Secrecy

Yesterday I was behind a beat up Honda Civic covered in bumper stickers. It was a long light so I was able to read most of them and this one grabbed me “Secrecy is the freedom tyrants dream about”. Actually they were all pretty thought-provoking. I couldn’t help but wonder why the oldest most decrepit cars post the most logical, rebellious messages while the luxury cars are broadcasting “Palin for President”. If I didn’t know any better I would assume that perceived financial success as defined by your automobile equates to blind stupidity.

Back to the quote. Government secrecy was such a hot topic during the Bush Administration and really always a concern when it comes to any government. I question though the dichotomy of a secretive government with the exhibitionism displayed by the populous web. We the people are posting photos, twittering about our whereabouts, blogging about our thoughts. No real secrecary here. Is the difference that no one really cares when its on a personal level?

Actually I don't know the right answer. Initially I am opposed to secrecy especially when it comes to Mr. Cheney's energy meetings. On the other hand I really don't need to know what Billy Boy did with a cigar. Is Jack Nicholson right "You can't handle the truth"? With full disclosure comes a responsibility. A responsibility to review, understand and understand in context exactly what is being presented to you.

Take one small part of the health care debate, the so called Death Panels. A significant amount of Americans truly feared the the government would determine who lives and who dies. I even heard Fox News' Dream team compare this part of the bill to the Holocaust. You know they did not read the bill verbiage and certainly they did not fully understand it. The passionate attacks in town meetings and the craziness displayed makes me think we would be better off not sharing all the details with the public. Seems the lack of effort in understanding the legislation just creates a circus of diversion. Don't get me wrong, I am all for freedom of speech and peaceful demonstrations. But please people, know what you are talking about first. I guess if we had trustworthy politicians we could leave that responsibility to them and wallow in our ignorance.

I think I am pretty typical. I pay attention to what interests me and I research things I care about but do not fully understand. I am trying to speak on things that I have some knowledge of and to convey an open mind to differences and disagreements. Truthfully, i want it all available to me so I can choose what I want to delve into. I know that secrecy creates elitism and prevents checks and balances and for that reason alone I am against it. But I am also against ignorance. So if we work to abolish secrecy we must also work to abolish ignorance.