Tyranny of secrecy

The tyranny of Secrecy an excerpt from the book "From The Company Of Shadows" by former CIA officer Kevin Shipp

This book was written by Kevin Shipp and is not my work. Here he is getting the credit as it is his work.

"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society;

and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to

secret societies, secret oaths, and secret proceedings." -John F. Kennedy

Secrecy, when used in the context of the constitution, is an important safeguard for our nation's interests. It defends America from the theft of national security information by enemies and adversaries who seek to destroy our democracy. It defends the men and women who lay their lives down for our country so that the rest of us may be safe. It guards the lives of intelligence assets who have chosen to assist our country in the defense of democracy. But, secrecy is a powerful weapon and must be used under the appropriate controls. Because secrecy contains, in itself, an inherent power, there must be checks and constraints to which it is used and therefor, must be under constant and vigilant oversight by those who properly represent the American public.

Secrecy is only valuable in protecting democracy when it answers to democracy. Without proper constitutional checks and constraints, secrecy , by its nature, will tend to corruption; much like the absolute power in the hands of any individual or group will do the same. When a nation uses the threat of a foreign enemy to justify the use of secrecy to spy on itself, it is on the path to tyranny. In principle, a free society and the truth itself are opposed to the notion of unbridled secrecy. Hence, its use must be subject to intense scrutiny and public accountability.

A democratic republic such as the United States of America is under control of its people, not the other way around. When the executive branch of government uses the powers of secrecy to manipulate the judicial branch, the balance of power becomes disrupted and important democratic principles are subverted. When the judicial branch blindly subjects itself to the executive branch, or is intimidated by it, it abdicates its constitutional function.