Committed to the Freedom of Information

As a part of Truth Squad, I am committed to the freedom of information for Americans. The right to know what our government is up to at all times. I am going to leave the URL for a site and strongly request that you send a letter like I did to Rumsfeld asking for the declassification of a document that involves our missile defense system. The problem with it being public is that it means the current administration will have to deal with our system and fix a "few" of its problems. Well, here's a copy of what I sent and what you can send if you go to the URL:

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:

I am writing to express my deep concerns about your decision to retroactively classify recommendations contained in an August 2000 assessment of our nation's missile defense system. The assessment by the Pentagon's independent test evaluator, Philip Coyle, was highly critical of the missile defense testing program, essentially concluding that the program was so immature that a rigorous assessment of it could not even be made. The report undoubtedly played a major role in the Clinton Administration's decision later that year not to rush the deployment of a missile defense system.

Mr. Coyle's report was provided to the House Committee on Government Reform and he testified about major deficiencies in the missile defense testing program at a September 8, 2000, hearing. Not only was this hearing public, but the report and its recommendations were widely reported in the media and posted on numerous websites, including those of Members of Congress.

The classification should be lifted immediately and the Pentagon should be held accountable for addressing the report's recommendations. The report's continued classification makes it difficult, if not impossible, to refute claims accompanying a decision earlier this year by President Bush that the rudimentary missile defense system is ready for deployment in Alaska and California.

Questions remain about whether the system soon being deployed will ever work. Certainly the retroactive classification of the Coyle report only serves to stymie public debate and oversight of a system the development of which is now costing the taxpayers $10 billion a year. A testing failure on December 15 has further cast doubt on the new system?s effectiveness. I urge you to de-classify the Coyle report and its recommendations and make them available for public scrutiny.

With the controversies rapidly occurring from 9/11 to the election to Iraq to international matters in general, it's up to the public to keep an eye on our people in power. Do what you feel is right and if you feel it is right to write Rumsfeld and ask for the declassification then click on this URL and go:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/pogo/action/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=273