U.S. government secrecy reaches historic high

WASHINGTON — Government secrecy has reached a historic high by several measures, with federal departments classifying documents at the rate of 125 a minute as they create categories of semisecrets bearing vague labels such as "sensitive security information." A record 15.6 million documents were classified last year, nearly double the number in 2001, according to the federal Information Security Oversight Office. Meanwhile, declassification, which made millions of historical documents available annually in the 1990s, has slowed to a relative crawl, from a high of 204 million pages in 1997 to 28 million pages last year.

the rest of the article: Link

Well this is no new news but I got this article off of the Google news section. THis secrecy thing is making headline news now. I think people are going to start waking up.



Mod Edit: Repair Link to story only.

[edit on 3-7-2005 by UM_Gazz]

No, doesn't mean people will start to wake up...

They'll just assume all the secrecy is to keep information away from "terrorists" not knowing that WE are the terrorists.

I don't think anything short of tanks driving down suburban America and destroying houses would wake people up.

[edit on 3-7-2005 by NoJustice]

Hey! Listen Up! These things are done to make YOU safer! Got that!? Now just shut the h*** up, you Nazi!...er, Commie....er Viet Cong...er Afgani...er, Frenchie...er Liberal...er peacenik...er hippie....er Terrorist...er Sandanista...er Libyan...er Confederate...er

w
a
i
t...who's the enemy now?



There is no enemy anywhere - Lao Tse

Umm, ok? What there a point to that post at all?

You think Government going secret about their financial dealings make you safer? I would love for you to explain how because I believe we should be able to watch our Government and know what's going on, and know where our tax dollars are going.

[edit on 3-7-2005 by NoJustice]

Originally posted by NoJustice
Umm, ok? What there a point to that post at all?

I read it as Voice_of Doom sarcastically concurring with you.

I won't be sarcastic in my concurrance - tanks? any excuse given from any gov official will be eaten like candy, return to a television is imminent and immediate.

Sad.

Damn sad.

Misfit

VOD was right on the money.

That quote provided at the end of the post should be taken for what it is..advice from a man who boasts about 3 billion descendants. That sort of advice is not to be taken lightly.

There was some discussion on this issue of secrecy, and I think it bears mentioning that it stems directly from the policies of this current administration, and several prior administrations.

They've been setting up this haymaker for a while, and the people never saw it coming.

I guess we all get what we deserve, which is what keeps me contented.

It makes sense theat they have so much secrecy, because the military technology is far ahead of everyday technology. This makes it alot easier for them to get away with stuff, without people knowing.

Ok, there's always going to be secrecy and classified documentation in government, same as in the business world. But, that same secrecy and classification can also be used to cover governmental wrongdoing, and it's those who have most to lose who decide what should be hidden away from the rest of us.
At a time when we are all having our everyday lives scrutinised more and more by big government, is it really ok for them to deny oversight of spending and government actions to the rest of the population?

If members of my government do something so wrong that it may bring that government down if the story became public, is it ok for them to classify it for the next 100 years? I think not.

[edit on 3-7-2005 by Britguy]

There is little doubt the cloak of secrecy will be lifted and such measures will be rescinded when the Bush administration goes totally down the toilet. Unless the citizens of the US are truly ready and accepting of a totalitarian state with no freedoms.

I look forward to record declassifications and detailed scrutiny of all impropriety to ensure that such a cancer as the incumbent government never occurs again.

"National security interests" is a lie.

I don't see it that way, MA......I'll give you that the current Administration has fallen on it's butt whille dropping every ball it was throwing up in the air........but I believe our government is this way regardless of who the puppet in the White House is.

It's not just Bush.

.........and as to the declassification........MK-Ultra was made public thirty years after the fact and the public didn't even realize what it meant.........

[edit on 3-7-2005 by MemoryShock]