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[Aqizzar]

Which is the truth? We don't know. We can't know. As a matter of fact, we shouldn't know, because it's classified, and neither of us has any business knowing or trying to find out. So you stick by your belief, I'll stick by mine, and in a few decades when IF it all gets declassified, maybe we'll see who's right.

You do know that everything is declassified eventually, right?  I think it's like 75 years for Top Secret to open record, but I'm not sure.

But I guess that just reflects different philosophies.  When someone tells me they're doing something for my own good, but I can't know what it is, I instinctively assume they're lying, no matter who they are.  I fundamentally believe there should be no such thing as state secrets, because what the government does is inherently everyone's business.  But hey, by definition, philosophical arguments can't go anywhere, so I won't fight about it.

[Ampersand]

But hey, by definition, philosophical arguments can't go anywhere, so I won't fight about it.

Are you feeling ok Aqizzar?

Back to the issue at hand, the Pentagon shouldn't have done it for a variety of reasons, but since the first couple are merely philosophical, that Aqizzar already lined out, I'll skip ahead to the last two.

3. It's 2000 and fucking 10. Once information finds but a second of freedom, it is lost to the ocean that is the internet, and will spread, and disperse, before any government in the world can do a thing about it.

4. This is now a government that burns books. Regardless of what the contents of it are, it must now live with the image in peoples heads of this government throwing books to the fire.

For reason 3, this action is pointless, and for reason 4, it is directly harmful to the government.

[RedKing]

Looks like Nikov has a new Padawan when he returns from exile. 


Oh, and I'm Southern too. Don't use that as an excuse. It makes it sound like we'uns is all puffed up more than a bullfrog full of pinto beans, I do declare!

[Sir Pseudonymous]

This is hardly "burning books" in the traditional sense: it's not the terror tactic of rounding up literature for ideological reasons and making a public display of destroying it; it's disposing of books that were never in public circulation and contained privileged information, with compensation to the publisher for their losses. As the books were never released to begin with, it's quite possible that there aren't any non-redacted copies in circulation. I kind of hope there are, but unless some copies were stolen by employees, or someone leaks whatever digital copy they were printed from, I don't see it as very likely.

[Leafsnail]

What you attribute to selflessness, is in fact generosity, placing others before yourself 'out of the goodness of your heart' (Read: it makes you feel good/gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.) Making yourself feel good is still in your own best interest.

Again, that's just moving the semantic goalposts.  But I digress.

The main problem with them being allowed to redact whatever they like is accountability.  If they are torturing people, or messing up, heck, perhaps even endangering the US, and noone ever finds out, they have no reason to change.  After all, to use the old Republican line, your taxes pay their salary, and they work for you.  Don't you worry what they may be doing in your name and with your cash?

[Cthulhu]

Hopy shit, moar like Bay12 destroys Impending Doom due to >implying and inferring weird stuff from people's statements.

That being said, it doesn't really sound like they're covering anything bad up, it just sounds like they're redacting sensitive bits of information, like real names, dates, coordinates, etc.

[Zangi]

Maybe the soldier didn't have the sense to 'rename' stuff to protect information.

Also, I do agree with the notion that in every branch and level of government, if you look close enough, you will find a moron somewhere.  Obviously more will be found in low level menial work.

[HmH]

That being said, it doesn't really sound like they're covering anything bad up, it just sounds like they're redacting sensitive bits of information, like real names, dates, coordinates, etc.

I'd believe this version if not for the fact that author's got a permission before.

[Sir Pseudonymous]

He cleared it with his superiors. They just didn't clear it with theirs, who were the ones objecting to it.

[Leafsnail]

So it can't have been that bad, is the point that was being made.

[Aqizzar]

It does imply there's a few different cogs turning here, when the author cleared the work with the Department of Defense and they said they had no problem with the print draft he showed them, then the intelligence community comes in and says not only will they have to destroy all copies of that version, but the version they "approve" of has about half the content redacted.  Color me crazy, but I think a few people involved have some radically different ideas of what constitutes sensitive information.

[Cthulhu]

Does anyone else have a kind of mean-spirited spiteful hope no pdfs turn up just to stick it to all the people going "a ha ha these old squares clearly don't know that the internet sees all"

I can be kind of mean :/

[Renault]

Does anyone else have a kind of mean-spirited spiteful hope no pdfs turn up just to stick it to all the people going "a ha ha these old squares clearly don't know that the internet sees all"

I can be kind of mean :/

*shyly raises hand*

[Aqizzar]

I love the truth, but honestly, I think I love watching smarmy yuppie kids get their comeuppance even more.

[Leafsnail]

After reading Wikileaks saying "Nice Try, 'Nazis'"... yeah, sortof.

I guess we'll see if they're bluffing soon enough.

The thing is... it wouldn't be too difficult to leak.  I mean, if just one of the people asked to go and get the books for burning objects, or if the publisher's annoyed at it, or if anyone at the factory happened to take a copy... if any of these people agree with Wikileaks, then it's gonna get leaked.