Very slippery slope

Public information. Freedom of information. The public's right to know.

Oh, wait, unless the governor or the Legislature decides we shouldn't know.

That should scare us. A lot.

Whether or not something should be public information is not the point.

The fact that something is public information and when a request for that information is made, the government swoops in to block it with new legislation ... that is the point.

Where does it stop?

The Bangor Daily News requested a list of concealed weapons permit holders. Should that be public information? Who knows. But it is. Right now.

The governor frantically tells the Legislature to fast track law to make that information private and block BDN's ability to get the information. He hastily goes a step further and drafts his own emergency measure that would be voted on by the Legislature without a public hearing and immediately effective.

BDN News Director Anthony Ronzio took a big step back, rescinding the paper's request for the records.

The BDN should have stuck to its proverbial guns.

And then, on Tuesday, the Senate approved the emergency measure without debate which will make concealed weapon permit holder information private at least until April 30 and the House passed it with a vote of 129 to 11.

So what other information might the government not want us, the public, to have?

And how long before our right to know has been completely trampled?

And if that's the case then those concealed weapon permit holders better watch out.

If the government can trample one right, it can certainly trample others ... including the Second Amendment.

The Advertiser Democrat Editorial Board