Thursday 7 July 2005

Miller Sticks To Guns, Jailed For Not Naming Source

"His Way" Hogan Places Writer With Other Special Cases He's Sentenced

Judith Miller, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, was jailed yesterday for not giving up her confidential sources, for an article she didn't write. The other reporter involved in the case, Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine, received a last minute approval from his source that allowed Cooper to testify before the grand jury and have the civil contempt charges dropped.

Federal Judge Thomas F.Hogan told Miller that she was "defying the law" and ordered Miller to "a suitable jail within the metropolitan area of the District of Columbia". Miller will remain in jail until such time that she decides to talk or until the term of the grand jury expired in October.

Judge Hogan is presiding over a case, by Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald before a grand jury, of the disclosure of the identity of a covert operative of the Central Intelligence Agency. The investigation is based on a 1982 law that made it a crime to disclose the identity of covert agents in some circumstances (See The Garlic -" Rove Said To Be "Under Pressure Over Leak Accusation )

Hogan, known derisively among court personnel and lawyers who practice in his court, as "His Way Hogan", sentenced Miller to serve her time at the Alexandria Detention Center in Virginia.

Alexandria Detention Center is a favorite of Hogan, as at least 25 other persons have been sentenced there in the past three-years.

Among the convicted that Hogan has placed in the ADC is a check forger who never passed a bad check, a shoplifter who has never stepped foot in a retail store and three persons for speeding, despite that they don't own or drive automobiles.

In Miller's case, Hogan has jailed the reporter for a story that was never published.

"I don't know how he does it", stated one local prosecutor who didn't want his name used, for fear of retribution by the Judge. "They talk about judges that create legislation from the bench … Hogan … He sees crimes that no else does"

Miller, though shaken by the experience of being incarcerated, told Judge Hogan before being taken from the court that "If journalists cannot be trusted to guarantee confidentiality, then journalists cannot function and there cannot be a free press."

In anticipation of protests outside the detention center where Miller is being held, Hogan has already convicted four activists, and six protesters, who have not yet demonstrated against the verdict, to thirty-days in jail for unlawful assembly and disturbing the peace.


London Wins Olympic Bid, But With A Catch

IOC Names Switzerland As Games Official Food Host

In a highly contested run, and ending with a close vote, the International Olympic Committee named London as the host of the 2012 Olympic Games. London won by a 54-50 vote over neighbor, and often rival, France.

The committee also, however, took the unusual step of adding Switzerland to the hosting duties, naming them as the "Official Food Host" of the 2012.

This follows the harsh words from French President Jacques Chirac , who was caught on tape complaining about British cuisine.

``We can't trust people who have such bad food,'' Chirac was quoted as saying.

Chirac went on to say that the English's food was the worst, next to Finland and that the only thing the British offered to agriculture was "mad cow disease".

British Prime Minister Tony Blair , who was elated that London won the bid, refused to comment on Chirac, before flying off to host the G8 Summit in Scotland. This will be the first time Britain has hosted the Olympic Games since 1948.

The competition to host the Games was fierce, with New York and France spending a nearly $70 million combined in their efforts to promote their cities as hosts.

Sources have told The Garlic, that behind closed doors, a majority of IOC committee members shared Chirac's assessment of British cuisine.

"Let's face it" said one member, "it's just God-awful. We had a great deal of discussion about it. If cuisine wasn't an issue, London would have won anyway, but by a considerable higher margin. Perhaps another 20-30 votes".

The delegation from Switzerland appeared to be caught off-guard by the announcement and refused comment beyond stating that they were "most happy" to be part of the 2012 Games.

One on-looker to the voting and the high-spending campaigns for the Games and put it in perspective.

"When you look at the agenda this week for the G8 Summit , I think there's a lot of countries that would welcome a cuisine like the British have".