Q Posts for 11/22/xx

https://qalerts.pub/?q=Nov%2022

President John F. Kennedy’s Speech on Secret Societies:

"The President and the Press"

Delivered on April 27, 1961, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City.

Excerpts:

“I have chosen to speak on the subject of the press and the role of the press in a free and open society. Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed — and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment — the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution.”

“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority and to defend their rights. But we also have a great responsibility to protect our country and our freedom.”

“The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are, as a people, inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweigh the dangers which are cited to justify it.”

“Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in ensuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.”

“That I do not intend to permit to happen. The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society, and we are, as a people, inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweigh the dangers which are cited to justify it.”