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Ear to the Ground

Bush Increases Use of ‘State Secrets’ Privilege to Quash Lawsuits

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Posted on May 25, 2006

The administration is using this tactic at a rate of three lawsuits per year—purportedly to keep national security information safe. But one expert says that in cases like these, “the principal concern of the classifiers is not with national security, but with governmental embarrassment of one sort or another.”


Political Animal:

STATE SECRETS….Yesterday I mentioned that Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen who was kidnapped, drugged, flown to a secret prison in Afghanistan, and held for five months — despite the fact that he was entirely innoncent and was merely the victim of mistaken identity — had his lawsuit turned down on Thursday after the government asserted the state secrets privilege. Tom Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, comments:

When the government claims the “state secrets privilege,” the courts tend to look no further, and the cases are dismissed. It was invoked only four times in the first 23 years after the U.S. Supreme Court created the privilege in 1953, but now the government is claiming the privilege to dismiss lawsuits at a rate of more than three a year. The Justice Department describes this tactic as an “absolute privilege” — in effect, a neutron bomb that leaves no plaintiff standing.

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By rhio9, May 25, 2006 at 5:45 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

It should read: A SECRET STATE

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By Scott MacDonald, May 25, 2006 at 10:58 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Who is the classifiyer? I am the classificationizer. I classify that which is classificable. Because I am in a class of my own classification.

Class dismissed.

GW

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By Removal of BUSH TRASH!, May 25, 2006 at 10:10 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Please remove the BUSH TRASH from the White House ASAP! 
longagoandfaraway

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By William Day, May 25, 2006 at 10:01 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Nothing surprising here! Each time we think that arrogance has finally reached its highest point, we get another bombshell like this. The evidence is clear that this administration will do anything, legal or illegal, in attempts to hide its sleazy doings. History will rate this president and his administration below Warren Harding and Tricky Dick in all measures, including corruption, cronyism, trashing the constitution, leading the nation into a trumped up war, law breaking, and you name it.  What a sad day in our history when this half a man was elevated to the presidency.  One can only hope that the American people wake up, smell the coffee, and throw him either in jail or out of office where he belongs. If tar and feathering and riding him out of town on a rail were still allowed, that too could be easily justified!

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By JP, May 25, 2006 at 6:41 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

If citizen outrage is considered to hinder administration efforts, than yes it might be a “State secret.”

BULLSHIT.  Don’t do things that would outrage everyone.

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