Secrecy
(2008/New Video DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B+ Documentary: B
One of
the most tired bullying tactics to keep people stupid, quiet and put them down
is about conning them into thinking if they talk about anything the bully does
not want them to talk about, bad things will happen. This will either take the form of personal
assault of some kind and/or that the target will be guilty of something bad
happening, though this would not be the case in real life. It becomes worse when such “domestic
terrorism” is supported by any government (like the Bush Administrations) and
they will stress the absolute necessity of Secrecy.
Peter
Galison and Robb Moss have created a new documentary called Secrecy (2008) that examined this trend
in the U.S. and how since WWI, it has become an increasing trend that has
helped define the 20th Century.
Though they could have talked to famous people and gone for so many
obvious things, they cleverly interview inside people who are not well known to
cover the subject. One has to do with a
military airplane explosion that might have something to do with The Manhattan
Project, one on false imprisonment by the CIA, one about the Black Hawk Down incident and one about
9/11.
The
debate is on whether the government should have endless secrecy, especially at
times of war. Obviously, as the Cold War
and Industrial Age have been replaced by the Information Age, that very age
calls for a need for secrecy and though governments that are the healthiest and
serve their population best are the most open, it is naïve to think this can be
endless openness and then there is the issue of who to trust. With too much secrecy, too few know and at
times of crisis (especially if the governing body wants that crisis to legitimize themselves) any government takes
advantage to close things down.
On the
one hand, you have at worst administrations that want to classify everything
top secret and when you do, you get people with power that think they are above
the law and do what they want, no matter who they hurt, rob or steal from, no
matter what they wreck and destroy. That
is unacceptable. Some of the secrets
revealed come from the 4th Estate, The Press.
At their
best, they tell us things that should not be held from us, which is why they
have been targeted more so than in a long time with full war on
journalism. But they too can make
mistakes. I was happy with every
revelation they revealed that made the U.S. (and, in effect, the world) better
as shown throughout the program, but with one exception that shows how the
press can go too far, even for someone like myself who is pro-press.
Two cases
(one about the USSR, the other about terrorist communications) have reporters
widely reporting that the U.S. Government was confirmed to be listening to “the
bad guys” via wireless spying. Without
the specifics, incidental to my point, would the press have reported this if it
were a domestic affair in which the police were about to break up a child
pornography ring? No. Hate Group attack and bombing on a Synagogue
or church? No. Hate Group bombing a book store, magazine or
newspaper office? No. Someone they personally do not like who might
have a grudge against them? No. In all cases, this is called clandestine
operations and it is the one place legitimate journalists cross the line
without thinking.
Having
the freedom to cross that line does not mean you have to cross it. Ruining a sting operation would be criminal
if it were a non-press person because the targets (let’s say for argument’s
sake they are guilty) would get away. So
why do it over foreign policy? To
advance one’s journalistic career? To be
an egotist? To show contempt for
competing journalists? In this case,
journalists should put themselves into the Columbo position and think, will I
ruin a serious case in a way that will get someone hurt. No, the press is not above criticism, even if
the idea of Liberal Media is a big myth.
Now, back
to the U.S. Government’s secrets.
Not noted
here is that both Bush Administrations have set records for classifying items
Top Secret including tons of documents from the Clinton Years, to which
President Clinton noted eh thought it went overboard and he did not see the
need for so much to be kept secret. In
this program, we learn a secret subdivision of the government as bureaucratic
as Homeland Security and as expensive.
During
the Bush II years, the line of bullying had people defending their privacy
being attacked with comments like “I have nothing to hide! Do You?
What are you so worried about?” and worse. Like all bullies, they can dish it out, but
they can’t take it, or billions of taxpayer dollars would not be spent covering
up their moves, so why should the populous submit to a severe double
standard? Well, that’s the politics of
running a never-say-police-state police state.
This program never goes there, but that is what it is and the Obama
Administration has only just begun to reverse that trend and not enough for my
tastes as of this posting.
But best
of all is a comment towards the end of the very rich 81 minutes here, where it
is noted that (to paraphrase) the more secretive any one or body of people are,
the less responsible they are or responsible they want to be for anything that
happens, no matter how bad. The argument
that secrecy caused 9/11 is a false one, but more on that another time, though
enough information was out there to realize something was going to happen.
However,
setting that aside, the more secretive a government is, the more elitist, sneaky,
up-to-no-good, behaving like a self-interested empire it will behave and that
is why though we need secrecy, it is only good with checks, balances and people
(like a responsible press) that can push back and refute what happens in the
shadows when truth to power must be the order of the day.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is shot in digital video that is better than low def
and analog, but not HD, resulting in a good, but not great image. There is also stock film footage and the
results are good for a documentary. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is also good and the interviews recorded sound better
than we usually get. Extras include a
solid audio commentary by the co-directors, extended sequences, extracted
stories (both of which add excellent comments, facts and enhancements to the
main program and debate) and filmmaker bios.
Note that our copy had some interviews shot for 1.78 X 1 squeezed into a
1.33 by 1 space in a way you cannot unsqueeze properly. Odd, but not too bad.
Highly
recommended!
- Nicholas Sheffo
