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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (176946)	9/3/2001 1:26:57 AM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769669

Bush's new Secrecy Act attempt part of the cover-up. "OBSESSED WITH SECRECY The Official Secrets Act hurts only whistleblowers. Secrecy to protect national security is one thing. Obsessiveness about not divulging classified-designated material that imperils no one except bureaucratic miscreants and profligate government wastrels is quite another. Congress, however, keeps getting the two confused in legislation known as the ``Official Secrets Act.'' The act would make it a felony to disclose classified information of any type to an unauthorized person. But federal law already provides for criminal charges against those who reveal classified information that threatens national security. So the act basically amounts to taking punitive measures against government whistleblowers. Yet another law protects whistleblowers from retaliation and other forms of punishment for revealing government misdeeds. Former President Bill Clinton commendably vetoed this legislation last year, but now Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is sponsoring it again as part of an appropriations bill for intelligence activities. Mr. Shelby's amendment may go to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence next Wednesday. The committee, which includes Florida Democrat Bob Graham, should reject it as Draconian, unnecessary and, most important, a possible violation of the First Amendment's free-speech clause. If this law were on the books, wrongs such as government-sponsored biological-warfare experiments on unknowing U.S. citizens and human-rights abuses in Latin America that were tolerated by U.S. officials might not have been exposed. Nor might the country have learned about the Iran-contra scandal or about cases of waste and fraud in the defense industry. The best known example is publication of the Pentagon Papers, which helped change the nation's mind about U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. No one, including responsible media outlets, should condone or encourage revelations of classified information that endanger U.S. national security or defense interests. But that said, government officials always have leaked information. Most of the time the information concerns nonsecurity issues that the public is entitled to know. Yet in an overreaction to those leaks, as well as the information-technology explosion, the U.S. government bureaucracy is tending toward more secrecy, listing as classified information as mundane as purchasing data. Such unreasonable suppression ultimately will fuel more, not less, whistleblowing. The Official Secrets Act will not, as its supporters have argued, protect intelligence operations or the lives of foreigners who spy for the United States -- another law already exists for that purpose. What it would do is make conscientious people who are troubled by government waste and official wrongs too fearful to step forward and tell the truth. They shouldn't be threatened; they should be encouraged. * Bush-Cheney get away with the gougings and corruption if we let this bill become law.

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (176946)	9/3/2001 3:06:01 PM
From: gao seng	Respond to of 769669

Why answer, he has everyone on ignore.

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (176946)	9/3/2001 3:10:39 PM
From: J.B.C.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769669

American Spirit can't stand to be proven wrong that's why he nearly has everyone on ignore. That's what communist do, publish something that's not true and don't accept feedback. Are you a communist too flappy??? Jim

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (176946)	9/3/2001 3:24:25 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769669

I find American Spirit's posts to be on target and informative. American Spirit consistently raises important questions that the right wingers are afraid to even try to answer. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Flappy, that's the post of the day... Now the scary part would be if you actually believed that. JLA