Ted Poe: “Government secrecy is anathema to all people, and darkness by rulers can be trumped by the sunshine of a public and an…”

“Government secrecy is anathema to all people, and darkness by rulers can be trumped by the sunshine of a public and an independent judicial system. But, Mr. Speaker, secrecy by a judicial system is a threat to liberty of all free peoples. in our country we have the Constitution; and, specifically, the amendments to the Constitution protect us as a free people against government--government intrusion and government violation of our privacy--because government really has no right; it has power. It has what we give it when we give up our liberty and our rights. The amendments promote openness of government and protect individuals from government. There is the Sixth Amendment that talks about a public, speedy trial, where witnesses come forward and people are put on notice of the crime. Citizens are given a jury trial. But the most important part of that amendment is the right to a public trial. The Seventh Amendment deals with jury trials in civil cases. Of course, the Fifth Amendment talks about the fact that, in a trial, a person accused doesn't have to testify or produce any evidence against themselves. And then the Fourth Amendment talks about how government is limited on how it can intrude into our homes and our papers. It limits government surveillance.…”