WHY SHOULD TORTURE BE CONSIDERED A 'SECRET'?

I'm just wondering something:

How can a democratic country like ours openly legislate the use of torture as a 'humane' method of interrogation one day, and then try to keep what we are doing to these prisoners from leaking out into the public--as a state secret--the next?

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Street xx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX