Letters to the editor Dec. 17

Tea partiers not as keen on First Amendment

The recent flap over WikiLeaks releasing certain documents and the knee-jerk reaction by the neo-con spin machine is worth debating.

The conservative right-wing machine would rather have our government lie to its citizens on a daily basis, and make finding or printing the truth a criminal act. I pose questions to my tea party and militia pals, and those equally fervent Second and 10th Amendment superpatriots: Is not a free press equally as important as your sacred cows? Is it not vitally important that a truthful and independent media keep the citizens informed of the facts?

Your well-known hatred, distrust and disgust of your government would almost certainly guide you to those who publish the truth, would it not? Certainly it is not acceptable to foolishly swallow the propaganda spun out by the very institution that you want to shrink and darn near abolish.

Our disgraced and futile Sen. John Ensign opened his mouth recently to show his complete ignorance of the First Amendment, the historical importance of a free press and of the people's right to know. Regurgitating the same tired conservative party line of national security and espionage, Ensign displays his painfully limited knowledge and understanding on the subject. He may want to brush up on Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers, and the importance of an informed populace in a democracy.

My advice to Ensign is to stick to affairs of which he knows something about.

Rick Van Alfen

Carson City