Steven Aftergood
Steven Aftergood
Steven Aftergoodis a specialist in physics and a political activist. He is a critic of U.S. government secrecy, generally favoring more openness. He directs the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy and is the author of the Federation blog/newsletter Secrecy News...
argument enormous forgive might necessity speaking strictly tolerance understanding violations
I think there is enormous understanding and tolerance for an argument from necessity, and there's willingness to retroactively forgive what might strictly speaking be violations of the law.
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It is ironic, ... We sued the C.I.A. four times for this kind of information and lost. You can't get it through legal channels.
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I think there will be problems and cases where employees are tripped up by the tests, ... But the bureau as a whole will adapt.
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We have an interest on public access to government information and in government control of such access. Don't shut down these guys whether they are communicating with their families or they are reaching out to the larger public.
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It's perfectly understandable the press office would be frustrated by leaks. But they are the ones with the documents, they are the ones who need to exercise discipline. You can't ask the press not to report what they learn.
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This whole activity was effectively concealed. It's baffling. It's basically a covert action taking place at the National Archives.
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FOIA is one of the most vital tools we have left and it's urgent that it be protected. It's under stress in this climate, but it's not broken.
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FOIA is one of the most vital tools we have left, and it's urgent that it be protected. It's under stress in this climate, but it's not broken.
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A lot of what we think we know of our recent history may be mistaken, ... It is a disgrace that it should be so in a democracy, but it is.
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It results in unnecessary secrecy that leaves citizens in the dark.
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It prompts speculation that perhaps the government was using information that was illegally obtained.
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It makes reporter's job more difficult, but also gives them the responsibility to work to overcome the impediments put in their way.
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It's a 'trust me' response. That's not good enough anymore. There needs to be an external check and balance to restore confidence in the system.
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It's a bit of a compromise, ... There is a cultural resistance to the polygraph that is different at the FBI than at the CIA. A polygraph is something that is given to new employees and suspected criminals, not to employees in good standing.