Who remembers Paul Sanford?

[Octafish]

An attorney who also served as a journalist, Paul Sanford was first to ask then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan whether the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name might be considered an act of treason.

A year later he was dead in a fall at a California hotel. The death was ruled a suicide.

We talked about him on DU, back then.

[Octafish]

1. Did any other journalist ask the White House if outting Valerie Plame was treason?

None who I know.

Any DUer hear different?

[RobertEarl]

2. I don't recall that, Thanks, Octafish

I do remember the US missile that hit the journalists' hotel in Baghdad, tho.

[Octafish]

3. The question caused problems for him at the radio station.

He was very much appreciated for his liberal advocacy. He argued on behalf of a person who wanted "Under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance before the Supreme Court.

http://nyc.indymedia.org/es/2007/04/85426.html

Another DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2983854

Regarding the dead journalists killed in Iraq: Remember the CNN boss who got canned for mentioning the possibility thet were targeted?

http://m.guardiannews.com/media/2005/feb/14/iraq.tvnews

Brings us back to Bradley Manning and those persecuted for exposing the gangster nature of the state. Is it any wonder they're spying on journalists?

[hootinholler]

4. Being a good journalist is dangerous

Hard hitters and truth tellers seem to have a low life expectancy.

[Octafish]

5. That's why they need to hang together, like at Smirking Chimp...

Friends and associates expressed disbelief at the news of Sanford's death and that it was ruled a suicide, saying Sanford seemed happy and had made many plans for this week and in coming months. Mills said he and Sanford recently decided to open a shared law office to serve Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, something Sanford was looking forward to doing.

He and Sanford spoke on the phone "around four or five times a day," Mills said, and the two had just spoken on Thursday, "tweaking a marketing plan" for their new law practice before Mills went out of town for the Christmas holiday.

"I just don't know what happened since Thursday. There was nothing on the horizon there to know this was going to happen," Mills said. "We were going to get together this week."

Mills said he had spoken to Sanford's wife, Paula, and that she also was in shock. He said Sanford, a father of two, was a devoted family man.

"This is a horrible thing for his family. He would never have intentionally put his family through that trauma. Something's not right, it doesn't make sense."

CONTINUED...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/4239

[Octafish]

6. Paul Sanford not only stood up to the War Party...

...he stood up to the traitors who lied America into war.

DU noticed:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2987035

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I do, and I also remember this

we trained people like Batallion 100 in Central America to go after Journos who would not tow the party line. We trained them in the art of creating a supine press, that would not ask any questions.

And people are surprised those monsters are coming home to roost?

[Octafish]

8. Thank you, nadinbrzezinski!

The guy was one of the good ones:

Lawyer falls to death at hotel

Topic: Current Events 9:56 am EST, Dec 29, 2006

In what police describe as a "probable" suicide leap, a prominent Monterey Bay Area attorney fell at least nine floors to his death at the Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay in Seaside the morning before Christmas.

Sanford was active in the national arena. He appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2004 beside Elk Grove resident Michael Newdow when he argued unsuccessfully that the words "under God" should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.

A passionate believer in "a dynamic Constitution," Sanford always carried a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his pocket, Mills said.

"He was a champion of the downtrodden, he represented homeless people in Santa Cruz, and fought for free speech," Mills said.

Mills said Sanford decided in recent years to add journalism to his many occupations.

Almost immediately, he caused a stir after he joined the White House Press Corps in 2005, making waves as the first reporter to ask then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan whether the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name might be considered an act of treason.

SOURCE: http://www.memestreams.net/users/decius/blogid10317294/

Original for $2.95: http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MC&p_theme=mc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=allfields(Paul%20Sanford)%20AND%20date(1/1/2006%20to%201/1/2008)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=1/1/2006%20to%201/1/2008)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(%22Paul%20Sanford%22)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date &xcal_useweights=no

PS: Thank you for grokking, nadin. The pentagon is pointing its powers at their biggest threat -- We the People who oppose wars for profit.

PPS: Have we any reports on Michael Hastings' final hours? It seems that a lot of the focus has been on his reportage, but what were the circumstances of his driving around Hollywood at 4:30 a.m.? How come he was out and about at that hour? Who had he been with? Where was he? If we learn that, we'll be a lot closer to learning why he died.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. KTLA has a report

including an email... and of course the de facto denial that the FBI was not doing any investigation.