http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/01/confronting_the_state_secrets_.html Secrecy News from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:51:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/01/confronting_the_state_secrets_.html/comment-page-1#comment-28596 Jackie the Dallas Handyman Thu, 12 May 2011 06:13:05 +0000 http://fasweb.beacontec.com/blog/secrecy/2008/01/confronting_the_state_secrets_.html#comment-28596 Keeping the secrets of the State has its pros and cons just like any other dilemma. Although, there's a rule of thumb that the State should be transparent to its people, they are also faced with challenges that might hurt the image of the State if they divulge it to the public. A simple example would be the secrecy of the state of health of their President. Ever wonder how rarely it is for a country to blurt out to the public that they're President cannot attend a certain event because he/she is suffering from a certain health condition (may be it mild or severe)? The reason behind it is that, the State would want to preserve the strong (maybe close to invincible) image of their Public Officers only because they represent the status of the State itself. At least how I see it, the dilemma can be solved by properly classifying the information that goes to the public and then keeping the rest for further evaluation. The State can then tag it as confidential only after making the public understand that doing so does not overlap their rights as a citizen. Keeping the secrets of the State has its pros and cons just like any other dilemma. Although, there’s a rule of thumb that the State should be transparent to its people, they are also faced with challenges that might hurt the image of the State if they divulge it to the public. A simple example would be the secrecy of the state of health of their President. Ever wonder how rarely it is for a country to blurt out to the public that they’re President cannot attend a certain event because he/she is suffering from a certain health condition (may be it mild or severe)? The reason behind it is that, the State would want to preserve the strong (maybe close to invincible) image of their Public Officers only because they represent the status of the State itself. At least how I see it, the dilemma can be solved by properly classifying the information that goes to the public and then keeping the rest for further evaluation. The State can then tag it as confidential only after making the public understand that doing so does not overlap their rights as a citizen.

]]> http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/01/confronting_the_state_secrets_.html/comment-page-1#comment-945 Brad Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:49:25 +0000 http://fasweb.beacontec.com/blog/secrecy/2008/01/confronting_the_state_secrets_.html#comment-945 I am one of very many people who are against government secrecy. Our country apparently uses this "secrecy" to protect people from panic in risky situations. The truth is that our government makes mistakes and frankly, they're sometimes in the wrong. Many unnatural and unlawful acts and coverups happen within our government. It won't be long till you see for yourselves... I am one of very many people who are against government secrecy. Our country apparently uses this “secrecy” to protect people from panic in risky situations. The truth is that our government makes mistakes and frankly, they’re sometimes in the wrong. Many unnatural and unlawful acts and coverups happen within our government. It won’t be long till you see for yourselves…

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