AP Review: Gov't Reducing Access to Info

[Zorra]

By MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer

Since 1998, many federal departments have been reducing the amount of information they release to the public — even as the government fields and answers more requests for information than ever, an Associated Press review has found.

The locations of stores and restaurants that have received recalled meat, the names of detainees held by the U.S. overseas and details about Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites)'s 2001 energy policy task force are all among the records that the government isn't sharing with the public.

The tightening began even before the Sept. 11 attacks, and now government defenders say the nation needs protection from its enemies in the war on terror. But open government advocates worry that U.S. citizens' freedom is eroding with every file they can't access.

"This is an immensely troubling clampdown," said Steve Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy Project. "The law itself is unchanged, but it's being interpreted more broadly to withhold more information."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=5&u=/ap/20050313/ap_on_re_us/sunshine_week_records

Anyone surprised?

[etherealtruth]

1. Surprised, no

Outraged, yes.
The greater question is why hasn't there been a greater public outcry?

[Flammable Materials]

2. Reason for no outrage?

Walmart hasn't reduced their hours of operation.

[truthpusher]

3. AP review: Gov't reducing access to info ("immensely troubling clampdown")

This article has lots of info in it, I would suggest checking the link and reading the whole article: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/11127194.htm

Posted on Sun, Mar. 13, 2005
-----------------------------------------
AP review: Gov't reducing access to info
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MARTHA MENDOZA
Associated Press
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Since 1998, many federal departments have been reducing the amount of information they release to the public - even as the government fields and answers more requests for information than ever, an Associated Press review has found.

The locations of stores and restaurants that have received recalled meat, the names of detainees held by the U.S. overseas and details about Vice President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy policy task force are all among the records that the government isn't sharing with the public.

(snip)

"This is an immensely troubling clampdown," said Steve Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy Project. "The law itself is unchanged, but it's being interpreted more broadly to withhold more information."

(snip)

The AP found several excuses are being used much more frequently by the security agencies than in past.

For example, the Justice Department has doubled the percentage of rejections because there are "no records" from 10 percent to 20 percent since 1998. At the FBI, a Justice Department agency, about 37 percent of all requests were refused in 1998 for that reason - but that number bumped up to about 55 percent last year.

complete story: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/11127194.htm

[peacetalksforall]

4. Is it our country or not? The real story is that they have think tanks

thinking 24/7 on how to protect the corporations. This is not the United States. We live in the United Corporations or call them the United Takes.

[Up2Late]

5. Welcome to our Lovely new Police State

So, What should we change the name to:

1) Fascist States of America?

2) Soviet States of America?

3) Norther Texan Republics of America?:evilfrown:

[etherealtruth]

7. Hell

[NNN0LHI]

6. AP Review: Gov't Reducing Access to Info

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20050313/ap_on_re_us/sunshine_week_records

Since 1998, many federal departments have been reducing the amount of information they release to the public — even as the government fields and answers more requests for information than ever, an Associated Press review has found.

The locations of stores and restaurants that have received recalled meat, the names of detainees held by the U.S. overseas and details about Vice President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy policy task force are all among the records that the government isn't sharing with the public.

The tightening began even before the Sept. 11 attacks, and now government defenders say the nation needs protection from its enemies in the war on terror. But open government advocates worry that U.S. citizens' freedom is eroding with every file they can't access.

"This is an immensely troubling clampdown," said Steve Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy Project. "The law itself is unchanged, but it's being interpreted more broadly to withhold more information."

more

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. Goodnight Irene.

Irene goodnight (irene)
Irene goodnight
Goodnight irene, goodnight irene
I’ll get you in my dream

[Lizzie Borden]

9. KICK!

:kick:

[brentspeak]

10. Interesting. So as the Bush gov't is restricting the citizen's access

to gov't information, it is expanding its power to access OUR information.

[Zorra]

11. Another aspect of our budding "Ownership Society"?

Corporations own the government, (and after some Dems' traitorous assent to the passage of the new bankruptcy bill, this may be much more difficult to dispute) which functions as an overseer making sure we the slaves won't ever break free from the corporate yoke.

We got no right knowin' massa's business, we bein' massa's legal property an' all, sold out and paid for all legal like. And bein' as how we massa's property, he got the right to know everything 'bout what we doin'.


"Democrats moving to the middle is a double disaster that alienates the party's progressive base while simultaneously sending a message to swing voters that the other side is where the good ideas are. It unconsciously locks in the notion that the other side's positions are worth moving toward, while your side's positions are the ones to move away from. Plus every time you move to the center, the right just moves further to the right." - George Lakoff

[Festivito]

12. Release less info, so you field more questioins. Then...

...tell the media you are fielding more questions (omitting that you pick and choose what to answer) as though fielding covers not releasing the information.

[NVMojo]

13. This is simply shocking! I never expected the adminstration to hide things