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Via Secrecy News, this link to an important recent CRS report, Continuity of Government, Current Federal Arrangements and the Future. From the Summary: “Continuity of government refers to the continued functioning of constutitional government under all circumstances. Arrangements for the continued operation of the federal government in the event of a national emergency or catastrophe …
According to this CBSNews.com report, Thomas H. Kean, Chair of the 9-11 Commission, which has struggled to obtain essential government documents to conclude its investigation and issue a report by the end of May 2004, has gone on record with the following statements: “”As you read the report, you’re going to have a pretty clear …
The GAO failed in their effort to obtain access to essential documents from Vice President Cheney’s National Energy Policy Development Group in order to determine if the nation’s energy policy was influenced by corporations with a financial stake in the outcome. See my August 26 posting for links to relevant documents and commentary on this …
An incisive news article from the December 12 Ohio Times-Reporter presents Congressional and advocacy group perspectives on public access to CRS reports, a controversial issue about which I have posted a number of times. CRS does not maintain a public access website, but online access to selected reports is available through several non-government websites, and …
From U.S. News, an extensive investigative report on How the public’s business gets done out of the public eye: “For the past three years, the Bush administration has quietly but efficiently dropped a shroud of secrecy across many critical operations of the federal government–cloaking its own affairs from scrutiny and removing from the public domain …
From EPIC: “EPIC has obtained a message under the Freedom of Information Act from the American Embassy in Mexico to US government officials regarding the acquisition of Mexican’s personal information by ChoicePoint. The message alerted the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies that Mexican newspapers and political leaders objected to the …
From the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) a Special News Advisory About Terrorism in the Two Years After 9/11: “Investigators seek prosecution of more than 6,400 but only five get twenty years or more in prison. Median or typical sentence for those classified as international terrorists is 14 days.” The full-text of the Special Report, …
In response to a FOIA request for documents on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) no-fly lists or “watch lists,” the ACLU obtained 94 pages of documents from the FBI that are posted here. The documents are heavily redacted. The ACLU press release is here.
From the November/December 2003 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: How agencies thwart the Freedom of Information Act, by Jeffrey T. Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, Washington, D.C. “Although the Freedom of Information Act has been a blessing to academics, journalists, and activists, it is seen as a curse by some in …
On November 21, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the Congressional Research Accessibility Act (H.R. 3630), To make available on the Internet, for purposes of access and retrieval by the public, certain information available through the Congressional Research Service Web site. The press release from Rep. Shays states: “CRS products are created with taxpayers’ dollars and …
From the EFF: Diebold Backs Down, Won’t Sue on Publication of Electronic Voting Machine Flaws: “Voting machine company Diebold Systems, Inc., agreed today in federal court not to sue or send any further legal threats to anyone who publishes their corporate email archive indicating flaws in Diebold’s voting machines and irregularities with certifying the systems …
As a follow-up to my posting on November 17, 9-11 Commission Confirms White House To Provide Edited Versions of Documents, see the 9/11 Family Steering Committee’s Statement Regarding the One-Year Anniversary of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, issued on November 27: “Unfortunately, the production of a timely report no longer …
