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[Phmcw]

Yes, and it has incidentally shown a lot of unfit procedure, collateral damage covering, gratuitous violence and other abuse.
Assange was right in publishing these document and removed all information that he knew to be problematic fo the security of our troop.
The american administartion refused to collaborate on the matter, by the way.

You could only notice that while everything classified isn't coverage of abuse, most of the abuse so far has been reported from classified document.

[Euld]

I'm amused that everyone says "The Pentagon" as though it were some singular organization. So many different organizations and military branches operate out of that building that even after working there for three years I barely know what goes on in most of it.

Phhhhbtt...come on now, we all know the Pentagon is actually eight or nine old white guys around a shadowy table secretly planning world domination.    All that other stuff is just their cover.

Five white guys, it is the Pentagon after all.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

If the folks at the Pentagon are willing to go as far as to destroy hard copies of the book, it stands to reason that the information they were trying to suppress would endanger the lives of American citizens/government officials if released.

Or
Someone fucked up, and the DoD are trying to keep it under wraps to save their own asses.

[Impending Doom]

If the folks at the Pentagon are willing to go as far as to destroy hard copies of the book, it stands to reason that the information they were trying to suppress would endanger the lives of American citizens/government officials if released.

Or
Someone fucked up, and the DoD are trying to keep it under wraps to save their own asses.

If that were the case, trying to suppress it would be the absolute stupidest thing to do, and contrary to what many of you seem to believe, you don't get that high up the ladder by being a moron. If it were just damaging to their reputation, they'd allow it to be released, then do their damndest to discredit the guy and, more than likely, succeed. Sorry to burst everyone's collective bubble, but you don't get to be a world power by hiring retards.

[Aklyon]

debatable at times, that.
but I'm going to stop there.

[Leafsnail]

You do kinda wish they'd stop doing that, since it means that when there is something of serious national security concern, noone takes it seriously.

Reading over stuff that's been recently declassified from WW2 is always interesting.  I mean, we now know Churchill wanted 3 for one revenge for Czech civilians, and that he wanted to have the Nazi leadership put to an American electric chair without trial.

Impending Doom - what about the multiple cases where repression was tried and failed?  I mean, perhaps it works most of the time, so they try it anyway.

[RedKing]

If the folks at the Pentagon are willing to go as far as to destroy hard copies of the book, it stands to reason that the information they were trying to suppress would endanger the lives of American citizens/government officials if released.

Or
Someone fucked up, and the DoD are trying to keep it under wraps to save their own asses.

If that were the case, trying to suppress it would be the absolute stupidest thing to do, and contrary to what many of you seem to believe, you don't get that high up the ladder by being a moron. If it were just damaging to their reputation, they'd allow it to be released, then do their damndest to discredit the guy and, more than likely, succeed. Sorry to burst everyone's collective bubble, but you don't get to be a world power by hiring retards.

With all due respect, have you ever actually WORKED in/with the Federal government? They've got retards by the metric buttload. Plenty of people get high up the food chain *while* being morons--in government, in the corporate world, in academia, in pretty much everything.

That said, if someone had f**ked up, they wouldn't redact little portions and here and there, they'd chop out whole chapters at a go. Redacting individual names, locations, date/times is operational security. Redacting whole episodes is a cover-up.

[Impending Doom]

Reading over stuff that's been recently declassified from WW2 is always interesting.  I mean, we now know Churchill wanted 3 for one revenge for Czech civilians,

That's peanuts. Israeli policy is 'for every one of us, ten of you.'

and that he wanted to have the Nazi leadership put to an American electric chair without trial.

...your point?

what about the multiple cases where repression was tried and failed?  I mean, perhaps it works most of the time, so they try it anyway.

Not to question your credibility, but could you post some examples?

With all due respect, have you ever actually WORKED in/with the Federal government? They've got retards by the metric buttload. Plenty of people get high up the food chain *while* being morons--in government, in the corporate world, in academia, in pretty much everything.

That said, if someone had f**ked up, they wouldn't redact little portions and here and there, they'd chop out whole chapters at a go. Redacting individual names, locations, date/times is operational security. Redacting whole episodes is a cover-up.

Considering I'm not even legally old enough to drink alcohol, no, I haven't. Are you implying that you have?

[Leafsnail]

I'm not making any kind of point about the actual content.  Just that "Historically, things which look horribly embarrassing for the government have been repressed on the grounds of national security".

But I guess that makes them "retards", right?

If you want examples... well, almost everything that's come to light about torture of detainees in Iraq/ Guantanamo / Pakistan/ wherever.  Whether or not you think this torture is justified, you cannot deny that it's been suppressed it in order to avoid embarrassing governments.  This kind of thing never happened.

[Footkerchief]

what about the multiple cases where repression was tried and failed?  I mean, perhaps it works most of the time, so they try it anyway.

Not to question your credibility, but could you post some examples?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Contra_affair#Discovery_and_scandal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre#Cover-up_and_investigations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers

If you seriously think that anyone can be given "total faith" to only use their powers for noble purposes, I have to ask what species you belong to.

[Impending Doom]

Try providing your information without tagging on a petty insult. You'll generally get a better response.

[RedKing]

With all due respect, have you ever actually WORKED in/with the Federal government? They've got retards by the metric buttload. Plenty of people get high up the food chain *while* being morons--in government, in the corporate world, in academia, in pretty much everything.

That said, if someone had f**ked up, they wouldn't redact little portions and here and there, they'd chop out whole chapters at a go. Redacting individual names, locations, date/times is operational security. Redacting whole episodes is a cover-up.

Considering I'm not even legally old enough to drink alcohol, no, I haven't. Are you implying that you have?

Not implying--I've explicitly stated on a few occasions that I'm a Federal contractor with the Justice Department. I see asshattery among law enforcement on a near-daily basis. That's not to say that the DoJ isn't a fine institution with many committed, intelligent people. But you still get your fair share of morons. Only these morons have badges and firearms. Or worse (and more common), sit at a desk managing guys with badges and firearms.

I have more than enough contacts in the armed forces to know that the same is true of the military. There are plenty of morons in command ranks. Oh, they might be decent tacticians, or maintain good discipline of their units, but they're not what you would call "bright" in a broader sense.

what about the multiple cases where repression was tried and failed?  I mean, perhaps it works most of the time, so they try it anyway.

Not to question your credibility, but could you post some examples?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Contra_affair#Discovery_and_scandal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre#Cover-up_and_investigations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers

If you seriously think that people can be given "total faith" to only use their powers for noble purposes, I have to ask what species you belong to.

If we're talking intel, you might want to add MKULTRA and COINTELPRO as good examples too. I have no illusions about the "nobility" of intelligence services. It is by definition an underhanded, devious business. It's a necessary evil. But it's a vital necessary evil.

[Impending Doom]

RedKing:

I wasn't aware that you had stated these things before, and I apologize for doubting you. And I agree that there are probably a fair number of asshats, just like any profession. What I don't agree with is the constant insistence by certain members of the forum that every single person who holds a defense-related job has the mental capacity of a toddler. You yourself are living proof that the opposite is true. That, and the obvious fact that the country still exists and is still running, albeit not quite as smoothly as it could be.

[Footkerchief]

Try providing your information without tagging on a petty insult. You'll generally get a better response.

What was petty or insulting about what I said?  It's human nature to take advantage of power, often in unethical ways.  You disagree?

the constant insistence by certain members of the forum that every single person who holds a defense-related job has the mental capacity of a toddler.

Your turn to post some examples.

[Impending Doom]

That hope being that the Department of Defence's attempts at information supression are so woefully bad that they'll never be able to keep a leaked secret down.

Way to go pentagon.

The term "utterly bereft of clues" applies to the Pentagon here.

If you seriously think that anyone can be given "total faith" to only use their powers for noble purposes, I have to ask what species you belong to.

You imply that I am ignorant of human nature. Being a human myself, I fail to see how this is possible.

It is human nature to do what is most beneficial to oneself. What could possibly be more ethical than that?