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Everyone is in agreement that it is a bad idea to disclose tactical military information, on the grounds that it might endanger our troops. Similarly, nearly everyone agrees that it is unsound to reveal "methods and sources" concerning intelligence information for similar reasons. Compromising human sources might not only close down further information from that source, but do it with "extreme prejudice" as well! As for methods, these too must be protected, especially if they are new or unique.
On the other hand, the recent war has engendered an extraordinary amount of secrecy in our government, far in excess of these nominal cautions. While there has been talk of intelligence sharing, anyone who has ever been in the intelligence game knows that agencies protect their information with the zeal of guard dogs, not only from outside sources, but also from "brother" agencies. Why? Information is power. In the intelligence services, it is the ONLY source of power. For the CIA or NSA to share their knowledge with one another is to dilute and disperse that power, not a good thing for aspiring bureaucrats. For, we must never forget that despite all the romance surrounding the "James Bondian" services, they are all peopled primarily by bureaucrats.
Also, anyone who has ever served in any of these agencies knows that information is classified in order to cover up shoddy work. The higher the classification, the less chance that anyone...anyone of importance, that is...will ever read it.
These are the "normal" restraints on information sharing. But why exactly are presidential papers being subject to longer and longer prescriptions of secrecy? Some data is allowed to be kept secret FOREVER! What justification could there be for this?
Then there are the videotapes of Osama bin Laden...broadcast to the entire world by al Jazeera...which were "voluntarily" withheld by our TV news networks. Or how about the inordinate difficulty that reporters have getting accurate and timely information about what is transpiring in Afghanistan...AFTER THE FACT...when there is no longer need for tactical security.
Meanwhile, our government informs us that this information is being made available to foreign governments and intelligence agencies...governments, by the way, which are even more secretive about their dealings...AT LEAST WITH THEIR OWN PEOPLE!
What is going on? The short answer is that these facts are being withheld from us in order to keep us...the American people...in the dark about what is actually happening. Despite the fact that pictures of dead children...killed by American bombs...are transmitted all over the rest of the world, we ourselves are treated...in the words of Jack Nicholson in the movie A Few Good Men...as if we "can't handle the truth!" Dead babies tend to fuel peace movements. The "whole truth" tends to water down patriotic fervor, since it can "confuse" the "clarity" of dividing the Good Guys from the Bad.
One could also make a good case that the fervent secrecy of the intelligence agencies themselves...like classifying reports to keep them from being read...is meant to disguise the incompetence of the performers. Since, like the rest of the government, they must ultimately answer to the people, why NOT keep us from finding out what they are actually doing?
But, worst of all, we believe they are squandering the most important intelligence resource that has ever existed...the knowledge and participation of the people ourselves. Each of us can contribute very little, but in our enormous numbers, we are, in the final analysis, the source of ALL wisdom. Instead of alienating us from the process by treating us like small children, the CIA, NSA and military intelligence agencies could actively enlist our aid. And we do not just mean the American people. While there are large anti-American forces at work in the world, the vast majority of the world's people either admire who we are and what we have done...and could be further encouraged to help us by just a little more respect from our government.
A worldwide intelligence network already exists and is growing stronger by the day. It's called the Internet. The reams of "raw" intelligence that is daily being collected from non-critical sources by non-sensitive methods should be copied and moved to the Web AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Will some information...otherwise unavailable...be handed to those who MIGHT become our enemies? Yup. But, allowing everybody in the world to view and review it...and remember, THIS group of people is far larger and more friendly than their governments...HUGE amounts of goodwill and positive intelligence will be generated. Ordinary citizens in Saudi Arabia or Iraq, reading the rantings and ravings of al Qaida are likely to find all kinds of details which might be overlooked by our overworked intelligence agents. Will it also "educate" ever more individuals on the "ways of terror?" You betcha! But who, exactly, is drawn to the "wisdom" of proven losers? Who wishes to follow in the footsteps of cowards and murderers? If the answer to this question is not "ALMOST NOBODY!" then the world has scant possibility of surviving our present crisis anyway!
USE THE FORCE, LUKE!
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