by Garrett Anderson

Created on: January 03, 2009

The creation of Frankenstein was an experiment that worked until it didn't work. The good doctor was simply trying to bring the dead to life. In that respect, the experiment was a success. Unfortunately the wrong brain was used. I think of this as Frankenstein's operating system. The problem was that Frankenstein was not socially skilled nor did he understand that ravaging the countryside was unacceptable behavior. His operating system had a design flaw. The tale of Frankenstein is a beautiful metaphor that describes government wonderfully. Unlike our monster though, government acquired it's faulty operating system along the way.

Think of government as an experiment. Before it's creation, the framers of government most certainly asked, "why do we need government?" An astute observer might very well have answered, "for the safety and protection of it's citizens." Someone else might have added, "for freedom from tyranny and runaway taxation." So it was the framers set about to create a government, which at that time, was a a true democracy. It was understood and agreed upon, signed into law by the best and brightest of their time. The United States was born.

The inherent flaw in this design was two fold. Government would long outlive it's creators and the spirit for which it was designed. The second flaw was that government, like Frankenstein, had a faulty operating system. Values held in high esteem, such as virtue, honesty, and truthfulness became optional, suggestive only. As government grew like Frankenstein, it took on a life of it's own. It covered it's shortcomings, lied to it's citizens, made judgments regarding what was right and wrong, and most importantly- it became opaque. It forgot what it's original mission was. It operated in secret because so much of what it did was not above board nor did it want to subject itself to the scrutiny of it's citizens. So it was, this big old Frankenstein operates with impunity. Punishing it's creators and overstepping it's bounds here and abroad.

So if we can ever regain control of this monster we created, we are going to have to demand that it acts within it's original design and becomes transparent. Doing things above board and in good faith. Disclosing things, even the embarrassing ones so that we can analyze what happened and take corrective action. It's not ok to plot and try to kill people. It's not acceptable behavior to hide pork barrel legislation in bills to gain their passage. It's not ok to mislead and obscure people by keeping unclassfied information secret. Telling the truth is what we demand from people, co-workers, children. We ask for the truth so that we can make the best, rational, and informed decisions possible. Acting responsibly, scrutinizing this unholy monster we created can't be accomplished when we allow that monster to make the rules and decide what we need to hear and what we don't. We need, actually, we are entitled to the truth and we should demand it. Government should be acting responsibly, transparent, and above board. Unclassified information should be available to all of us. We bought and paid for it.

One day, truth, honesty, and transparency will matter again. We will grow tired of this Frankenstein we created, running around and ravaging the very people it was designed it to protect. We will demand better performance. One only needs to watch the movie "Frankenstein" to see how this story ends.

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