a motto to trust

We can't have the commercial sector running our governments for us. These public agencies need to be forthright and transparent. -- David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona's journalism school.

The quote comes as part of an AP story about police use of a technology called Stingray -- a technology police acknowledge helps them to catch criminals but will say little else: There is a non-disclosure agreement between police and Stingray's manufacturer, Harris Corp.

"We can't have the commercial sector running our governments for us." Last I checked, that is precisely what is happening in Washington and elsewhere. Should we be delighted or dismayed by the farmer who closes the barn door after the horse is already loose?

Once, government relied to some degree on the trust of the governed. That trust may or may not have been warranted, but it certainly existed. I wonder what will happen when the premise that was once called trust is dissolved. The Vatican and the American Congress have felt the consequences of a dwindling trust ... a dwindling that has concrete effects on income.

I wonder if there is anything that anyone could do to instill a renewed sense of trust. Maybe Stingray will let us know.

Is there any entity or person that inspires trust these days? I don't know, but I certainly know that I am suspicious of 'legal' entities embarked on untrustworthy ventures. You know, stuff like JSOC and whatever U.S.-sponsored war is on-going at the moment.

"Trust me because I trust myself" strikes me as a flimsy if popular motto, though I admit I can't come up with a better one.