as seen on tv
Senator
I was tempted to include some sort of aphorism about locking the barn after the horse is out, but Ben Franklin is still revered across all elements of the US political spectrum.
The inquiring reader might ask “On what basis does Governor Patrick Duval suspend the public’s right to know about Tsarnarev’s (apparently) lifelong welfare benefits?”
Governor Duvall replies: “Privacy”. I shit you not. That’s his reason.
This is a stunning precedent – the dead are entitled to not having their misdeeds reported or debated. The relatives of those who passed away from apparent medical malpractice are likely to be astonished to find that the pertinent diagnosis and treatment records are sealed due to privacy, and the perpetrator will escape examination and penalty in THOSE situations too.
Actually, I suspect it was the privacy of Massachusetts bureaucrats which Mr. Duval had top of mind. This is no different than a Bernie Madoff or an Enron trying to suppress evidence of misdeeds. The difference, of course, is that Mr. Duvall the power to cow and intimidate state employees that a corporate CEO could only dream about.
The operative message here is “We don’t wish to learn from our mistakes. It might not work out in our favor.”
The public trust, indeed.
Full disclosure – just wondering – shouldn’t the 20 boxes of confidential documents – including bank records, emails, and other incriminating evidence – taken from Bin Laden’s bedroom after he was shot in the head have been subject to similar “privacy” concerns? After all, he had no ability to consent to their release after he passed away, either.
