Pentagon Declares Truth-Telling Journalists Unprivileged Belligerents

by Stephen Lendman

According to the Department of Defense Law of War Manual, journalists aren't just civilians. They "may be members of the armed forces, persons authorized to accompany the armed forces, or unprivileged belligerents."

Section 1031 of the FY 2010 Defense Authorization Act replaced the designation "unlawful enemy combatant" with "unprivileged enemy belligerent." Language changed but not intent or lawlessness. Obama embraces the rogue Bush agenda on steroids.

Designating truth-telling journalists "unprivileged belligerents is one step away from criminalizing their work ordering their arrest, disappearing them or eliminating them altogether for explaining what everyone needs to know on issues mattering most and not tolerating high crimes of state.

America never was beautiful. It's a democracy in name only. Repressive post-9/11 laws made it a police state - barely short of suspending the constitution entirely and declaring martial law.

Forewarned is forearmed. What hasn't yet happened may be just a matter of time.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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