Explains A Lot

J. William Leonard, the government’s former classification czar, on the needless classification of information.

 In an e-mail Friday, Leonard, speaking generally, said the system for classifying information is “becoming dysfunctional” and “clearly lacks the ability to differentiate between trivial information and that which can truly damage our nation’s well-being.”

Secrecy is also good for creating fear and fear is one of the great agents of social control so it stands to reason that the government would classify information.  But it's also sheer bureaucratic inertia and self-aggrandizement.   More of anything--staff, documents, secrets--equals more importance.  All of the players, however minor, want to be important.

And so it goes.