Sometimes I think we're in the grip of a great national paranoia. So much of our political discourse is built around fear that blacks, Jews, Asians, gays, the religious right or other perceived demons are conspiring to foist an "agenda" on us. Paranoia and need
for open governmentSo much of our popular entertainment gives credence to the wildest allegations of government cover-ups of everything from UFOs and Vietnam prisoners of war to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
It's stunning how many people don't believe investigations over several administrations that seem to disprove the conspiracy theories. Why would 11 presidents since the 1940s conspire to conceal a UFO landing in New Mexico? Why would six administrations conspire to hide the existence of remaining POWs in Vietnam?
But some stories shake your faith that the government is above this kind of cruel deceit.
For years, Gulf War veterans have complained of strange medical symptoms such as headaches, diarrhea, sleep problems and oppressive fatigue. They worry that they were exposed to Iraqi chemical weapons.
The government has brushed it off as stress, denying any exposure to nerve gas.
We are left to wonder. What possible motive could our leaders have for covering up Iraqi atrocities against our troops?
The latest answers are disturbing. It's now apparent that more than 20,000 troops may have been exposed to nerve gas when Americans blew up an Iraqi chemical depot.
We learned this week that the CIA may have given the Army detailed information about the nerve gas exposure in 1991 - critical information that got "lost" on a shelf for six years while officials continued their denials. Much information relating to chemical exposure during the war has mysteriously disappeared.
A motive for hiding the truth starts to take shape. Maybe military leaders weren't covering up for the Iraqis, but for their own carelessness in failing to adequately protect our troops.
It's enough to make a guy rethink UFOs, POWs and JFK.
The common thread in these conspiracy fears is that they involve the most secretive functions of government. It proves the point that official secrecy fosters the most fertile breeding ground for public fear and suspicion.
Which brings the issue back home. Hawaii's Legislature is considering dozens of new bills to restrict public access to government meetings and records. This is on top of existing laws and practices that already make Hawaii one of the most secretive states in the nation.
Is it any wonder than voters' trust in local government declines every year while cynicism and suspicion surge?
Proposed new laws would skirt federal and state court rulings requiring more openness, allow agencies to meet without adequate public notice, seal records of voter registration and accident investigations and force citizens to pay fees - beyond the taxes they already have paid - to obtain official records.
Legislators continue to cater to demands of police and other public employee unions to conceal records of wrongdoing by state workers, destroying accountability. If officials who do wrong can hide from the consequences, it will only encourage others to do wrong. It denies the voting public the opportunity to see and correct small problems before they grow like cancers into big problems.
We mistrust government only because we allow our leaders to operate in secret. We don't have to worry, speculate and spin conspiracy theories. There's another way. We can demand that they open up and let the sun shine in.
