“May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.”


"This report is maybe 12-years-old. Parliament buried it, and it stayed buried till River dug it up. This is what they feared she knew. And they were right to fear because there's a whole universe of folk who are gonna know it, too. They're gonna see it. Somebody has to speak for these people. You all got on this boat for different reasons, but you all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than I have before. Maybe all. Sure as I know anything I know this, they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, 10, they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people . . . better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave." ~ Captain Malcom Reynolds

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

It's the Content, Stupid...

For want of a better title. Classified documents amongst the political elite has been all the buzz lately, with files and papers turning up just about everywhere but the Sunday school flyer. And, as is typical, it has led to a rash of interwebz experts on "He declassified this," "They hid that," "Look at this new thing!" amongst the media and public spheres. Along with fingerpointing of who can do what at which time, and other issues of "How the hell are you people not accountable for simple documents like anyone else?" So, in a rare attempt to educate, I felt like going over a tidbit everyone seems to be skipping past in their rush to judgment from whichever side of the spectrum they follow. Let's take your random document, with some classification marking. In this case we'll call it 'Top Secret', without any other special labels or such. A piece of paper with some words, or images, or whatever. Now, that particular 'Top Secret' label means that the powers that be (and there is a broad swath of agencies which can do so, by delegated authority" feel that the information therein could result in grave danger to national security if disclosed. Note the key words - the information within. It's not the paper itself that is classified - it's the information which it represents. Not just a single copy, but that information, as a whole, pertaining to public discussion. Which leads to the elephant everyone is ignoring. I won't dispute classification/declassification authorities in any of the events currently making the news. BUT, I will point out this. If *any* of said players appropriately stated "X" document is declassified - it applies to that information across the board. Not just some paper in an office or garage or library. No, the contents themselves, in whatever form, are now legally no longer subject to those rules. Which leads to a separate, ugly, mess...

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