Homeland Security Employees Required to Sign Secrecy Pledge -WP

[Rose Siding]

The Department of Homeland Security is requiring thousands of employees and contractors to sign nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from sharing sensitive but unclassified information with the public.

The department was rebuffed, however, when it also tried to require congressional aides to sign the secrecy pledges as a condition for gaining access to certain materials, majority and minority spokesmen for the House Select Committee on Homeland Security said yesterday.

DHS spokeswoman Valerie Smith said in an interview that all 180,000 employees and contractors are being required to sign the three-page forms as part of working for the agency, a policy formalized in May. State and local security officials are asked to sign the statement for classified information only.
.............
The form defines as "sensitive" any information that could "adversely affect the national interest or the conduct of federal programs" or violate a person's privacy, a much lower barrier than damaging national security.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52977-2004Nov15.html

Congressional staffers, dem and repub are refusing to sign.

[Pale_Rider]

1. Secrecy pledges can not be enforced when ...

... criminal or civil wrongdoing is being reported. Sounds like the DHS is going to be run like a corporation. Amazing ...

[Booster]

2. Did the article happen to mention what the penalty is for

violating this pledge? My guess would be death by small plane crash or suicide; a lot of that going around.

[UpInArms]

3. but the outing of a covert CIA agent

is a-okay!

Isn't that right, Scooter and Karl?

[intheflow]

4. Secrecy pledges for congress.

Chilling. But not surprising. :scared:

[CHICKEN CAPITOL USA]

5. loyalty oaths everywhere

so when this nation is delcared under martial law after our next terra "event"
no one will know just "whom" they may be imprisoning.

[TahitiNut]

6. Piss tests, credit checks, loyalty oaths ...

... Yeah ... that'll sure teach Osama! "They hate us for our freedoms."
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. yeah, don't forget surveillance cameras everywhere and

sensors, electronic and chemical placed liberally

[henslee]

7. And if they screw up they get put on double secret probation.

[saigon68]

9. A Heavy Dark Evil Iron Curtain is descending on Amerika

Beware of what you wish for SHEEP !!!