“Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.”
John Dalberg Lord Acton
“A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy, or perhaps both.”
James Madison
“There is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.
That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.”
John F. Kennedy
“The Cloak Of Secrecy” immediately reminded me of Get Smart
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What really gets me going is the very idea of “secret” courts in the U.S. and use of secret evidence. The gov isn’t just burning the Constitution they’re pissing on it.