Maira Kalman did this beautiful thing on the inauguration in her monthly illustrated NY Times blog. In it, she wrote “ A woman named Renata asked ‘Why on the Bible? Why not on the Constitution?’ and I think that is a VERY good question. But now we are taking a short break from questioning. Right now, we are opting for naïvité.” That was true, then. It was all so good, that it seemed wise to savor the moment.
Now the savoring time is over, though, and it’s time for the questions. Why (oh why) are the details of an international agreement about intellectual property state secrets, the knowing of which would threaten National Security? Honestly? True story? It stinks like Bush, to me. Our president promised us transparency and he gives us this. As Wired author David Kravets points out, there are 27 nations involved in the negotiation of this treaty, so just how secret can it be? There are rumors that the content of the treaty are hardcore enforcement mandates, making iPods subject to border searches and criminalizing peer-to-peer file sharing, but for now those are just rumors. ALA Code of Ethics says that librarians respect intellectual property rights, but librarians also stand firmly on the side of access, and citizens are being denied access to the workings of their government. It makes a person start to wonder what terrible stuff really is contained in that treaty.
Sometimes, even people with really great intentions need help to stay on the path they chose. Maybe President Obama needs our help right now, to keep his commitment to transparency.
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2 comments:
I also get a little frightened when I hear of the government hiding information from us. I don't like the idea of living in a country where decisions are made without anyone knowing. I know some information has to be kept secret for our nation's protection, but there comes a point when it seems like the government is keeping information secret for its own protection from scrutiny.
I think it is critical for librarians to speak up and educate others, even highly placed elected officials, about the implications of public policies.
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