The ethically redacted truth is fundamental to democracy.

George Orwell wrote;

Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men
is the restatement of the obvious.

And;

We have now sunk to a depth at which
the restatement of the obvious is
the first duty of intelligent men.

Sometimes, the first duty of intelligent women and men
is to restate the obvious.  And, now is that time.

Obviously;

• the success of democracy depends upon the people knowing the whole truth and nothing but the ethically redacted truth about their government;

And just as obviously;

• The people don't know that truth.

Worse, they couldn't find it if they wanted to.

Informing the democracy isn't about putting every public record in every person's hand, any more than it is about cramming every person into every public meeting.

Enabling the democracy is about placing in any person's hand, any record they ask for*.

Enabling the democracy is about letting into any meeting, any person desiring to attend*.

*subject to exceptions authorized by the people for any one of a number of good and ethical reasons.  It is the people's prerogative to determine the rules of public service; not their servants'.

The premise that the truth belongs
to politicians and public servants,
theirs to dispense to the people
as they see fit, is flawed on its face.  

It's patent nonsense.

If open government laws were being written today and from scratch, they would not include letting the fox write the rules for guarding the hen house, and they would not give the foxes ever; sole custody of the hen house, all of the chickens and all of their eggs.

There is no legitimate democratic agenda that does not move forward at the instant that the whole truth and nothing but the ethically redacted truth is immediately available to any stake or interest holder who wants to avail themselves of it.

The proximate cause of nearly every failure of government
is being covered up by the people whose corruption and or incompetence precipitated the failure.

How are we every going to fix anything if we can't find out what's wrong and who let it happen?




photo Mark Bralley