To find the earliest example of a “higher authority” deciding to keep information secret from its citizenry, all you have to do is turn to the Old Testament—as in the beginning, says Frederick “Fritz” Schwarz, famous for his work investigating Watergate-era intelligence abuses.
Remember that story, where God told Adam and Eve they couldn’t eat from the tree of knowledge but never gave them a reason why? Schwarz’s latest book, Democracy in the Dark: The Seduction of Government Secrecy, uses the story of creation to begin a thorough chronology of how ruling classes have used secrecy to their advantage.
Jumping to the present day, there are too many examples of secrecy within our own government, which Schwarz points out is “inconsistent with democracy.”
Why is so much government work being classified? Why does the public only learn about some large-scale projects through information leaks?
This week, Project On Government Oversight and the NYU Law School’s Brennan Center for Justice (where Schwarz is general counsel) hosted a discussion in Washington, DC, with Schwarz to talk about rising government secrecy.
The discussion led to several questions about the way that leakers of information are treated by the government. POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian, who moderated the talk, steered the discussion on individual leakers to the disparate treatment between the cases of Chelsea Manning and former CIA director David Petraeus.
“It’s pretty obvious if you’re a high enough ranking [official], you simply get a wrist slap, like Petraeus,” Schwarz said.
He went on to applaud Edward Snowden, saying that he acted for “patriotic reasons,” despite being charged under the Espionage Act. Schwarz said that the Espionage Act has been misused and was originally intended “for members who directly helped a foreign nation,” unlike more recent leakers giving information to journalists.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has used the Espionage Act to go after media leaks more during Obama’s administration than all prior administrations combined.
Schwarz has drawn heavily on his experiences as a member of the Church Committee, which during the 1970s investigated illegal intelligence gathering activities by the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA).
But going after the intelligence establishment came with the cost of some government officials accusing the Committee’s activities as a threat to national security. That knee-jerk reaction resulted in the Committee losing some of its ability to do thorough investigations.
“In the last three to four months of our work, we were not free in a political sense, in a dynamic sense,” Schwarz said.
Were it not for Edward Snowden, the American people would have no idea how much the Foolish Feds are spying on them.
And continue to do so.
“Remember that story, where God told Adam and Eve they couldn’t eat from the tree of knowledge but never gave them a reason why? Schwarz’s latest book, Democracy in the Dark: The Seduction of Government Secrecy, uses the story of creation to begin a thorough chronology of how ruling classes have used secrecy to their advantage.”
That is a fascinating comparison.
I think I’ve got to agree with this guy. Manning and Snowden should both be considered American heroes.
Obama has absolutely been an opponent of transparency and open government. His record of going after whistleblowers will be a huge stain on his legacy.
“Obama has absolutely been an opponent of transparency and open government. His record of going after whistleblowers will be a huge stain on his legacy.”
This by itself is enough to oppose his presidency and not re-elect anyone in his image, but this is only of many wrongs and sellouts. He’s made so many false promises, engaged in bad diplomacy and cost lives in the process. Obama has been a nightmare for the left and the right.
While this administration and the MSM are orchestrating the discussion of topics about what the left hand is doing here are a few under reported articles about what the right hand is doing.
I’m not concerned with what the left hand is doing. I am very concerned with what the right hand is doing especially when it’s hidden behind their backs.
Left hand: Removal of SC’s Confederate flag.
Right hand:
New low: ISIS reportedly gives away sex slaves as ‘prizes’ in Koran contest:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/06/22/new-low-isis-reportedly-gives-away-sex-slaves-as-prizes-in-koran-contest/
Report: Wait lists for vets even longer today than last year:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/06/21/report-wait-lists-for-vets-even-longer-today-than-last-year/
More Hillary Clinton Benghazi Emails Revealed:
http://dailysignal.com/2015/06/23/more-hillary-clinton-benghazi-emails-revealed/
1,000 Days: Pastor Saeed Abedini’s Iran imprisonment marks grim milestone:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/23/1000-days-pastor-saeed-abedinis-iran-imprisonment-marks-grim-milestone.html?sf38894208=1
The Supreme Court Just Issued a Ruling That Is a Big Win for Freedom and a Bigger Loss for Government:
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/06/350032-supreme-court-just-struck-huge-blow-liberty-abusive-government/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Partners&utm_term=PRM15
One more hidden right hand action came out from behind their backs.
Emails Show MIT’s Jonathan Gruber Had Even More To Do With Obamacare’s Passage Than Previously Thought:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/21/emails-show-mits-jonathan-gruber-had-even-more-to-do-with-obamacares-passage-than-previously-thought/#ixzz3duJCajGo
Watch as MSNBC, and Howard Dean, admit the White House lied about Jonathan Gruber:
http://www.caintv.com/watch-as-msnbc-and-howard-dean