Pssssst --ON-shhhhh-GOVERNMENT-shhhhh-SECRECY-shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... (Mississauga Musings)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

I just figured something out --like at this very minute.

Now I'm the first to admit that I'm a tad sloooooooooowwww. After all, it's taken me close to four decades of adult life to see Ontario Municipal Government (and Provincial for that matter) for what it is.

I'm sure that if I Googled, I'd find lots of others who figured stuff out way before my own morning revelation --but no matter. I figured this out by myself and a personal *BING* A-HAH! --

---is better than reading it second-hand from some Internet dude.

[Warning: If you want to figure out Ontario Municipal/Provincal Government on your own for that *BING* A-HAH! light bulb goin' on, read no more.]

Ok, here it is. FREEDOM OF SPEECH

How can you have it if you're not informed --or if you're misinformed? Seriously, how can you have Freedom of Speech? (Yep. That's my revelation. Sorry for anyone who's disappointed and was expecting something more insightful. And if you knew that already, why didn't you email and bring me up to speed?)

If you're told by your Government that things are going swimmingly and how lucky you are to live in this open, democratic-loving [country, province/state, city] when that Government's private face is the butt-ugly-opposite --how can you possibly have Freedom of Speech?

How can you possibly have Freedom of Speech when you are left clueless about the chasm between Perception and Reality?

How can you possibly have Freedom of Speech when governments practically conspire to keep What-Is from us.

How are we meaningfully-able to express our opinions or even our hopes for some Fabled Future?

And I thought, it's easy for a government to trumpet Freedom of Speech when INFORMATION is shackled to the nearest bureaucratic desk --or that of an elected official. Latest example? How often have we heard that cities can't sharpen their pencils any further? That they ponder --then ponder some more, over each penny spent. That's the Public Face.

Then all it takes is a reporter and--

ROYSON JAMES

And I'm reminded of what the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ann Cavoukian said about citizens' freedoms at the October 31, 2007 "Right to Know" luncheon.

"You must have FOI (Freedom of Information). You know I often talk about the other side --about Privacy, but those two areas.... without that you cannot have Freedom, you cannot have Liberty.

and then she stated:

"You must have Freedom of Information in order to be able to hold Government accountable. Let us not forget --let the Government not forget --that they serve at the pleasure of The Governed. That's us. That's you and me.

It's not their Information --it's our Information. And I think we must remind them of that fact again and again.

and then she shared her favourite quote from the Conclusion section of The Report of The Ipperwash Inquiry (Sidney B. Linden, Commissioner)

"Secrecy or the lack of transparency, is the breeding ground for abuse of power, public cynicism, and attacks on the legitimacy of important public institutions.

There ya go. I'll leave it at that and just let our Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner have the last say.

(Click here to go directly to the clip on Google Video)

Signed,
The (Anyone else goin' up to Caledon for the "closed meeting investigator" thingie?) Mississauga Muse
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TOWERpelcoTEXT
"Secrecy or the lack of transparency, is the breeding ground for abuse of power, public cynicism, and attacks on the legitimacy of important public institutions. --The Report of The Ipperwash Inquiry (Sidney B. Linden, Commissioner)