[geeks] [rescue] Thread drift :)

[Sridhar Ayengar]

Phil Stracchino wrote:
> True story:
> 
> First, the background data:  In the UK, there exists something called 
> the Official Secrets Act.  It's sort of the anti-FOIA.  Secrets are 
> secret under the Official Secrets Act.  Certain non-secrets are also 
> secret under the Official secrets Act, including that fact, so I just 
> violated the Official Secrets Act by telling you that.
> 
> Once upon a time, there was a town in Sussex whose inhabitants became 
> concerned about what might be in the plume coming from the tall stacks 
> of the somewhat mysterious plant on the north side of town, and whether 
> said plume was toxic and might be harming their health.  Nobody was 
> really sure quite what the plant did, so it was hard to be sure. (Except 
> of course for the people who worked there, and they weren't telling.)  
> So the townsfolk called the Alkali Metals Inspectorate and asked them to 
> sample the plume.  So the Alkali Metals Inspectorate sent two men who 
> came to the town, sampled the plume, and went away again.
> 
> Then time passed.  And passed.  And passed.
> 
> Finally, the townsfolk got impatient and called the Alkali Metals 
> Inspectorate to ask if they'd ever gotten the results from the analysis 
> on the plume.
> 
> "Oh yes, we had the results several months ago."
> 
> "Well, what's in it?"
> 
> "We can't tell you.  It's an official secret."
> 
> ".... Well, can you at least tell us whether it's poisonous?"
> 
> "Sorry, that's an official secret."

At which point I, as a resident of said town, learn how to perform said 
lab tests myself, perform the tests and publish the results for all to 
see.  And then probably hope that my news story is too high-profile to 
allow them to arrest me.

Peace...  Sridhar