Damned if you do

Why is it that people are so concerned about privacy?  If you've ever won the California lottery or made a purchase at Target or availed yourself to the Yahoo.com email service, then you should know that you have no privacy at all - everyone knows who you are, where you live, your shoe size, hat size, birth date, birth weight, etc. This release of information has become so sickly abusive, you should be more scared if your personal information hasn't been hacked or otherwise displayed for the world to see.

The reason I bring any of this up is because the other day I was reading in the Daily Journal about a case that just got handed down.  Seems a request under the FOIA was submitted requesting names of students training at the U.S. Army Institute.  Seems the Northern District Court granted a Summary Judgment granting access to the names.  Seems, then, Judge Sandra S. Ikuta of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote the majority opinion stating that the possible harm to foreign soldiers training at a U.S. Army institute outweighs the public's right to know their identities.

Funny thing is that there have been a number of graduates from U.S. Army institutes who have gone on to commit war crimes throughout South and Central America.  So, a person of common intelligence would think it would be good practice to keep a weathered eye out for the potential Lord Voldemort's, as it were.  

I mean if someone had some prior knowledge that they were training a potential evil dictator, they could take steps to remove said potential evil dictator, right?  For instance, had someone taken out Lord Voldemort before he went all evil, Harry could have lived a life of rainbows and unicorns.  I suspect that would have been a better argument than saying give me the information because I want it.  Maybe?

Anyway, moral to the story, full disclosure is probably best. That way, at least you have a chance to duck when the nuclear bullet comes your way.