My title comes from a saying my grandfather picked up during his service in the military. I find it to be relevant in this age of secrecy within our government which so highly praises transparency but cannot follow through. They are quick to violate basic American principles of liberty when someone displays their dirty laundry in public. The journalistic phenomenon that is Wikileaks brought hope to many people, including myself, that the kind of transparency that we had been promised by the Obama administration would be taken if not given.
However we all know how quickly the government was to retaliate against such intrusions. Private First Class Bradley Manning is the man responsible for Wikileaks getting its hands on the infamous “Collateral Murder” video that made waves across all forms of media. His punishment is beyond receiving jail time because he hasn’t even been given a trial as of yet. Instead, he has been sitting in solitary confinement. This is public information and yet the injustice continues. The attempt to control the flow of information has never been greater. Legislation such as PIPA and SOPA show us that politicians aren’t interested in a free and open internet. Had the public not become as vocal as they did in opposition to the two bills, they would have more than likely been passed.
Can you hide something forever? In this age, when someone seeks out information, they find it. Anything that is recorded can be dug up, decrypted, and distributed. Why does the American government try so hard to keep control of something that cannot be controlled. One can draw the conclusion that the leaders of the country simply don’t know how the internet works. Why else would someone fight this uphill battle? If anything, I believe we need more regulation in congress.