Not secret, but you can't see them...even if you're a Loyola law professor

[Mairead]

"I smiled at my own joke, but the clerk's smile disappeared. 'Ask again,' he hissed, 'and I will call security to remove you from the building and have you barred as a security risk ..'"

By Sarah Whalen*

"I'm sorry," the clerk at the U.S. National Archives says: "You can't see the Saudi Arabian documents." I'm surprised. All the National Archive's documents are already reviewed and then declassified or removed. In theory, whatever's there is no longer secret.

Until 9/11.

"It's part of the Patriot Act," the clerk averred, referring to Public Law 107-56, the hastily-passed legislation entitled, "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001."

"The U.S. State Department records you requested are indeed declassified and theoretically available. But they also may contain information that terrorists can use, like names and addresses and information of U.S. citizens." I gave a blank look. "So?" The clerk's brow furrowed with concern. "A terrorist could come into the National Archives and try to steal their identities or target them for assassination."

http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20030812221737540

[dean4america]

1. good god..

if that doesn't deserve a "WTF is going on in our country" exclamation, nothing does.

[rfranklin]

2. But outing a CIA agent is okay...

if you're part of the Bush junta.

[berry]

3. I think we need a national archive or repository for stories like this--

we only know what gets into the press, or what happens to someone we know, or (like this one) what we find on the web. But if every story of harrassment or worse were put in one place--how much space would it take? I'm beginning to think, a LOT.

Ms. Whalen writes beautifully. I hope she doesn't have to give up on her reserch topic.

[donco6]

5. Yes, and we can call it the Ministry of Truth - MiniTruth

for short.

But seriously, yes, how can we keep our historical documents from being trashed just to hide incriminating evidence, which is obviously the case here.

[WilliamPitt]

6. We have one

www.DemocraticUnderground.com

[zbdent]

4. quick, hide the phone books!

"information that terrorists can use, like names and addresses and information of U. S. Citizens"!!!

What, ID thieves are now classified as terrorists?