Dave's point about blackmail is hugely significant. For many years discrimination against homosexuals was defended based upon their susceptibility to coercion vs being outed.
To this day, SECRET homosexuality is considered worrisome by the State Dept. Alas, that is the only kind allowed in the military, a really weird decision. In a more general sense, of course, this is about the cleansing power of Transparency. When it is mixed with a general rise in tolerance of non-harmful human eccentricity and diversity. Darkness and skulking favor our civilization's enemies over the long run. (The SHORT run can feature many advantages to short term secrecy, of course. I am not a fanatic and I want our side always to have the tactical advantages that information superiority provides.) Alas, the temptation that lures ALL human leaders is to rationalize why THEY should be allowed to evade accountability. Clinton benefited us - and himself - when he reduced overall secrecy. When he lied, he harmed us and himself. None of which compares to today's lie and secrecy fest. The deep scandal is subbornation. How many officials are subborned by enemies of the republic? How high does it go? What methods were used? Blackmail. Pictures from wild parties? This was NOT considered an unreasonable question during our adversarial relationship with the soviets and nazis, so why is it so today? Can anyone come up with another explanation for Bolton and Kerrick? Any other even REMOTELY possible explanation for the appointment of a shrieking hysteric as a diplomat and a saudfamily bodyguard to head homelandsec? Really. Is Limbaughism so far along that college educated and supposedly patriotic americans cannot even see their country being sold out from under them? _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
