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Why we're suing the CIA
- jacquesm 12y agoRecursive FOIA requests. Very neat :) Breadth first or depth first is going to be their main problem. The plus for the government is that if they lose a document they now have an off-site backup. Presumably the CIA is not playing ball because they have their own backups. What a fantastic project.
- frandroid 12y agoIn Canada, similar requests had partially liberated the information contained in the Coordination of Access to Information Requests System that the Federal Government used to centrally manage ATI requests (our FOIA), so that people could do this kind of recursive research. The Conservatives disbanded the database in 2008 in order to remove this resource from being the target of ATI requests, and make it harder to get information to the public.
- ChuckMcM 12y agoI really appreciate these guys following through with this. I've benefited from the information they have set free. That we have to pull it kicking and screaming out of the bureaucracies is sad.
- SandersAK 12y agoLove these guys! They're doing a Beacon crowdfunding project as we speak - help em' out! http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-spy-in-your-pocket http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-spy-in-your-pocket
- Mizza 12y agoYeah MuckRock! Get 'em! I use MuckRock to FOIA the CIA quite often, and they are probably the third-worst agency to deal with (behind the NSA and the US State Department). They don't even accept FOIA requests via email! Hopefully, this will lubricate them a little bit.
- te_platt 12y agoAs bad as governmental abuses can be in the U.S. I find it somewhat comforting that suing the CIA doesn't mean some people are going to start disappearing. I'm guessing not too many Russians sued the KGB.
- pdevr 12y agoAlso, the fact that you have the freedom to discuss and criticize CIA on a public forum. A strong democracy's pros outweigh its cons by a large margin - almost always.
- malka 12y agoyeah, you can speak and discuss all you want on internet. That will cause some big changes for the CIA I'm sure. As a french humorist (Coluche) used to say : Tyranny is 'shut the fuck up' Democracy is 'Talk to the hand'
- tendom 12y agoNone of this is about democracy, but the freedoms of the constitution and a less corrupt system than some other countries. Corruption still exists heavily in America, but it's primarily focused on money and lobbies and whatnot.
- chad_oliver 12y agoIt may not be directly associated to the democratic process for electing a government, but I think you'll find that it's still closely related to democracy in general. Democracy is fundamentally anchored on the idea that the legitimate right to govern derives from the people, not from the sword or from the blessing of a priest. This means that governments exist to serve the people, not the other way around. The freedoms of the constitution derive from this principle.
- Swizec 12y agoFun historical fact: In medieval Karantania[1] the "king" was appointed and crowned by the people. He still inherited his title and whatnot, but had to be approved by his people and a free peasant performed the coronation. So, not a democracy, but right to govern still derives from the people. It has been done. From wikipedia: > The ritual was performed in the Slovene language by a free peasant who, selected by his peers, in the name of the people of the land questioned the new Prince about his integrity and reminded him of his duties. Later, when the Duchy of Carinthia had fallen to the Habsburgs, the idea that it was actually the people from whom the Duke of Carinthia received his legitimation was the basis of the Habsburgs' claim to the unique title of Archduke. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karantania http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karantania
- coldcode 12y agoNice try, but likely nothing will happen. Even if a judge in a moment of insanity ruled in your favor, the CIA will simply say it's a national secret or whatever and nothing will change.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- pdenya 12y ago"Don't bother trying" -- great advice.
- cookingrobot 12y ago"Don't waste your time on this approach" isn't defeatist, it's saying you'll get a better outcome with another approach. There are lots of worthless activities that will change nothing, and a very few that are effective. It's important to think about how to invest. That said.. It's more helpful to hear alternate ideas than just "this won't work".
- talkingquickly 12y agoI see your point but I think it's still fair comment when the parent isn't suggesting a better approach, they're just saying "don't use this one".
- nitrogen 12y agoMaybe, every now and then, someone has to try an apparently futile approach just to remind everybody that the system is still broken.
- retrogradeorbit 12y agoThe parent didn't say "don't bother trying". They said it's not going to work. Definitely do it. But don't be shocked and surprised when it gets swept under the rug. Edit: In fact it's important to do it, just so everyone can watch the system wrap it all up and dispose of it in full view. And then there will be less of the false choice inherent in "See how great our system is, you're allowed to criticise! Not like those Russians!"
- toomuchtodo 12y agoMuckRock and the Beacon Reader are also working on uncovering law enforcement across the country using "Stingray" rouge cell tower equipment: http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-spy-in-your-pocket http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-spy-in-your-pocket Please chip in $5 if you can towards their goal.
- stevejyim 12y agoyes, you should sue the cia.
- known 12y ago"Who's right doesn't matter, who has the power does" --Thucydides