tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4296942054147310421.post7801277551059986272..comments2021-08-24T23:11:23.558-05:00Comments on LIS 661: Information Ethics and Policy: Secrets, Secrets Are No FunSarah. R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13495338005089494192noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4296942054147310421.post-9593892191184312472010-11-09T19:40:09.952-06:002010-11-09T19:40:09.952-06:00The mind reels. Many of the specific facts and num...The mind reels. Many of the specific facts and numbers that were presented in this week’s readings were new to me, many of them I had never considered before, but overall the level of secrecy in government was not surprising. I was impressed that there are people out there that can make some sense of it, and, I too couldn't help but grin at the Washington Post's in depth coverage of a complex and worthy issue in light of our recent discussions.<br /><br />I share your frustration with the overlap and in-fighting that seems too common in the government intelligence community. My mind kept flashing to every movie scene involving government agents of some sort of another arguing with each other over jurisdiction. At least in the movies they are always arguing over who gets to catch the bad guys; it appears in reality you also get a fair amount of "that's not our job." <br />The fact that many of the intelligence employees and directors quoted said, in essence, that it is impossible to tell who is doing what and how well anything is being done is both frustrating and worrisome. Maybe overtime things will begin to straighten out - especially if the citizenry stays diligent in their monitoring of the monitors, but I don't see it happening.<br />I think Dennis Blair was right when he said, "After 9/11, when we decided to attack violent extremism, we did as we so often do in this country. The attitude was, if it's worth doing, it's probably worth overdoing." And things are only going to get more complex.<br />Our only hope is that government, as we get further away from 9/11, will begin to reign in the rampant intelligence complex a little at a time. But I agree with you that it is a dangerous game for any administration to play - too much, too fast and someone shouts that we are unsafe and they have just committed political suicide.<br /><br />I am so glad that I am going to be a librarian and not a politician.Zach Berkleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14816981725618294017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4296942054147310421.post-3341848233063038012010-11-09T16:13:49.888-06:002010-11-09T16:13:49.888-06:00Daniel,
Wonderful assessment! I was also surpris...Daniel,<br /><br />Wonderful assessment! I was also surprised on the thoroughness of the Washington Posts’ articles concerning government secrecy. The thing that really popped out at me was the complexity of the system which was designed to keep us safe.<br /><br />In the article entitled “A Hidden World, growing beyond control” an eyewitness reported that he could not take notes during a terrorist security briefing – there was simply too much information for them to remember. Now, I understand the need for security, not leaving a paper trail, and all that. But, is not the accuracy of the information presented during said briefings most important? Is it not a waste of funds, time and safety if our own agents can not remember what they are being told?LibraryRPGamerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13721585353795044422noreply@blogger.com