Progressive Values Stories: Drew & Carol on Openness v Secrecy

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Apr 3, 2008 12:43 PM EDT

 I met Drew at an Obama event  in Oakland, California and Carol Hanelberg at a convention in Los Angeles.  They both had in common a value of openness. Drew is disturbed about the secrecy in government and feels Barack Obama will bring transparency. Carol talked about openness starting at home and extending  out to family, friends and society. 
 

"The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness." 
Niels Bohr

"Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off." 
Samuel Johnson

 Progressive Values Stories: Drew on Openness v Secrecy

 The Bush administration has been one of the most secretive administrations and it really has affected my trust in my government, the way I have viewed my ability to be involved in politics.  I have really respected Obama’s commitment to transparency in government, a government that is accountable for its own actions. 

That’s what democracy is really about – being able to be in involved, and honesty and transparency.  So I really support him on these points. 

I think it’s about trust and that your government is abiding by their own rules and not trying to have only their self interests in mind but the public in mind.  And unless, they’re open about it, I think people inherently will agree that they’re up to no good, that they’re against their speaking points.  And in this particular administration, I think they  really are.  In the war in Iraq, it’s so clear to me that a lot of accusations they made before going to war with Iraq were trumped up.  I think they need to be held accountable, and I think Barack will hopefully be transparent from the beginning, so those types of mistakes won’t happen again…

You confront your mistakes, and the most important thing is to learn from your mistakes, and if you apply that to politics, we all have to learn from our mistakes with the economy, with the way we have dealt with social issues.  I think there is a lot that is not being said, and I hope that will change.

If you don't learn from your mistakes, you will continue to make them.  And still trust in the public.  And if the public does not trust the administration, there is not going to be a real democracy, as I see it.  So that's my take on it. 

“Nothing is more dangerous than a dogmatic worldview - nothing more constraining, more blinding to innovation, more destructive of openness to novelty.”  
Stephen Jay Gould 

Carol Hanelberg on Openness and Caring

I live in Orange County in Huntington Beach.  I’m involved here in setting up the table for Clean Money.  I think my progressive values is maybe like traditional values, because I believe having open communication within your family, my children, my boyfriend, my close family, my brothers, my mother and also friends.  And just thinking about other people outside of yourself. 

I think if you start here, then you can build on it, and use that throughout your community, city and state, and so on and so forth.  I think they can be used on a larger scale, but I think the basics start at home – with yourself and the people that are closest to you.

I think about my mother.  In growing up, my mother was very open, very verbal, was a good communicator.  My dad was more on the quiet side. But then you also get a message by learning or looking for things from quiet people as well.  I don’t remember a particular story, but I just feel that it’s important, because miscommunications are so easy to happen if you don’t really check with a person and make sure that what you’ve said is understood, and that you give them also a chance to talk and express themselves.

I think communication, the closeness, caring about other people.  I think that starts, of course, in your family, the way your brought up with your parents’ values, family values, and then what you learn from that, what you want to do a little bit differently with your own family.  So I think it starts with your family, the closeness and caring, then you’re able to project that and use that with other people outside of your family.

Edwin:  How did you develop that sense of caring?

Answer:  I know that I didn’t really know what I wanted to become when I grew up when I was a little girl.  But I did know that I wanted to have a family.  I felt the motherly, maternal instinct.  And I think that carries throughout your job, and also any work you do in the community.

More  Resources about Openness and Transparency

 Definition:
- affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed.
- characterized by an attitude of ready accessibility (especially about one's actions or purposes); not secretive ....
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/openness
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/openness

Transparency
Transparency, as used in the humanities, implies openness, communication, and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning used in the physical sciences: a "transparent" object is one that can be seen through.

Transparency is introduced as a means of holding public officials accountable and fighting corruption. When government meetings are open to the press and the public, when budgets and financial statements may be reviewed by anyone, when laws, rules and decisions are open to discussion, they are seen as transparent and there is less opportunity for the authorities to abuse the system in their own interest.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_(humanities)

Open Society
In open societies, government is responsive and tolerant, and political mechanisms are transparent and flexible.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_society

Open Government
Open government is the political doctrine which holds that the business of government and state administration should be opened at all levels to effective public scrutiny and oversight. In its broadest construction it opposes reason of state and national security considerations, which have tended to legitimize extensive state secrecy....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_government 

Some Questions To Ponder:
 -  What are your thoughts about openness, transparency and secrecy?
 -  Do you have a personal story or anecdote of how you learned some insight into these values?
 -  How has the conservative value of secrecy failed?
 -  How have conservative values in general failed?

More Progressive Values Stories at:
http://progressivespirit.com/InterviewStories/ProgressiveValuesStories.htm

Edwin Rutsch
What Are Progressive Values? Documentary Project
http://ProgressiveSpirit.com  
and Study Group
http://www.dfalink.com/group.php?id=2285  

Cross Posted To:
 http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/24742
 http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_edwin_ru_080403_progressive_values_s.htm
 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/3/122519/3073/701/489511 
 

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