Transparency vs. Secrecy

Contention 1: Freedom Is Not An End In ItselfIt's become popular to use "freedom" as a broad justification for anything and everything, even when this clearly harms the rights and freedoms of others; e. g. late-term abortion, public smoking, and alcohol use (and consequent drunk driving fatalities). Logically, freedom can go too far in harming the rights of others; one should not have freedom to use their body to murder, rape, or steal from others; one should not have freedom to use drugs without restriction when to do so harms others, e. g. secondhand smoke and drunk driving; one should not have freedom to use privacy to kill others whether in the privacy of one's home or one's body; one should not have freedom to use their speech to slander others or yell fire in a crowded theater (per the famous ruling by Oliver Wendell Holmes). I maintain that a perfectly open government need not collapse, and that the U. S. would not collapse if entirely transparent. The problem with Seal Team Six was secrecy, as it was with the Iraq War. In both cases we saw a government unwilling to provide proof about why a foreign country was invaded. The Obama administration refused to provide public proof of Bin Laden's body to justify why we had invaded Afghanistan, just as the Bush administration had refused to provide public proof of Weapons of Mass Destruction to justify why we had invaded Iraq. Both administrations displayed secrecy and have lost public trust consequently. Contention 2: America's Original Ideals Demanded TransparencyAccording to the Declaration of Independence, government is justified only so long as it serves the "consent of the governed" and when becoming destructive of their consent, they are justified in altering or abolishing it. That was the justification in our leaving England in the first place. Therefore it follows that a government must be transparent enough for the governed to consent to the governance. "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. "[1]Contention 3: Government Is A Greater ThreatI would argue that when looked at holistically in the broader scope of history, the greatest threat is always from government, not isolated organizations like terrorists. People have more to fear from the secrecy of their own governments and leaders than from isolated individuals or organizations. Logically the greatest evil can occur from those with greatest control and capability to commit it; which will be those in the greatest positions of power and governance. America's founders recognized this and sought to provide checks and balances to government, a bill of rights and separation of powers to try and limit government; keeping it accountable. They tried to create a transparent government of representatives subject to the will of the people to prevent the abuses that caused them to leave England. They feared a tyrannical government like the monarchies of Europe which persecuted Christian minority denominations and other religious faiths, and implemented religious freedom as a result. See for example William Penn and Roger Williams. Contention 4: Government Transparency Differs From Military TransparencyJust because the exact details of military research cannot always be divulged, e. g. the Manhattan Project, does not mean the existence of the projects and knowledge of what government is doing should not be made publicly available. A democracy works in keeping government accountable only if transparent. Just because all details of a military project should not be divulged for security purposes, does not mean that the general information about what government is doing should be kept secret. A free people have a right to know what their government is doing. Sources:[1] . http://www.archives.gov...