General Discussion

The Straight Story

(48,121 posts)

22. Here is the problem as I see it:

Sun Jun 16, 2013, 10:10 PM

Jun 2013

There are certainly some reasons to keep secrets to protect us and those agents in the field in such.

Problem is the government now uses that to hide anything they don't WANT us to see because it might endanger some of their jobs.

There are, to quote a movie, 'Too Many Secrets'

Why are visitor logs kept hidden, etc and so on? Transparency scares the government because they see themselves now as the potential 'target' of we the people... i.e we are the ones they want to keep information from, not our enemies. Essentially we have become their enemies and if we have too much intel we might put a stop to their corruption.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

36 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

In a democracy, do not elected officials have a right to keep secrets from the people? [View all] kentuck Jun 2013 OP

If secrets are kept, it's no longer a democracy, because the data to make a thoughtful choice PDJane Jun 2013 #1

kept, is the key word RobertEarl Jun 2013 #4

A thoughtful, reasonable response.. kentuck Jun 2013 #5

I think you are drawing a reasonable line here n/t Yo_Mama Jun 2013 #9

secrets, yes burnodo Jun 2013 #2

Not if they are bugging all of us or within an interpretation of infringing on our rights dkf Jun 2013 #3

In a representative democracy we elect executives and legislators to act on our behalf FarCenter Jun 2013 #6

But... kentuck Jun 2013 #7

I think this kind of spying (if it is going on) is a special case... cascadiance Jun 2013 #10

Well said. kentuck Jun 2013 #16

The congress has delegated oversight of intelligence to the Select Committees on Intelligence FarCenter Jun 2013 #11

And from whom does the "Gang of Eight" get the secrets?? kentuck Jun 2013 #18

50 USC � 413b - Presidential approval and reporting of covert actions FarCenter Jun 2013 #20

Thanks a lot! kentuck Jun 2013 #24

and upon being elected, they are sworn burnodo Jun 2013 #12

What law makes that a crime? FarCenter Jun 2013 #14

spying on citizens without cause? burnodo Jun 2013 #15

What section of the United States Code is that? FarCenter Jun 2013 #17

I think you may be far center right? kentuck Jun 2013 #19

The way I look at it Yo_Mama Jun 2013 #8

There is a difference between keeping secrets and collecting data on every American citizen davidn3600 Jun 2013 #13

How so? kentuck Jun 2013 #21

Here is the problem as I see it: The Straight Story Jun 2013 #22

Someday I'd like to live in an entirely transparent democracy. hunter Jun 2013 #23

There is no right in a democracy to keep the peoples business from them. bemildred Jun 2013 #25

I would agree that there is way, way too much secrecy. kentuck Jun 2013 #26

Secrecy is a privilege we allow the government, not something the government has a right to. bemildred Jun 2013 #28

They are not keeping secrets from the people treestar Jun 2013 #27

That's a matter of perspective, I would think. kentuck Jun 2013 #30

They have to be secret of necessity I would think treestar Jun 2013 #35

What kind of information should be kept secret? backscatter712 Jun 2013 #29

The intelligence community is just like most of today's politicians... kentuck Jun 2013 #31

I respectfully disagree. PragmaticLiberal Jun 2013 #32

Perhaps I should have said the "leaders in the intelligence community"? kentuck Jun 2013 #33

Actually, I think most politicians probably have noble intentions..at least initially. PragmaticLiberal Jun 2013 #34

The real question today is, "Do we?" usGovOwesUs3Trillion Jun 2013 #36