more, no less and I am sick and tired of people offending my sensibilities and defying common sense. It may be time for us to pass a new law whereby offensive idiots like Plame/Wilson can be fined for “contempt of The People.”

Vice President Sued by Plame And Husband
Ex-CIA Officer Alleges Leak Of Her Name Was Retaliatory
—_{(WASHINGTON POST) - Friday, July 14, 2006}

Former CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, filed a lawsuit yesterday against Vice President Cheney, presidential adviser Karl Rove and former vice presidential aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, accusing the three of violating their constitutional rights in retaliation for Wilson’s criticism of President Bush.

Plame and Wilson say that, after Wilson accused Bush of twisting intelligence about Iraq’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, Cheney, Rove and Libby conspired to “discredit, punish and seek revenge against the plaintiffs that included, among other things, disclosing to members of the press Plaintiff Valerie Plame Wilson’s classified CIA employment.”

Plame and Wilson ask for unspecified monetary compensation for what they described as a “gross invasion of privacy” that could jeopardize the safety of their children and target Plame for retribution by enemies of the United States. They also allege that the incident has impaired their professional opportunities. Plame has since retired from the agency.

The White House declined to comment on the suit, as did the vice president’s office. Plame, Wilson and their attorneys declined to comment yesterday, saying they will answer questions at a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m. today.

- More on the story at the WAPO ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 07/14/2006 at 09:26 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Judges-Courts-Lawyers •  
• Comments (5) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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