What should happen to people who intentionally leak secret government documents?

fuzzybuddy said:
The ultimate authority as to whether to divulge state secrets is the conscience of the secret holder. Anyone, who knows the secret, has that authority-rightly or wrongly.
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Absolutely NOT. The essence of government and military secrecy is that the individual entrusted with such secrets clearly understands that they have NO inherent right to disclose secrets that are entrusted to them, PERIOD. There are civil and military laws and regulations governing the unauthorized release of confidential and secret information. Those who betray that trust, should suffer the consequences.
 
ElCastor said:
Absolutely NOT. The essence of government and military secrecy is that the individual entrusted with such secrets clearly understands that they have NO inherent right to disclose secrets that are entrusted to them, PERIOD. There are civil and military laws and regulations governing the unauthorized release of confidential and secret information. Those who betray that trust, should suffer the consequences.
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Not necessarily.

The number one responsibility of the military is to uphold our Constitution. If classified information reveals that some individual or group is violating our Constitution, it is the responsibility of those with access and knowledge of that information to reveal that information -- first to his or her superiors. If that doesn't work, go to their superiors and so on up the chain of command, unless, of course, they're the ones perpetrating the offense. Only then or if no action is taken should the information be released to the public.
 

SeniorBen said:
Not necessarily.

The number one responsibility of the military is to uphold our Constitution. If classified information reveals that some individual or group is violating our Constitution, it is the responsibility of those with access and knowledge of that information to reveal that information -- first to his or her superiors. If that doesn't work, go to their superiors and so on up the chain of command, unless, of course, they're the ones perpetrating the offense. Only then or if no action is taken should the information be released to the public.
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Perhaps, but once again who among us is empowered to decide what does or does not comply with the Constitution? Not you, me, or those in whom secret information is confided. I agree with up the chain of command, and if the command elects to refer it to a court to determine constitutionality, so be it, but at least in my opinion that is where it should end. If an individual decides to bypass that process, very likely for political reasons, they do so at their own risk.
 
ElCastor said:
Perhaps, but once again who among us is empowered to decide what does or does not comply with the Constitution? Not you, me, or those in whom secret information is confided. I agree with up the chain of command, and if the command elects to refer it to a court to determine constitutionality, so be it, but at least in my opinion that is where it should end. If an individual decides to bypass that process, very likely for political reasons, they do so at their own risk.
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I don't know of anybody who has ever leaked classified information for political reasons other than politicians, and they're never punished for that kind of thing. But I don't agree that when our Constitution is being violated, all that should be done is report it to superiors. That should be the first step, but if nothing results from it, it's the duty of servicemen and women to followup and if that involves leaking it to the press, so be it. They should consult with a lawyer first to make sure they're not misguided and after that, do what needs to be done to protect our country.

When someone signs up to serve the country, that's what they're doing... serving our country. They're not serving leaders or any particular person; they're sworn to serve and protect our Constitution and our democracy. It seems like a lot of people in the military can't seem to grasp that idea. That was evidenced by all the ex-military who stormed the Capital on Jan. 6th, but that's what you get with an all volunteer military.
 
SeniorBen said:
When someone signs up to serve the country, that's what they're doing... serving our country. They're not serving leaders or any particular person; they're sworn to serve and protect our Constitution and our democracy. It seems like a lot of people in the military can't seem to grasp that idea. That was evidenced by all the ex-military who stormed the Capital on Jan. 6th, but that's what you get with an all volunteer military.
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It is my opinion that anyone who is the recipient of secret government information and violates their pledge to not disclose that information should be punished to the fullest extent of the law—period. Disagree? We will just have to agree to disagree.
 
ElCastor said:
It is my opinion that anyone who is the recipient of secret government information and violates their pledge to not disclose that information should be punished to the fullest extent of the law—period. Disagree? We will just have to agree to disagree.
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What if the classified documents show that a U.S. politician is taking orders from a leader of another country and they're getting Americans killed? They should still keep quiet?
 
SeniorBen said:
What if the classified documents show that a U.S. politician is taking orders from a leader of another country and they're getting Americans killed? They should still keep quiet?
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Just report it up the secure line and request action.from the secure source. Oh yes! I know — what if the document reports that American babies are being roasted and eaten by that leader of another country!!! Aieee! Surely then the docs must go to the NY Times! No.
 
SeniorBen said:
What if the classified documents show that a U.S. politician is taking orders from a leader of another country and they're getting Americans killed? They should still keep quiet?
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It would most likely be planted misinformation. Not something it might be in our interest to have leaked. And the leaker would not likely know or understand the whole story.
 
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ElCastor said:
Just report it up the secure line and request action.from the secure source. Oh yes! I know — what if the document reports that American babies are being roasted and eaten by that leader of another country!!! Aieee! Surely then the docs must go to the NY Times! No.
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Alligatorob said:
It would most likely be planted misinformation. Not something it might be in our interest to have leaked. And the leaker would not likely know or understand the whole story.
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A question for both of you... Daniel Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, and Bradley Manning all leaked classified documents that exposed egregious wrongdoings by our military and our government. Do you believe any of them were justified in leaking that information?
 
SeniorBen said:
A question for both of you... Daniel Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, and Bradley Manning all leaked classified documents that exposed egregious wrongdoings by our military and our government. Do you believe any of them were justified in leaking that information?
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I believe they were justified in leaking this information. There are entirely too many politicians who have been bought by lobbyists and therefore make decisions that are not always in the interest, or to the benefit, of the electorate! Someone has to expose them. And no I am not into conspiracy theories!
 
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