Poster of the Week

“An open society cannot survive a secret government.” Bill Moyers

White House Secret Society
Sheila Pinkel
Digital Inkjet, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

In light of recent disclosures by Edward Snowdon and other whistleblowers, Bill Moyers' quote has become even more relevant.

Artist’s statement:

I made this digital ink jet poster in 2008 because I was increasingly concerned that the Patriot Act has resulted in the erosion of civil liberties in the United States, especially the loss of legal representation for people accused of being terrorists or undocumented people. In 2007, I had made the poster "Patriot Axe" about the loss constitutional rights because of the Patriot Act. I read Bill Moyers book "The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis" because I wanted to better understand his perspective on this subject. Although this book was published in 1988, his quote, which I found in it, gave voice to the concerns of myself and many people on the left who were watching civil liberties erode since the passage of the Patriot Act. And with that erosion came my growing sense that the government was not transparent and that a multiplicity of non-visible agendas were directing domestic and foreign policy.
Sheila Pinkel, 2013