We The People

This is an outcry for the liberation of information. It lends to supreme conspiracy thinking that the state does not share system information with its citizens. By not knowing what's going on, people become game pieces and are essentially sitting ducks (without access to proper evidence to make a contest).

For example: I have always felt it unfair that a potential arresting officer has easy access to my criminal history and I cannot find the same information without a heap of hassle. It's my information. It's my power. It's wrong to deny me easy access.

And now, with active shooters all around us it's imperative for the state to share everything it knows, everything that has been discovered about active shooters, so people can stay safe. From Columbine on to today, mass shooters have been not only identified, but captured and theoretically dissected in super-max facilities - there must be some sort of commonality. Some singular trait of considerable importance and potentially deadly consequences. We have a right to know.

Public access to records is of vital importance, and what's cool is that with today's computing power and database analysis tools, people can use the internet to query "their" data and gain powerful insights to help them in their lives. 

I tend to the abstract and have tested this point by reaching out to the Missoula County records clerk for a list of marriage certificates. It's bizarre, but I think there's a connection between the playing club horoscope chart and marital success. Testing requires statistical analysis to see if, say, hearts and clubs have a higher divorce rate than hearts and diamonds. These are public records and it's conceivable that I have access to all the information I need...if only the records clerk would get back to me.

Death certificates is another data set I want to query and possible publish my findings. It's beneficial to know how people are dying and considering that people are moving here and there, it's especially important this information be accessible. How interesting would it be to see how prevalent gun deaths or car wrecks or suicides are becoming? It's a morbid topic, but important to understand.