Hey Dan

I think threatening the press is more serious then a joke made by the writer of a TV show. The joke was based on a statement made by Tom DeLay that threatens retribution on judges that made a ruling he did not agree with. Mr DeLay is back making threats again, this time to NBC for making fun of him.

(CBS/AP) House Majority leader Tom Delay fired off a letter to NBC Universal Television Group President Jeffrey Zucker Thursday calling "a failure of stewardship of our public airwaves," and a "brazen lack of judgment" a shot taken at him during NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" season finale May 25.

According to a transcript excerpt supplied to the magazine Broadcasting & Cable by Delay's office, the show's finale features a white supremacist who kills a judge's family, and the killing of an appellate judge. As the detectives hunt for the judge killer, Detective Alex Eames, played by Kathryn Erbe, said "Maybe we should put out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-Shirt."

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay accused NBC of "a failure of stewardship of our public airwaves." (Photo: AP)

In case you do not recognize the language he is using, 'stewardship of our public airwaves' is the wording used to grant broadcasters license to use the broadcast bandwidth. To fail in the stewardship would means that the government can revoke your license. The threat is real.

This is how freedom of the press will die. With the over whelming attack on Newsweek for being critical of the administration, ABC reporting on Bushes flight status and a handful of other cases. The press is worried about the political environment. Over and over the press has come under attack for political purposes.

In this case Tom DeLay may want to focus attention away from the fact that more of his associates may be going to jail for breaking the law.

A judge rules that a political action committee formed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay did violate Texas law. The ruling found that the group illegally funneled $500,000 in corporate campaign contributions to GOP candidates in the 2002 election.

An independent and free press is one of the things we point to as a mark of freedom. We are giving up freedom one threat at a time.