Government secrecy continues to grow

A democratic society is an open one, yet the amount of information withheld by the government from its citizens continues to grow. The public has a right to know how decisions that impact them are being formulated so that they can develop informed opinions and fully participate in the democratic process. Part of the reason an open society is required of democracy is that it allows the public to hold its officials accountable for their actions, but as I alluded to in my post from yesterday this administration has used the veil of secrecy to protect itself from being held accountable for its actions. This is simply unacceptable, because, as journalist Walter Lippmann wrote in 1919, "there can be no liberty for a community which lacks the information by which to detect lies."

Back in March I linked to a Slate article about this subject. The conclusion of that article says it best

Information is the oxygen of democracy. Day by day, the Bush administration is cutting off the supply.