| In "Criminal Inquiry Opens Into Spying Leak," | | | | child. "Do what I say not what I do" doesn't |
| Trent Duffy, spokesman for President Bush in | | | | work as a parenting rule of thumb. Children |
| Crawford, Texas, read the following from a | | | | do what they see done. It doesn't work for |
| prepared statement:The leaking of classified | | | | governance either.It doesn't matter if all |
| information is a serious issue. The fact is | | | | prisoners say they aren't guilty. The fact is |
| that Al Qaeda's playbook is not printed on | | | | that prisoners tend to know who is and isn't |
| Page 1, and when America's is, it has serious | | | | guilty, and treating the innocent the same as |
| ramifications. You don't need to be Sun Tzu | | | | the guilty emphasizes to both innocent and |
| to understand that (Shane, 2005).Unlike Bush | | | | guilty that actual innocence and guilt don't |
| and Duffy, Sun Tzu did understand the | | | | matter. Who you are matters and who your |
| ramifications of the President's stance, and | | | | friends are--and, most importantly, not |
| why it is ineffective as well as wrong.First | | | | getting caught matters. Muzzling the |
| of all, Al Qaeda's playbook is printed on | | | | whistle-blowers (if you are the government) |
| Page 1. The US intelligence community, | | | | and snitches (if you are the guilty--and who |
| military and nonmilitary, has long been | | | | says the government and the guilty can't be |
| considered poor on basic library research | | | | one and the same) matters. Maintaining a |
| skills. Whether they don't value them, | | | | smokescreen matters.Being innocent is no |
| emphasizing fieldwork over homework, or don't | | | | shield against mistreatment and torture, so |
| make use of the results when they don't like | | | | the obvious conclusion is there's little |
| what they find is moot. The intelligence | | | | benefit to abiding by the law. The guilty |
| community and the Bush administration have | | | | hide since getting caught is the only |
| made numerous mistakes that most reasonably | | | | meaningful problem in such a situation and |
| informed citizens knew were mistakes. Many | | | | elude the authorities. The innocent are |
| folks here and abroad told this | | | | gathered up indiscriminately, or turned in by |
| administration why in time to prevent the | | | | the bigoted or people with a grudge against |
| errors. The administration ignored them.It's | | | | them, and tortured until they confess to |
| not that Bush and the US intelligence | | | | whatever it is their torturers want to |
| community don't know that a good researcher | | | | hear.We don't need citizens to feel they |
| can find out just about anything they want to | | | | won't be protected from abuse by the |
| know about every organization and entity in | | | | government and malicious neighbors. We don't |
| the world at the public library. They do know | | | | need citizens to feel the government acts to |
| that. That's why they are very concerned | | | | benefit only itself and its cronies at |
| about who's reading what at the library.You | | | | citizens' expense. We don't need scofflaws in |
| don't need a library to find out how to make | | | | government. Those things encourage general |
| a bomb, dirty or otherwise, or any of the | | | | lawlessness and swell the ranks of |
| lethal, terrorist things that Bush claims | | | | terrorists.And, that means we need what our |
| justifies spying on American citizens | | | | Constitution sets forth, open government. |
| including what they look at when in the | | | | Disperse the smoke. People must see what's |
| library. You can find out all that stuff on | | | | happening and decide what is right and what |
| the Internet. Even Al Qaeda's playbook. It's | | | | is wrong. In this country, oversight is done |
| not like it or any other terrorist group has | | | | by our elected representatives. The innocent |
| been innovative. The same as their US | | | | need to know they will have due process so |
| intelligence counterparts (and they are | | | | that they can demonstrate their innocence, |
| mirror images of each other), they have | | | | and continue to feel there is value in being |
| little imagination and a lot of arrogance. | | | | law-abiding.The three branches of government |
| They follow each other like sheep doing what | | | | must be equal and responsible partners--even |
| the other does. See what the US does and you | | | | in wartime.And, when judged wrong, the |
| know what the terrorist groups will do. Watch | | | | offending branch of government must stop its |
| the terrorist groups and learn the next move | | | | wrongdoing, not persecute the people who |
| of the US.You need the library to delve into | | | | point out its mistakes. The other two |
| the kinds of records where effective means of | | | | branches of government have a responsibility |
| changing institutions can be found. You need | | | | to make the offending branch stop if it |
| a library to research the root causes of | | | | refuses to do so voluntarily. Everyone hopes |
| current problems using primary sources so | | | | that no one will step over the line on his or |
| that you can resolve the underlying issues. | | | | her watch, but when it happens, dealing with |
| You need the library to check the written | | | | it is the responsibility that goes with the |
| record, which can be and is sometimes altered | | | | perks of office.We shouldn't be maintaining |
| on a web site, whether personal or | | | | concentration camps to hold people on the |
| government. Good decision-making as well as | | | | basis of their religion or gulags for |
| innovation come from informed | | | | political prisoners. Not here, not anywhere. |
| thought--something noticeably lacking in the | | | | Unfortunately, we only have the word of an |
| current White House occupants.But, secondly | | | | administration which has repeatedly been |
| and most importantly, any branch of | | | | caught in blatant and gross falsehoods that |
| government unilaterally keeping secrets from | | | | there has been any benefit at all in its |
| the other branches only benefits the | | | | harassing and imprisoning people in these |
| evil-doers. The bad guys, whether in | | | | places, and only its word that religion and |
| government or elsewhere, all get to make | | | | politics don't form the bases for the |
| unsubstantiated claims of questionable | | | | harassment and imprisonment. It sure looks |
| accuracy. Concealed under the cloak of those | | | | like religion and politics are the bases. |
| claims, they all get to follow personal | | | | People, including American soldiers, are |
| agendas which may or may not have anything to | | | | dying or being grievously and permanently |
| do with their avowed purposes.As most US | | | | injured because of Bush administration |
| citizens know, the reason our founders | | | | falsehoods.History says not only is there no |
| created three major branches of | | | | benefit to religious and political |
| government--executive, legislative, and | | | | persecution, but such actions harm the |
| judicial--was to provide checks and balances | | | | country that allows those things to |
| through review of each other's actions. They | | | | continue.Bush and Duffy need to take time out |
| knew that no single branch of government | | | | from vacationing and frat-house partying to |
| could be counted on to do its job properly | | | | actually read Sun Tzu's The Art of War and |
| without being checked and balanced by others | | | | Machiavelli's The Prince (not the CliffsNotes |
| of equal stature and force. History showed | | | | version, but the unabridged version). Those |
| that only too clearly.Indeed, there are no | | | | two books may be the most misunderstood yet |
| modern examples of secret, autocratic | | | | most (mis)quoted ever written to justify the |
| governments, such as we see now with the Bush | | | | unjustifiable by ignorant autocrats. How this |
| administration, with a flourishing middle | | | | administration behaves both at home and |
| class except in the short term. This kind of | | | | abroad and excuses its behavior have been |
| government only benefits a very limited group | | | | shown for centuries to be the action |
| of wealthy elite and their cronies. These | | | | mainstays of losers.Oh, and the US |
| governments have all ended or are ending | | | | Constitution also frowns on it.Reference: |
| badly--usually not just for the government | | | | |
| itself but also for the people in the country | | | | Scott Shane, Criminal Inquiry Opens Into |
| as well.Even Machiavelli warned against | | | | Spying Leak, New York Times, December 31, |
| government that trampled the rights of the | | | | 2005.Diana Kirk, a researcher and analyst |
| governed and decreased their benefits. | | | | with several think tanks, including the |
| Instead, the Bush administration has been | | | | Hoover Institution at Stanford University, |
| following the "playbook" set out by the | | | | SRI International (formerly the Stanford |
| Spanish Inquisition and calling those methods | | | | Research Institute), and Rand Corporation |
| of governance and interrogation innovative | | | | before founding her company, The Writer's |
| and legal. Water boarding is new? Oh | | | | Place, has taught social science research |
| please.But you don't have to be particularly | | | | methodologies at Stanford University and |
| well-read to see the effects of autocratic | | | | Mills College. See also The Write Stop |
| rule, just be a parent. You may get your | | | | (writestop.com), WordStar & GNU/Linux |
| children to submit to your will, but they | | | | (wordstar2.com), and the WordStar Users Group |
| then become sneaky to get their way while | | | | Community (wordstar2.com/WordStar_Users) for |
| building up resentment at your lack of | | | | her various interests. |
| fairness. Think back to when you were a | | | | |