It's not just the TPP that's secret: The government is still refusing to reveal what it knows about 9/11

(NaturalNews) In the beginning, our founding fathers birthed a nation "of the people, for the people, by the people," but steadily, in the centuries since, it has been transformed into a government of, for and by the elite.

Presidents negotiate massive "trade" agreements that have virtually nothing to do with actual trade. They order government spy agencies to electronically eavesdrop on all Americans without first obtaining required court authorization under the Constitution. They seek to intimidate and prosecute journalists who dare try to hold government to account (as the founders envisioned a Fourth Estate, armed with a guarantee of free speech, would do).

And they cover up intricate details about the worst act of terrorism ever committed on U.S. soil.

Fighting for transparency

Some politicians, however, have finally had enough. One of them is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. As reported by The Hill, Paul is joining some lawmakers in the House who seek to reveal to the public 28 pages of secret text regarding the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

In recent days, Paul, who became the lone GOP presidential contender currently in the race to call for a complete end to the National Security Agency's blanket surveillance programs, led the way for full disclosure with a piece of legislation that would force the publication of the pages from a 2002 congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks. The pages were initially redacted by the Bush Administration, ostensibly for national security purposes.

"We cannot let page after page of blanked-out documents be obscured by a veil," Paul announced at a crowded Capitol press conference, as he was joined by fellow lawmakers and families of victims of the 2001 attack. "We owe it to these families, and we cannot let this lack of transparency erode trust and make us feel less secure."

Paul's Senate bill mirrors similar legislation in the House by Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Stephen Lynch, D-Mass. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a staunch transparency advocate, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., have signed on as co-sponsors of Paul's legislation.

For a number of years, Jones and others have battled administrations for release of the pages, which some believe could negatively portray senior officials within Saudi Arabia as being complicit in the 9/11 attacks. For years, Americans have known that 15 of the 19 hijackers were of Saudi descent. Also, Obama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the attacks, was Saudi.

"We all are calling today for the release of these 28 pages," Paul said.

The effort to have the pages published is being supported by former Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who oversaw another congressional inquiry regarding 9/11.

"The 28 pages are very important and will, I think, inform the American people and, in so doing, will cause the American government to reconsider the nature of our relationship with Saudi Arabia," Graham said, according to The Hill. "But beyond that, these are emblematic of a pattern of withholding information unnecessarily and to the detriment of the American people."

Your consent is not required or necessary

Meanwhile, President Obama continues to refuse to make details of the massive (and secret) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) public, though efforts are being made to make them public: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is offering $100,000 for copies of the pact.

WikiLeaks has published leaked chapters of the negotiating text in the past, but Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, said it's high time everyone knew what was in it.

"The transparency clock has run out on the TPP. No more secrecy. No more excuses. Let's open the TPP once and for all," he said in a statement.

Assange is seeking to crowdfund the reward money; as of this writing, he had raised more than $25,000.

For now, however, the text – and details about one of the nation's worst days in history – remain closed to an American public whose consent the elites have deemed unnecessary.

Sources:

http://thehill.com

http://thehill.com

http://www.zerohedge.com

http://www.nytimes.com

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com