The government is hiding facts.

September 18, 2025
The government is hiding facts from us, the people. On March 15, 2025, the U.S. accidentally texted Jeffrey Goldberg its plans, in detail, to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen. Don’t believe me? Believe Jeff Goldberg. The texts zipped to Mr. Goldberg’s computer because the government used Signal, a texting app that does not automatically record what is said. It could have used one of the official methods that are more secure and that the law requires the government to use.

The government has two choices. It can use a “disappearing” message app like Signal to do its business or it can use an official, secure communication method. Why would it use Signal? Because disappearing message apps create an unreachable digital “paper trail.” Group members receive the message, and that’s it. No one, not even the group members themselves, can retrieve the message later. Without a lasting record, no one can tell who sent the message. In a court of law, no one can prove when it was sent. No one even knows for sure that it was sent.

Since the public doesn’t know, say, the details of the Houthi air strikes, whoever ordered them will never have to admit to the public that they ordered them. Worse, they won’t have to explain why they ordered them. No records—no accountability.

Was March 15, 2025, the only time the administration communicated among themselves using a disappearing message app? Sure, and I have a bridge to sell you, cheap. Suppose you decide to do something sneaky. You buy a Christmas gift for your spouse—in August—and now you must hide it until Christmas Day. In the middle of the night, you quietly slip the gift into the perfect hiding place. On Christmas Day, your spouse is surprised. Next year, you buy several early Christmas gifts for your spouse and for your kids. You hide them in the same perfect place. Again, everyone is surprised. You get into the habit of buying gifts early, hiding them, and not being caught, so after a while you become careless and slip up. You are caught.

The government has sent a lot of disappearing messages and hidden many facts from us. And after a while they were caught. You can’t hide secret messages from an intelligent public forever. But don’t believe me, believe Democracy Forward. The Republican leaders know they can get away with ignoring us, and we are seduced by the their distractions. The end result is, we submit to every law they enact and fear every threat they make.

Why would the administration want to hide records of the details of and reasons for what they are doing? They don’t seem to be planning to give us all a surprise gift any time soon. Democrats and Republicans alike, we have a right to know what the administration is up to.

Knowledge is power. Without sufficient knowledge, we become helpless victims, and democracy crumbles around us.

What can you do? Gather knowledge. Become familiar with the common-sense political issues.

The United States is the democratic leader. If we let the government destroy our rights and freedoms, they will destroy the world’s rights and freedoms for decades or even centuries to come.

The government is, indeed, hiding facts from us.

Dr. Jean M. Bradt
cassjmb10@att.net