I Agree With 9-11 Blogger

That this sucks:

Five Maryland families, all of whom agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the airline industry over their loved ones' deaths on Sept. 11, are drawing some pointed criticism for agreeing to keep silent about what they learned during the course of the lawsuit.

The families, who chose not to receive money through the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, say they pursued a legal route in hopes that their suits would give them a better understanding of the security breakdowns that allowed the tragedy to occur.

But whatever knowledge they gained, they're not allowed to talk about it.

I can understand why the airlines and the security company at Dulles wanted to keep their mistakes private, but there is a compelling need to know issue here.

Much more coverage of this over at Heading Right.

The families of 9/11 deserve compassion and sympathy. They are free to act in their own self-interest. However, these particular families want to have it both ways, wanting to tell us that they are on a search for the truth while participating in keeping at least the airline/airport side of the truth hidden from view. Their actions do not meet their rhetoric, and this settlement is not in the best interests of the nation. Whatever truth came out of those depositions should be unsealed. This attack killed their family members, but it was primarily an attack on the entire nation — and we have the same standing to determine whether the failures have really all been identified and corrected.