Secrecy Be Dammed, But the Wall Is Coming Down

“People will only say about Siemens that they were unlucky and that they broke the 11th Commandment,” Siekaczek said after his former employer made its record-setting payment to settle bribery charges back in 2008.

“The 11th Commandment is: ‘Don’t get caught.’”

There's nothing new about shady dealings in business.  The same holds true in politics - something we're seeing to a stronger degree at the federal level than we have in a long time. 

Here's the problem - information is increasingly available and increasingly in our sights.  The urge to share means more leaks, more opportunity for leaks and a greater demand for the facts, not the spin.  Nobody wants to get caught with egg on their face for willful ignorance.

Some quick examples:

Robocalls.

Vikileaks.

F-35s.

ORNG.

The existence of the BICI.

Of course there are those who will say I'm woefully naive.  Maybe it is easy to hide behind cynicism, but also so constricting.  It's like boiling a frog; you can only deny the emergent truth for so long before you get burned.  Plus, there are those who want to maintain the wall of secrecy so they feel safe behind it.  Too bad for them.  The reality is, ethics matter.

The truth, as they say, will set you free.