(03-27-2015 06:27 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Arutz Sheva is a neo con outfit.

But even so...Bibi leaked US conversations....without any clamor from the right wing...

Why wouldn't turnabout be fair play?

And is this any different than Vanunu? Are there any secrets here? Come on guys. If you want info on the Israeli Nuclear Program, you could just write them at:

Israel Nuclear Programme
Dimona, Israel.

And the article states that the US DOD was sued 3 years ago to release the info. And LOST. So the US government decided to no longer fight the FOIA request.

So the information is 28 years old and the government was bound by law to release it.

I am inclined to be skeptical that both (1) this information is significant or damaging, (2) that Israel released information that was either supplied by the US or gained from spying directly on the US.

I am inclined to believe - because of the three year timing - that this release is much ado about nothing (though I hope that the US gave Israel a heads up about it). I also believe that the administration is deliberately misrepresenting or lying about some of the statements from the recent Israeli election ... I think that accusations of spying may well be the administration acting out.

Q: do you (or anyone else here) read or speak Hebrew? (PM if so, and you don't want to reply here). I don't, but I'm interested in a direct translation of what Netanyahu actually said on a couple of topics during the election campaign.

(03-27-2015 06:27 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  And the article states that the US DOD was sued 3 years ago to release the info. And LOST. So the US government decided to no longer fight the FOIA request.
So the information is 28 years old and the government was bound by law to release it.

I think you are misunderstanding both the law and the lawsuit.

Classified information is exempt from FOIA requirements under separate statutory authority. The loss of a FOIA suit meant that DOD had to disclose unclassified information, which they also opposed disclosing, but not classified information. This information did not come under the FOIA statute or the court order until it was declassified. Someone made the decision to declassify it, knowing exactly what the ramifications would be.

(03-30-2015 12:37 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 06:27 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  And the article states that the US DOD was sued 3 years ago to release the info. And LOST. So the US government decided to no longer fight the FOIA request.
So the information is 28 years old and the government was bound by law to release it.

I think you are misunderstanding both the law and the lawsuit.

Classified information is exempt from FOIA requirements under separate statutory authority. The loss of a FOIA suit meant that DOD had to disclose unclassified information, which they also opposed disclosing, but not classified information. This information did not come under the FOIA statute or the court order until it was declassified. Someone made the decision to declassify it, knowing exactly what the ramifications would be.

Meh. Why should we hold onto 20+ year old information. Its not even a secret.

(03-30-2015 01:18 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 12:37 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 06:27 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  And the article states that the US DOD was sued 3 years ago to release the info. And LOST. So the US government decided to no longer fight the FOIA request.
So the information is 28 years old and the government was bound by law to release it.

I think you are misunderstanding both the law and the lawsuit.

Classified information is exempt from FOIA requirements under separate statutory authority. The loss of a FOIA suit meant that DOD had to disclose unclassified information, which they also opposed disclosing, but not classified information. This information did not come under the FOIA statute or the court order until it was declassified. Someone made the decision to declassify it, knowing exactly what the ramifications would be.

Meh. Why should we hold onto 20+ year old information. Its not even a secret.

Because it's the law of the land?

(03-30-2015 01:38 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 01:18 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 12:37 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 06:27 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  And the article states that the US DOD was sued 3 years ago to release the info. And LOST. So the US government decided to no longer fight the FOIA request.
So the information is 28 years old and the government was bound by law to release it.

I think you are misunderstanding both the law and the lawsuit.

Classified information is exempt from FOIA requirements under separate statutory authority. The loss of a FOIA suit meant that DOD had to disclose unclassified information, which they also opposed disclosing, but not classified information. This information did not come under the FOIA statute or the court order until it was declassified. Someone made the decision to declassify it, knowing exactly what the ramifications would be.

Meh. Why should we hold onto 20+ year old information. Its not even a secret.

Because it's the law of the land?

Can't they declassify pretty much whatever they want? Somebody had to decide to make it classified in the first place.

(03-30-2015 11:00 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-29-2015 04:25 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Bibi has already turned on the USA.

Actually, the USA has already turned on Bibi. And Israel. And the Arabs. This has way bigger ramifications than a personal spat.

If by turning on Israel, you mean not doing everything they want us to do and agreeing with everything they do, then yes, we've turned on Israel.

(03-30-2015 01:40 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Can't they declassify pretty much whatever they want? Somebody had to decide to make it classified in the first place.

And that decision was made by someone who knew full well that as soon as the information was declassified it would become subject to the FOIA request, and who chose to declassify it at precisely this time.

(03-30-2015 01:43 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 01:40 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Can't they declassify pretty much whatever they want? Somebody had to decide to make it classified in the first place.

And that decision was made by someone who knew full well that as soon as the information was declassified it would become subject to the FOIA request, and who chose to declassify it at precisely this time.

Well, yes, if you declassify it. You wouldn't do that if you didn't want it to become public. But this has been pretty much an open secret already.

But there are subtle but significant differences between an open secret and confirmed in writing