Posted on 06/15/2009 7:08:00 PM PDT by Crazieman
Obama blocks access to White House visitor lists... Developing...
That makes sense. Also did a little homework after pinging you and that’s what it sounds like. Thanks for your feedback, Nachum. Have a good night.
Not only that, but Obama's defying TWO of his own “PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDA” (or Executive Order-lite) that he signed on Jan. 21, 2009:
January 21, 2009
* Freedom of Information Act
* Pay Freeze
* Transparency and Open Government
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
SUBJECT: Freedom of Information Act
A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open Government. At the heart of that commitment is the idea that accountability is in the interest of the Government and the citizenry alike.
The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve. In responding to requests under the FOIA, executive branch agencies (agencies) should act promptly and in a spirit of cooperation, recognizing that such agencies are servants of the public.
All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government. The presumption of disclosure should be applied to all decisions involving FOIA.
The presumption of disclosure also means that agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government. Disclosure should be timely.
I direct the Attorney General to issue new guidelines governing the FOIA to the heads of executive departments and agencies, reaffirming the commitment to accountability and transparency, and to publish such guidelines in the Federal Register. In doing so, the Attorney General should review FOIA reports produced by the agencies under Executive Order 13392 of December 14, 2005. I also direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to update guidance to the agencies to increase and improve information dissemination to the public, including through the use of new technologies, and to publish such guidance in the Federal Register.
——AND——
SUBJECT: Transparency and Open Government
My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.
Last week, Obama was firing an IG as if he were a part-time house cleaner, violating Public Law by not notifying Congress.
This week, Obama's restricting access to the WH Visitor List, which is public record?
Brilliant! Did you write this? May I use it?
Ping to Post #16.
So, what is Mr. Transparency hiding?!
What do you mean? There are NO rules for this administration.
I didn’t write it. I received it in an email from a friend. Of course you can use it!
I received it in an email and there was nobody to credit it to. I think it’s just being passed around the internet. Feel free to use it. I think it’s a very good little story and may make some people wake up.
I see.
Bush’s fault..
...again....
Give that its own thread.
____________
I wasn’t sure where to put it. Feel free to use it. I received it in an email. It’s circulating around the internet I presume.
Odd. I thought people were always telling you where to stick it....
You really should read #16. Sometimes a story has more impact than an actual event.
Well done!
I like it.
Awesome!
His ‘admin’ or Bush’s?
he IS half-white, don’t forget.
Well done!
He’s quoted here:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/05/cheney_request_denied.asp
Also, in 2007 at a campaign event in NH, he launched into this theme of disclosure/openness/transparency, which was happily picked up by the media and tacked onto him in every possible regard. I guess that a pol calling himself “honest” is too 19th c, and in the 21st we now refer to him as transparent or anti-secretive, but it’s just as phony.
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