As a nuclear engineer working with the Navy, I held a security clearance to handle information classified as Confidential Restricted Data. I and my fellow workers took very seriously protecting this information from public disclosure. Mishandling classified information would get you demoted, fired, or even prosecuted as a crime. I bet the information about targeting Russian generals and the Russian ship was classified to a much higher level (Secret or Top Secret), yet someone in Washington released it to the general public with no consequences. It pisses me off that they treat classified information so cavalierly with all the leaks! Apparently, the rules apply to peons like me and not to the Washington elites!
Maybe a solution to the "leaking" is to have the need for fewer secrets. I get it that some things need to be secret until the event happens, but the Supreme Court proceedings do not need to be secret to the extent they are. When the Court is discussing things that will impact all of our lives, a quick surprise at the end of June is not OK. The justices can run out of town for the summer, so never have to stand up in public for what they have decided and can't be persuaded by those people who will be impacted that their decision is poorly thought-out and harmful as the Roe v. Wade decision is likely to be. I am so glad it was "leaked." I am just sorry Republicans can cling to that leak as the problem when it is actually taking away the bodily autonomy of women with a potential future removal of personhood for people who are not white, straight, Christian and male by the court that is the real problem. I want more leaks like this one. The Ukrainian leak not so much because the world could be at risk with that kind of leak. R.Sheets
My initial thought was that the reason the leaks occurred had to do with information that somebody actually wanted to leak, maybe as a test of collective opinion and response, or for other reasons. This more salacious reasoning, though, also makes sense. The sense of empowerment by being "in the know" could indeed be quite intoxicating.
Sometimes the motivation is to right a wrong. I was a staff member at EPA when I leaked a confidential document about a pesticide to an environmental organization that was suing to stop the Reagan EPA from approving it for use. The document showed that the chemical was much more persistent in the environment than most people were led to believe. I don't know if my leak helped, but the court issued a restraining order and the pesticide was never approved.
Might I add, since weβre very comfortable giving women this narrative, men love gossip the MOST! One company town of men(& women I know but lots of men) that are so ready to talk, leak....if you think gal pals are bad when they get together, donβt worry Iβll wait.
Thank you Robert Reich for helping me better understand how leakes work bringing more careful awareness to my own behavior. Some of us outside Washington "pissing in" have been tempted to "be someone" by letting slide "confidential information to a "trusted" listener, when a credible true Patriot may have done something, rather than saying something. A true Statesman would always have thought out in advance if they would be comfortable they can defend what they said before they say it, but it's a high bar to sustain. Again, thank you Robert!
I understand secrecy in a dictatorship, because it upholds the dictator. (This does not mean I agree with dictatorships!) I do not understand secrecy in a democracy. How is the public supposed to make informed choices of whom to vote for if they do not have all the information to be informed.
We all know real government happens BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, but if we knew what went on behind those doors we would probably make different choices.
The only good thing I have to say about the Trump era (and even that is not a true description) is that Trump was arrogant enough to think what he said and did should be known to the public. (Raking leaves to prevent forest fires!, etc.) The public got to see how stupid he truly was.
Mdanwhile, in a secrecy-laden democracy, the people often have no idea of the things that their elected representatives do. THAT IS TOTALLY UNDEMOCRATIC. If it has to be done in secret, it is probably not to We the People's advantage!
the growing consensus is that ginni thomas is the source of the SCOTUS leak. (even nina totenberg makes comments that can be interpreted as pointing to thomas.) but i still am unclear how, if ginni thomas is the leak in this case, this shores up her goal to overturn roe v wade. (yes, like everyone, i've got a long list of suspicions, but no firm conclusions.) what do you think? shall we all make a list of potential leakers, their goals and how this particular leak might strengthen their position as they seek to accomplish their goal(s)?
I think there is a line that news media should not cross - not because of legality but because of patriotism. Unless they are doing something treasonous and illegal, like tfg, the administration should be able to conduct foreign policy with secrecy from its foreign adversaries. The military leaks were dangerous and unpatriotic. Other leaks are mostly information that should never have been secret in the first place. And thank you to the media for bringing it to light independent of the motives of the leakers.
It is said that Washington, DC is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I say it's never more beautiful than when seen in the rear-view mirror!
Sometimes we assign too much meaning to the leakers motivation. "Was it a right winger who wanted to shore up right wing support and put Alito in a box?" or "Was it a lefty sounding the alarm?"
I will take a wild guess and suggest that it was someone who is normally ignored at parties and meetings. Someone who wanted to elevate his or her status as an "information merchant". Perhaps it could lead to a better job. There is a great quote from Tyrion Lannister in "The Game of Thrones":
"I drink and I know things".
We all know people who love to "tell us stuff" that we haven't heard yet. Their insecurities feed the need. And truth be told, there is a little bit of this in most of us.
Absolutely amazing and bright. Which translates into the fact that there is no sense of Community or Nationality in America. There is a false sense of brotherhood one could day. Individual power and money runs the country and every office. The fake and absurd sense of individualism is killing America from the top down and what is preposterous is that the βreasonable manβ the lay person is down there at the bottom of the line dragged into the big playerβs game. Disgustedly wrong.
Robert's reasoning for why Washington is quite "leaky" makes sense, and suggests that its been this way for a long time, at least with the leaks contained mostly to just Washington. The advent of multiple salacious leaks hitting the public sphere regularly seems much more recent- starting in 2016 or thereabouts.
I agree with Robert that efforts to stop leaks are futile - I think the issue that causes the leaks is more foundational, which is likely bad news for the immediate future. I see 2 foundational issues:
1 - our government institutions are operating with open disrespect for both the citizens *and* for the reputation of the institution itself. The sense of honor or decorum, that would keep leaks contained to smaller groups, seems to be gone from most government offices. I see this as an inevitable result of government officials openly lying and bullying in public with no consequences (in fact, they are often rewarded). Without the glue of civil behavior, group cohesion crumbles.
2 - Too much of our media is rewarded singularly by # of clicks - and those horrific or scandalous leaks grab eyeballs much more than conscientious and truthful reporting. In the increasingly post-truth world the the gop is pushing, emotional reactions are more valuable to media owners than an honest "scoop".
The trends of both items above are heading us towards more leaks, I think. Perhaps we will reach leak saturation and then reason 2 above will weaken.
When a leak could jeopardize national security at the level of a nuclear war, one has to wonder if they live here or have loved ones here. Once nukes are tossed around there really is no getting away with it. "The air, the air, is everywhere! Breathe deep while you sleep;; breathe deep!"!. How clueless can a person be?
Hey! If anyone here is a DC denizen, please see the update response I made to my comment yesterday on the 9th Amendment and start "leaking" >that< around! You can spread the comment itself around, too, if it suits you! (Hell! If that's what it takes in DC, might as well leverage it for what it's worth!)
This may have a silver lining. If there is enough public outcry, there may be an opportunity to add more justices to the court, something that previously seemed out of the question, if not heresy. I think it was the New Yorker that published a cartoon of Snow White talking to 9 dwarves, "No one said you had to be 9."
As a nuclear engineer working with the Navy, I held a security clearance to handle information classified as Confidential Restricted Data. I and my fellow workers took very seriously protecting this information from public disclosure. Mishandling classified information would get you demoted, fired, or even prosecuted as a crime. I bet the information about targeting Russian generals and the Russian ship was classified to a much higher level (Secret or Top Secret), yet someone in Washington released it to the general public with no consequences. It pisses me off that they treat classified information so cavalierly with all the leaks! Apparently, the rules apply to peons like me and not to the Washington elites!
Maybe a solution to the "leaking" is to have the need for fewer secrets. I get it that some things need to be secret until the event happens, but the Supreme Court proceedings do not need to be secret to the extent they are. When the Court is discussing things that will impact all of our lives, a quick surprise at the end of June is not OK. The justices can run out of town for the summer, so never have to stand up in public for what they have decided and can't be persuaded by those people who will be impacted that their decision is poorly thought-out and harmful as the Roe v. Wade decision is likely to be. I am so glad it was "leaked." I am just sorry Republicans can cling to that leak as the problem when it is actually taking away the bodily autonomy of women with a potential future removal of personhood for people who are not white, straight, Christian and male by the court that is the real problem. I want more leaks like this one. The Ukrainian leak not so much because the world could be at risk with that kind of leak. R.Sheets
My initial thought was that the reason the leaks occurred had to do with information that somebody actually wanted to leak, maybe as a test of collective opinion and response, or for other reasons. This more salacious reasoning, though, also makes sense. The sense of empowerment by being "in the know" could indeed be quite intoxicating.
Sometimes the motivation is to right a wrong. I was a staff member at EPA when I leaked a confidential document about a pesticide to an environmental organization that was suing to stop the Reagan EPA from approving it for use. The document showed that the chemical was much more persistent in the environment than most people were led to believe. I don't know if my leak helped, but the court issued a restraining order and the pesticide was never approved.
Might I add, since weβre very comfortable giving women this narrative, men love gossip the MOST! One company town of men(& women I know but lots of men) that are so ready to talk, leak....if you think gal pals are bad when they get together, donβt worry Iβll wait.
Thank you Robert Reich for helping me better understand how leakes work bringing more careful awareness to my own behavior. Some of us outside Washington "pissing in" have been tempted to "be someone" by letting slide "confidential information to a "trusted" listener, when a credible true Patriot may have done something, rather than saying something. A true Statesman would always have thought out in advance if they would be comfortable they can defend what they said before they say it, but it's a high bar to sustain. Again, thank you Robert!
I understand secrecy in a dictatorship, because it upholds the dictator. (This does not mean I agree with dictatorships!) I do not understand secrecy in a democracy. How is the public supposed to make informed choices of whom to vote for if they do not have all the information to be informed.
We all know real government happens BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, but if we knew what went on behind those doors we would probably make different choices.
The only good thing I have to say about the Trump era (and even that is not a true description) is that Trump was arrogant enough to think what he said and did should be known to the public. (Raking leaves to prevent forest fires!, etc.) The public got to see how stupid he truly was.
Mdanwhile, in a secrecy-laden democracy, the people often have no idea of the things that their elected representatives do. THAT IS TOTALLY UNDEMOCRATIC. If it has to be done in secret, it is probably not to We the People's advantage!
the growing consensus is that ginni thomas is the source of the SCOTUS leak. (even nina totenberg makes comments that can be interpreted as pointing to thomas.) but i still am unclear how, if ginni thomas is the leak in this case, this shores up her goal to overturn roe v wade. (yes, like everyone, i've got a long list of suspicions, but no firm conclusions.) what do you think? shall we all make a list of potential leakers, their goals and how this particular leak might strengthen their position as they seek to accomplish their goal(s)?
I think there is a line that news media should not cross - not because of legality but because of patriotism. Unless they are doing something treasonous and illegal, like tfg, the administration should be able to conduct foreign policy with secrecy from its foreign adversaries. The military leaks were dangerous and unpatriotic. Other leaks are mostly information that should never have been secret in the first place. And thank you to the media for bringing it to light independent of the motives of the leakers.
It is said that Washington, DC is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I say it's never more beautiful than when seen in the rear-view mirror!
Sometimes we assign too much meaning to the leakers motivation. "Was it a right winger who wanted to shore up right wing support and put Alito in a box?" or "Was it a lefty sounding the alarm?"
I will take a wild guess and suggest that it was someone who is normally ignored at parties and meetings. Someone who wanted to elevate his or her status as an "information merchant". Perhaps it could lead to a better job. There is a great quote from Tyrion Lannister in "The Game of Thrones":
"I drink and I know things".
We all know people who love to "tell us stuff" that we haven't heard yet. Their insecurities feed the need. And truth be told, there is a little bit of this in most of us.
Absolutely amazing and bright. Which translates into the fact that there is no sense of Community or Nationality in America. There is a false sense of brotherhood one could day. Individual power and money runs the country and every office. The fake and absurd sense of individualism is killing America from the top down and what is preposterous is that the βreasonable manβ the lay person is down there at the bottom of the line dragged into the big playerβs game. Disgustedly wrong.
Robert's reasoning for why Washington is quite "leaky" makes sense, and suggests that its been this way for a long time, at least with the leaks contained mostly to just Washington. The advent of multiple salacious leaks hitting the public sphere regularly seems much more recent- starting in 2016 or thereabouts.
I agree with Robert that efforts to stop leaks are futile - I think the issue that causes the leaks is more foundational, which is likely bad news for the immediate future. I see 2 foundational issues:
1 - our government institutions are operating with open disrespect for both the citizens *and* for the reputation of the institution itself. The sense of honor or decorum, that would keep leaks contained to smaller groups, seems to be gone from most government offices. I see this as an inevitable result of government officials openly lying and bullying in public with no consequences (in fact, they are often rewarded). Without the glue of civil behavior, group cohesion crumbles.
2 - Too much of our media is rewarded singularly by # of clicks - and those horrific or scandalous leaks grab eyeballs much more than conscientious and truthful reporting. In the increasingly post-truth world the the gop is pushing, emotional reactions are more valuable to media owners than an honest "scoop".
The trends of both items above are heading us towards more leaks, I think. Perhaps we will reach leak saturation and then reason 2 above will weaken.
When a leak could jeopardize national security at the level of a nuclear war, one has to wonder if they live here or have loved ones here. Once nukes are tossed around there really is no getting away with it. "The air, the air, is everywhere! Breathe deep while you sleep;; breathe deep!"!. How clueless can a person be?
Hey! If anyone here is a DC denizen, please see the update response I made to my comment yesterday on the 9th Amendment and start "leaking" >that< around! You can spread the comment itself around, too, if it suits you! (Hell! If that's what it takes in DC, might as well leverage it for what it's worth!)
This may have a silver lining. If there is enough public outcry, there may be an opportunity to add more justices to the court, something that previously seemed out of the question, if not heresy. I think it was the New Yorker that published a cartoon of Snow White talking to 9 dwarves, "No one said you had to be 9."