Monday, March 17, 2008
The Bush Secrecy Myth - WSJ.com
Government secrecy is a very complex issue, with many diverse consequences. It's certainly not "one size fits all", as our self-serving media wishes it would be...
That being said, we would be prudent to evaluate it on a case by case basis...
That being said, we would be prudent to evaluate it on a case by case basis...
Here's part of a highly informative article by Gabriel Schoenfeld in the Wall Street Journal:
"Our democracy faces a challenging conundrum. On the one hand, openness is an essential prerequisite of self-government. The electorate depends on the free flow of information to make considered choices about policies and the political leaders who will carry them out.
On the other hand, secrecy is an equally essential prerequisite of self-governance. To be effective, even the ordinary business of democratic rule -- from the development of policies to the selection of personnel -- must often take place behind closed doors. When one turns to the extraordinary business of democratic governance -- self-preservation carried out through the conduct of foreign policy and the waging of war -- the imperative of secrecy becomes a matter of survival."
