Secrecy and Security

On this anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Americans are asking themselves serious questions about whether we are more secure than we were four years ago, and what real security really means. In addition to being prepared for terrorist incidents, real security ought to mean that we are stronger as a nation in our commitment to the liberties, freedoms and open government that make this country great in the first place.

Unfortunately, one of the greatest casualities of our so-called "war on terror" has actually been an erosion of open government and individual liberty. Jackie Northam, reporting on NPR's "Morning Edition" last week, did a couple of stories that explored these issues in depth. On Thursday she reported on how government employees classified nearly 15 million documents last year, more than four times the number in 2001, at a cost of about $7 billion. On Friday she explored practice of the government invoking the "state secrets" privilege to squash court cases and open records inquiries.

The best way we can honor the memory of those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001, is to advocate for real national security, which means, in part, an open and honest government.
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