NYT: Obama using Espionage Act to 'silence and prosecute federal workers'

[AwareNow]

Blurred Line Between Espionage and Truth

Last Wednesday in the White House briefing room, the administration’s press secretary, Jay Carney, opened on a somber note ...


The full story is available at the below link:


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/bu...ef=todayspaper

the majority of the recent prosecutions seem to have everything to do with administrative secrecy and very little to do with national security.

In case after case, the Espionage Act has been deployed as a kind of ad hoc Official Secrets Act, which is not a law that has ever found traction in America, a place where the people’s right to know is viewed as superseding the government’s right to hide its business.

[loyalheart]

what's "ad hoc" ?

[AwareNow]

Originally Posted by loyalheart

what's "ad hoc" ?

In this case it means creating law out of thin air, circumventing the legislative process. You can think of it as a back door way of ruling by decree, much the way a dictator would.