From ludicrous to lethal, the government has lots of secrets

[seemslikeadream]

"There are too many secrets" and maybe too many secret-makers, said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., chairman of the Government Reform Committee's national security panel. There are 3,978 officials who can stamp a document "top secret," "secret" or "confidential" under multiple sets of complex rules.

No one knows how much is classified, he said, and the system "often does not distinguish between the critically important and comically irrelevant."


"The tone is set at the top," Shays said.

"This administration believes the less known the better," added the Connecticut Republican, noting sadly he was speaking of a GOP administration. "I believe the more known the better."

The panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, noted that former President Clinton directed that in cases of doubt, the lowest or no classification be used. But in 2003, President Bush ordered officials to use the more restrictive level.



Aftergood cited the "secret" stamp on Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's report of "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" inflicted on Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison.
more
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20040824-1500-governmentsecrets.html

[bluedeminredstate]

1. Hell just froze over.

I know Shays goes off the res now and then, but this is jaw-dropping for a repug under Delay and his enforcers. Wanna bet he's threatened with a primary challenge in 2006? If they could do it now they would, but it's too late for this election.

[Massacure]

2. I wonder what is actually in the Roswell report.

[Dancing_Dave]

3. Right on!

We need to press this issue all the way home! :yourock:

[jmowreader]

4. There are a lot more than 3,978 who can do it

The 3,978 are "original classification authorities." These people decide when something new should be classified and how high to mark it.

There are also "derivative classification authorities" and there are a shitload of them--probably five times the number of OCAs.

The thing that gets me about the Taguba Report: Army Regulation 380-5 specifically says "potential for embarrassment to the government" is not grounds for classification. That report should have never been classified.

[seemslikeadream]

5. A former dictator's cocktail preferences

:crazy: