I was reading
today's offering by The Rude Pundit, and struck by the elegance of his suggestion. I know that TRP is the last place you'd expect elegance. He pointed out that regular Americans are losing more and more of their privacy, and that the White House is being more and more secretive. And he juxtaposes the two with the simple question "What are you trying to hide?"
The visceral nature of this query can and should be used to our advantage. People don't like double standards, and they don't like to give up privacy either. My offering below: please comment on how to turn this message into effective Letters to the Editors of your local papers and using this against the Bush administration.
Americans are losing many facets of the privacy that they have enjoyed for decades. PATRIOT Act provisions give the FBI rights to spy and pry without judicial oversight. Groups such as the ACLU and the Sierra Club are also surveilled. Americans are accused of colluding with terrorists and are imprisoned without charges or lawyers. And when people speak up, they are asked "What are you trying to hide?"
However, disclosure does not apply to everyone.
Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has a very small public record, yet the White House will not release documents that the Senate has requested. What are they trying to hide?
U.N. Ambassador nominee John Bolton has disturbing questions being asked about his use of classified information while working in the State Department, yet the White House would not release documents that the Senate requested. What are they trying to hide?
The Bush Administration stated that anyone involved in leaking the identity of a CIA agent would be fired and swore that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby were not involved. Now the administration will not comment on the matter and both are still employed. What are they trying to hide?
Americans value the ideal of equality. We should expect more disclosure, not less, from our government.