A bit more to the center of this issue, I sit…
There’s a time and place for secrecy in government. The recent release of classified information about potential war plans in Iraq are dangerous – not that the military or the Defense Department isn’t subject to civilian oversight – but because they reveal potential tactics and plans that would be used in the event of war. This endangers the lives of our men and women and risks the failure of a military campaign. It’s a criminal act with severe consequences, and I’m completely comfortable with that.
Don Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, has ordered an investigation of these leaks – and I, for one, hope the person is identified, prosecuted, convicted, and rots in a cell.
Now that I’ve said that, I do believe in open government. Our government agencies must be responsibile to civilian authorities, and ultimately to us, as citizens… But in my mind, military information or intelligence information such as this must remain classified for years to come…
Now, some folks in the government are pissed off that information is being “leaked” to the public. So I ask you this. Why is it that the government thinks it can do all kinds of super secret squirrel stuff, but then it also thinks it’s OK to SNOOP on Americans??? That damned Patriot Act says that they can much more easily intrude on our private lives…our secrets…but yet THEY expect to be able to keep all THEIR secrets? Hmmmm. [kerri News]