Classified documents are that for a reason
George Will’s column (“Some classified knowledge shouldn’t stay classified,” April 17) leads me to doubt his sincerity. If he is the well-informed Washington insider he would have us believe, surely somebody in that talkative town has explained to him that many documents are classified for reasons unrelated to what they say. A report based on foreign intelligence can easily reveal how our government obtained certain information or that it was obtained somehow from a foreign government’s channels thought to be secure. Counter-intelligence analysts in other countries scour foreign documents for obscure details that can be linked to sources within their own walls — small items such as a number that is too accurate, an idle fact that is too specific, even the correct — or incorrect — spelling of names. Would Mr. Will, for the sake of government transparency, risk closing down a communications leak from the Saudi embassy or possibly an inside source in Ar-Riyadh? Let us hope not.
JAMES EASON, FOREST PARK
Bathroom policies open kids to harm
Where are the fathers in this country? How pathetic that dads would surrender the safety and innocence of their children to the unreasonable demands of a fraction of one percent of our population.
Trans people are probably the most harmless among us, but to open all public restrooms exposes all of us to those who are not harmless and who will take the opportunity to practice their evil or depraved behavior with no restraint from civic or scholastic authorities.
Parents have a responsibility to address this devolution from decades of common practice.
REBECCA NOELL, WOODSTOCK
