Under the freedom of information act someone has requested interrogation tapes and/or tapes of bad treatment inside the Guantanamo Bay prison. I'm pretty sure they were denied under one of the nine exemptions, but should the government withhold information from its citizens? The nine exemptions of the current freedom of information act are as follows; The president says they are to be kept secret, and are of classified material The agency that is holding the information has it against their rules to release it A law says it cannot be released as long as the law is really specific If it gives away trade secrets of a company or the government Letters and memo's inside the government agencies if the law says no If personal privacy is invaded If it would hinder the arrest, prosecution, general enforcement of a law, witness protection, give up techniques if it might let crooks get commit crime more easily, or endanger the life or safety of an individual in general If it interferes with the regulation of a business Geological and geophysical information and data, including maps, concerning wells. (I don't get this one so i'm leaving it as-is) I paraphrased these so if you want to see them unedited click here Argument and Debate Topic To me this sounds like we have no freedom of information, any thing they deem unworthy for us to view they can take away. When i started this i was going to argue for the withholding of the tapes because its wrong for people to see those tapes, and we would lose face in the eyes of the world, but now, after reading this, i see that the government doesn't have to show us a damn thing if they don't feel like it. Those measly nine exemptions take away our right to see almost everything. Its terrible in my mind. PS I encourage you to read the Wiki article yourself because i might not have fully understood all of the points and you'll have a better understanding of the topic
Well it's not just this. Would you believe that the government is able to take full control of the country and deny their citizens their most basic rights at any time? By declaring Martial Law (in times of war or crisis) the military takes full control of the administration of justice. Some of our most popular leaders have (in some minds) overextended their place in power. Abraham Lincoln declared Martial Law in Maryland so that state would not vote to secede (though this topic should be left for another time and place). Some would say that these acts (including the Patriot Act) have infringed on our own rights, those recognized by the Declaration of Independence. Others would say it is a necessary evil in order to protect the country. I believe you're just beginning to realize the power our government really has on us. Though what this does boil down to is either a strict or loose definition of the Constitution. Whether we can interpret rules set up by our forefathers or follow those guidelines set forth by the greatest minds of their age.
Number 9 I believe is about Oil Wells. Once it gets out that somewhere has Oil Wells, companies rush to it.