Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
So, have the United States media been 'giving aid and comfort' to enemies of the United States? According to a report released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the answer is a definite 'Yes'. As reported by the US News & World Report, the authors state that,
The paper "Is There an 'Emboldenment' Effect in Iraq? Evidence From the Insurgency in Iraq" concludes the following:
* In the short term, there is a small but measurable cost to open public debate in the form of higher attacks against Iraqi and American targets.
* In periods immediately after a spike in "antiresolve" statements in the American media, the level of insurgent attacks increases between 7 and 10 percent.
* Insurgent organizations are strategic actors, meaning that whatever their motivations, religious or ideological, they will respond to incentives and disincentives.
I would think that by now, even the dimmest of reporters and editors would be aware that their constant anti-American reporting is assisting the Islamists we are fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world. And if one reads history, one can discover that the North Vietnamese knew the only way they could win was through the treasonous attacks by useful American idiots such as Jande Fonda. So this is not exactly news, or shouldn't be.
The Press ought to be aware by now of the power of the pen. After all, they are always reliable in releasing hit pieces on REpublicans shortly before the elections- if that is considered to be a useful tactic, how can the fail to understand that their lack of support for their President and their fellow Americans in the military are aiding our enemies now?
Not let me clearly state that debate of tactics is and should remain a protected right. For example, John McCain has maintained for some time that our strategy in Iraq was failing and the we ought to change it. That is legitimate debate. But writing after two weeks that Iraq is a 'quagmire' as so many reporters did, or constantly publishing articles designed to reduce support among Americans, such as the New York Times, the New Republic and so many others have done, is treason. Pure and simple. So every time the New York Times publishes an article calling for withdrawal, every time a Nancy Pelosi or a Harry Reid declares the war 'lost' they are aiding or enemies. And in these cases, they ought to be indicted for treason, since they are clearly operating with little or no expert advice. Constructive criticism is one thing- calling for withdrawal is another.
The Constitution makes clear the standard of guilt- a standard no prosecutor would have any trouble proving, since these opinions are so widely published and read. Obviously there are debates to be had, but in my opinion, it is time to start putting the clamps on these disloyal media types who are so busy helping our enemies that they are killing their fellow citizens. And that, my friends is treason.
As Allahpundit over at Hot Air commented, this report "comes with plenty of caveats" but the basic premise- that the negative coverage does indeed embolden our enemies, is pretty hard to discount. So isn't it time that the Justice Department starts enforcing some of these laws., and in the process, maybe forcing our anti-American Press to make some hard decisions about which side they are actually on? Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
