] The Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear an appeal by
] civil liberties groups seeking access to basic data about
] hundreds of individuals detained by the federal
] government after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a
] decision that allows officials to continue withholding
] the names of most detainees, as well as other information
] related to their arrests, indefinitely.

At least these ones were allowed a hearing. This capability combined with the ability to detain without hearing and deny access to counsel would be extremely dangerous.

Without a full disclosure of the detainees' names, it will be impossible to hold the government accountable.

This issue is more complex than the media generally acknowledge in the play-by-play reporting of the "he said, she said" variety. Few if any of the people speaking out in public on this issue are doing so from anything resembling a non-partisan position.

If you read anything about this in the press that offers both depth and balance, let me know.