Reply #52: Not if they're 'classifying' documents to deceive the American people about what they're up to.

[laughingliberal]

The Pentagon Papers were classified Top Secret and leaking them was the absolutely right thing to do.

The cable released by Wikileaks where the State Department verified, early on, the coup in Honduras was illegal and there was no legal basis for removing Zelaya was very telling. Not surprisingly, we've heard little about that one from the corporate oligarch owned media.Our government continued to dither and act like this was 'complicated' and 'confusing.' In acting like they didn't understand if the coup was illegal, they avoided the responsibility to take the required actions against the coup. Their dithering was for one purpose only-to hide the fact that our country, once again, was lending legitimacy to right wing fascists, acting in the interest of wealthy corporate interests, who overthrew a liberal, democratically elected leader of a Latin American country just as we've been doing for 3 decades.

If we had been privy to the information the State Department was, would they have gotten away with the supporting the coup? Or would the American people finally see how much BS it is when our government claims to be spreading 'democracy.'

The first amendment does not say we should have a press that's free to report what the government says it can.

I agree with Ellsberg on it:

Many, if not most, covert operations deserve to be disclosed by a free press. They are often covert not only because they are illegal but because they are wildly ill-conceived and reckless. "Sensitive" and "covert" are often synonyms for "half-assed," "idiotic," and "dangerous to national security," as well as "criminal."

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8214

I'm also with Thomas Jefferson on it:

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Thomas Jefferson, 1787

IOW, if the purpose of 'classifying' documents is to deceive the citizens in order to continue to gin up illegal wars, prop up greedy corporations who are stealing our commons from the people, overthrow elected leaders in other countries to install oil company and private corporations' lackeys, then, No, I don't think they should be allowed to continue to 'classify' information.