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Sci-fi sues NASA

She may bankrupt the channel with the exorbitant legal fees. Maybe they're looking for a tax write-off? ;)
 
I think most things are only classified in the USA for 25 years. 1965 + 25 = 1990 so any files should be free now.

The normal exceptions are if the file is still open or it contains personnel information. A file may be still open if say an aircraft still being used by the US Air Force crashed. Personnel information might include the name of the pilot if he was blamed for the crash.

I do not know what the timescales for keeping UFO investigations secret are but unless it is 50 years something may fall out the end of this publicity stunt, probably a meteor strike or something fell off a plane. :D
 
The normal exceptions are if the file is still open or it contains personnel information.

From what I have read, there are also exceptions any tme that "they" think that are still repercussions to "national interests" if the information is released.

During one of the rounds of declassification during the Clinton years I remember reading about documents still being classified from World War I. The speculation in the newspaper articles was that some of the contingency plans could still tick off some of our allies (then and now) to the point where they might affect international relations.

If "they" think that there is some point to keeping something in particular classified longer than the general guidelines say, then those things will be kept classified longer.
 
When documents are given a classification, they also receive a GP number, 1 thru 4, that is located at the bottom of the document. If the documents in question have a GP-4, they are simply reviewed periodically to see if they should be downgraded to the next lower calssification, as Top Secret to Secret. But there's no automatic declassification. :(
 
As matter of information there are still classified files from World War I that can not be accessed. More from World War Two and the Korean War -- a war I am quite familiar with. When I wrote DARKMOON in 1993 almost everything about special and ingelligence operations was still classified and under a 75-year seal. And every FOIA request I made was rejected. If I hadn't been in the outfit back then I would never have gotten what I needed but did since I contacted the guys who were with me in special/intelligence ops so was able to gather the information needed for the book. I suspect the only way Scifi/NBC will every get what they need (beyond speculation) is to locate former service members who were on clean up/security (if it was crash of any kind) and get some of them to talk. I'm sure locating them would be on helluva job since (if it is cover up) they would have quickly been scattered to the four winds with warnings they would go to jail if they ever revealed what they had seen.
 
All this from a woman who stopped supporting shows with "aliens" in them and tried to bring a more "contemporary" image to Sci-Fi channel. Now she has changed her tune and is chasing aliens herself. Ohhhhh the irony...
 
All this from a woman who stopped supporting shows with "aliens" in them...

Bonnie Hammer never said any such thing and there is no evidence that the network that spent millions producing Children of Dune, Taken and the new Galactica project has somehow banned aliens. What Hammer did say is that she wanted the channel to overcome the stereotype that SF was "only spaceships and aliens". And I don't see anything wrong with that, since it is obvious to anyone who's ever read any science fiction that the genre embraces much more than "spaceships and aliens".

If you don't like Bonnie Hammer's choice of programming, fine. But don't beat her up for saying things she never said.

Regards,

Joe
 
As matter of information there are still classified files from World War I that can not be accessed. More from World War Two and the Korean War -- a war I am quite familiar with.{snip}
True. Intelligence files are traditionally kept secret forever. I did not mention this because it is NASA that is being sued, an organisation that has little need for spies. NASA may however have access to trade secrets, information that does not belong to the Government so it is not authorised to reveal it.

Declassification of Defence documents is not automatic since someone has to read the document to check that there is nothing current inside. This costs money.
 
Sure, it's publicity, but it could produce interesting results as well. More interesting that Jonathan Edwards anyway.
 
I did not mention this because it is NASA that is being sued, an organisation that has little need for spies.

It isn't as if spy agencies were the only ones in the world who keep secrets. Most military and other government contractors deal in classified material on a daily basis, and their own work product is often classified, even though they aren't themselves government agencies. (Hell, Lockheed, which developed the original stealth fighter, wasn't invited to submit a proposal for the project because they weren't currently building a fighter and didn't have any prior experience with low radar observable aircraft as far as the Air Force knew. In fact, they were the only aerospace company with any practical experience in the field - developed when they built the ultra-secret SR-71 for the CIA. Lockheed actually had to get permission from the CIA to reveal classified aspects of the SR-71 to the U.S.-freakin'-Air Force so they could bid on the stealth fighter project.)

NASA is a civilian agency, but one that has always had close ties to the military, not only recruiting most of its astronauts from the military services but also launching military satellites. It is as apt to have classified documents as any other entity that is part of the Federal Government.

Now the Sci-Fi Channel is supporting what could turn into a series of lawsuits, first against NASA and then against the Department of Defense, the Army and Air Force, to get classified documents released to the public.

And lawsuits against the DoD and the individual services are also being contemplated:

Now the Sci-Fi Channel is supporting what could turn into a series of lawsuits, first against NASA and then against the Department of Defense, the Army and Air Force, to get classified documents released to the public.
- emphasis added.

NASA was chosen as the first agency to be sued because Sci-Fi ... believe(s) that they've fully exhausted their administrative options with the agency, a prerequisite for a judge to agree to hear the case.

Regards,

Joe
 
All this from a woman who stopped supporting shows with "aliens" in them...

Bonnie Hammer never said any such thing and there is no evidence that the network that spent millions producing Children of Dune, Taken and the new Galactica project has somehow banned aliens. What Hammer did say is that she wanted the channel to overcome the stereotype that SF was "only spaceships and aliens". And I don't see anything wrong with that, since it is obvious to anyone who's ever read any science fiction that the genre embraces much more than "spaceships and aliens".

If you don't like Bonnie Hammer's choice of programming, fine. But don't beat her up for saying things she never said.

Regards,

Joe
Easy Tex.

I don't carry around a library of everything network executives say. No where in there did I put her phrase in "" so it wasn't meant to be verbatim. If what you said was her real quote, then it is NOT very far off what I said. In EITHER case the irony remains the same. OK so she wants to overcome the stereotype of Sci-Fi being JUST about spaceships and aliens. So what does she do? Sues NASA about hiding secrets on Spaceships and Aliens. GOOD CALL!

If you really want to be picky about what people quote Joe, Scroll up to my previous post and tell me where I said I didn't care for her choice of programming.

You having a bad day here or something? Jeez...
 
In EITHER case the irony remains the same. OK so she wants to overcome the stereotype of Sci-Fi being JUST about spaceships and aliens. So what does she do? Sues NASA about hiding secrets on Spaceships and Aliens. GOOD CALL!

Actually, as far as I'm concerned the whole thing makes perfect sense, since there were actually no aliens involved in the incident. :D
 

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