Rep. Weldon's speech 10/19/05

[Flash]

So, if you are a typical military officer and come by info that is not even your direct work product but because you have ESP or something you are sure will result in terrorism, even though no one else thinks it will, and then years later it turns out your wild a$$ guess was more right then wrong, you can reveal all that classified info? And then if someone jumps in your $hit because you broke from the reservation to reveal said classified info (violated the law) you look surprised and claim persecution. I just want to make sure I am getting this right so that all the newbies on this sight know just exactly when it will be appropriate for them to reveal their countries closest held secrets. Apparently the laws concerning this stuff is far more complicated then I thought. When I joined the Navy I was told to never reveal classified information to anyone without a need to know and the proper security clearance. I was also taught that public dissemination does not equate to declassification. So if you read something in Aviation Week you know is classified, you still can't talk about it. Now have I got this wrong, or do new rules apply if you are a super smart military officer and every one else disagrees with your analysis, but you turn out to be right years later?

Thanks for bringing this up Wink, it is an excellent point. American citizens who were later convicted of spying have used this defense in the past, saying that what they revealed was out in the press already/something and ally should know/etc. The most infamous example of this is Johnathan Pollard, who worked at ONI as a civilian analyst in the 80's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard . He gave the Israeli's lots of classified info and plead guilty to espionage, getting a life sentence. What is wrong with giving classified info to such a close ally? It was not up to an individual to decide what classified information can be released! The US governement is filled with people whose sole job is to release classified information. And even though they are a close ally, Israel will look out for its own good before anyone else's. They still won't tell us all of what Pollard gave them. Who knows what they did with it? They could have traded it to a third party for all we know (it has been specualted Israel actually provided information to Iran early in the Iran-Iraq war on Iraq's nuclear program, Iran struck the Osirak reactor facility before Israel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osirak ). Israel is still trying to get Pollard released, his case is cause celebre in Israel and among some Americans http://www.jonathanpollard.org/

The point is that it is not up to an individual to release classified information. Like Wink said, even if you see something out in the public eye that you know is classified, you have no business confirming it. Messing with classified info is a sure way to end your career in government.

Whiel Lt Col Shaffer might think he is doing the right thing, he is going about it the wrong way. Anyways, all I still see is a lot of smke and no fire.