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Politics : John EDWARDS for President
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To: Raymond Duray who wrote (419)2/21/2004 11:22:30 PM
From: Ann Corrigan  Read Replies (3) of 1381
 
The internet makes everyone a quick study:

Katharine Gun, 29, is facing trial at the Old Bailey, charged under the Official Secrets Act with disclosing secret Government information.

Katharine used to work as a translator at GCHQ, the Government’s eavesdropping centre. In the weeks leading up to the Iraq War, at a time when the UN was still considering whether to pass a second resolution authorising war, she disclosed that the American National Security Agency had asked the British Government to help in the illegal surveillance of the six delegations holding the balance of power in the UN Security Council.

Katharine made the disclosure because she believed that it was necessary to prevent an illegal war in which thousands of Iraqi citizens and British and American soldiers would die or be maimed. She did what she thought was right. Now she faces two years in jail for acting on her conscience.

Liberty’s lawyers are representing her.

Liberty has long said that the Official Secrets Act is too draconian and that there should be a public interest defence that would protect whistleblowers.

Liberty is calling on the Government to do two things:

1. Drop Katharine’s prosecution

2. Reform the Official Secrets Act
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So, Katherine considered herself a better authority than Tony Blair & divulged secret information. She is now rightfully being tried. I assume that she passed a secret clearance before obtaining her translator job in a sensitive area? When she made her decision to go public, she did not have as much information at her disposal as the English & American officials who decided to go ahead with the UN action. Katherine might very well have somehow caused undercover agents to be eliminated.
If those who have limited information take the law into their own hands in matters of peace & war, the terrorists of the world have won. Peaceful nations are at a disadvantage to begin with so why should they tolerate the betrayal of someone who has limited information but chooses to expose that info to the public. Only those who believe in angels could not see how unrealistic it is to expect governments in the 21stC to deal with terrorism without some secrecy. I trust Tony Blair & Geo Bush's judgement in these matters before I would support dropping charges against Katherine. If she wanted a job that required a security clearance, she should have lived up to the requirements of that job.
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