Though President Obama vowed to run the most transparent administration in history, his White House has quietly empowered itself to censor or delay the release of information in ways that not even Richard Nixon envisioned during the Watergate scandal, according to federal workers on the front lines of processing open records requests.
The workers, who spoke to The Washington Times only on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said that an April 15, 2009, memo from White House Counsel Gregory Craig to all federal agencies has slowed, and in some cases nixed, the public release of government documents that would have been released under prior administrations.
It also has given the White House the ability to track in real time who is asking for derogatory information about the Obama administration, the workers said.
Mr. Craig’s memo instructed federal agencies that they no longer could release under the Freedom of Information Act documents that contained “White House equities” — essentially any information involving or referencing communications with the White House — without first clearing it with presidential attorneys.
Because the White House is not a federal agency, it is exempt under the FOIA law and, as a matter of general principle, is not supposed to interfere with agency reviews of FOIA requests or the release of federal agency documents, legal analysts say.
Be sure to read it all. Things are worse than you think they are.
More at the Washington Times
IMPEACHMENT, how simple does it get.
HOW LONG DOES AN IMPWEACHMENT TAKE TO GET DONE AND OUT WITH IT ?
there is already some in progress to get it done, it was approve by the COURT also,
so, what, who is delaying it,
there is negatives happening now so often as every day by OBAMA, AND PILING ON,
I think he will not go easy, and he will bring other with him when he go, EVEN HE MIGHT TAKE THE WHOLE DEMOCRAT PARTY WITH HIM, HE PROVED TO BE ABLE TO DO IT FOR PUNISHING HIS OWN PARTY, HE WILL MAKE THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS DOWNFALL,
HE CAN THEREFOR START A REVOLUTION BY INCITING THE BLACKS PEOPLE TO FOLLOW ON HIS REVENGE,
IN OTHER WORDS, HE WILL GO WITH A BANG,
NOT RISING TO HEAVEN LIKE JESUS DID,
LIKE HIS FOLLOWERS WHERE TOLD HE WAS A DIVINE ENTITY, AND COULD RISE THE WATER,
When the congress fails to act, it is up to the people of the United States particularly thos who wish to remain free, to gather in their millions and remove those parts of government which oppress.
@Zelsdorf Ragshaft III, #3:
Maybe you should consider joining up with Isis, al Qaeda, or the Taliban. They tend to think the much same way about how people should behave when they aren’t getting their way.
@Greg:
So Greggie, are you saying that when we have parts of our government that does not act in the best interest of the very people they are sworn to serve, we must just resort to being sheep to be dictated to?
@Greg: Gregg, have, or seek out someone literate to have them read to you, slowly, both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Obviously you have no knowledge of either document.
@retire05, #5:
I’m saying that this is why a check and balance mechanism exista, and why we hold regular elections. Anyone seriously advocating the overthrow of the United States government by force comes under the heading of a domestic enemy—one of the threats many citizens have at various times taken solemn oaths to protect the nation against.
The duly elected President of the United States is not an enemy of the nation. Neither is the political party that he belongs to. Some on the far right, I’m not entirely certain about.
@Zelsdorf Ragshaft III, #6:
Some people seem to have considerably less understanding of the underlying principles enshrined in that document than they like to believe.
@Greg:
You mean like how the Colonists overthrew their government? You’re an idiot.
@Greg:
That would include you, Greggie.
@retire05, #8:
They didn’t overthrow their government. They declared themselves independent of it and set up a new continental government of their own. Far from being overthrown, the government that they separated themselves from continues to this day. The nation that it represents is one of our closest allies.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of this event. Maybe you could celebrate by brushing up on your history.
@Greg:
Idiot!!!
The colonists overthrew their existing government (through war and violence) and created a new one. It seems it is you that needs the history refresher course.
overthrow: remove forcibly from power; put an end to; conquer, overcome
Oxford American Dictionary
Hell, you don’t even seem to know what the word “overthrow” means.
Someone really should have informed George III that he’d been overthrown. I believe he died under the erroneous impression that his toppled government had only lost part of their North American colonies.
You do seem to have read the definition, or at least to have copied and pasted it, but you’re still unclear what the word means. The definition is actually quite clear.
The Declaration of Independence also provides a clue. It doesn’t overthrow the former government of the North American colonies. It declares our independence from it.
The government of Louis XVI was overthrown. The government of Napoleon Bonaparte was overthrown. The government of Saddam Hussein was overthrown. The differences are not exactly subtle.
This is a silly point to be arguing about.
@Greg:
Which required the British government to be overthrown in the American colonies by years of war.
Give it up, Greggie. You know your an idiot.
@retire05: hard for gregory the 17th to concentrate while nursing this one
HAPPY 4rth of JULY TO ALL FLOPPING ACES FRIENDS,
YOU ARE THE BEST, I LOVE YOU ,
@bees#15 – Thank you Bees our friend from the North. Thank you always for your support and blessings for America…we Love you too!
FAITH7
I have ARTHUR visiting, he is showering my roses,
hope he stay as calm as he is now,
hope you had a good time,
BYE
Greg
of course what is happening now is a first since the british war to get them out,
so you try to say nothing can be done now, because it would need new actions,
which you haven”t seen happen before,
but with the CONSTITUTION now, being desecrated, and having a CONGRESS with powers,
A REPUBLICAN PARTY with powers, and top of all are the PENTAGON, AND READY TO ASSUME THEIR POWERS,
THERE IS NO WAY TO NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE TO BE THE OSTRISH WITH HER HEAD IN THE HOLE WAITING FOR MORE FAILURES TO HAPPENED AND EACH ONE IS MORE OUTRAGEOUS THAN THE PREVIOUS,
other wise, why did FRAMERS gave all those their POWER TO REMOVE A TYRAN WHICH TRY TO IMPLEMENT A REGIME OF ENTITELMENT AND CORRUPTION ON THE CITIZENS,
which almost lately led to bloodshed rebellion by a part of citizens angry enough from the imposition the leader had set up for them after having successfully achieve to iradicate other ranchers good people,
who could not continue to cope with the mind bogling harrassment from the top leader’s direct orders,
would those 3 powers prefer to wait for that to happen again and not be able to be stop at the start,
next time, which would put many citizens on both sides in life threatening danger,
and no way to avoid it THAT SECOND TIME, AND NO WAY TO STOP IT THAT SECOND TIME,
BECAUSE ALL 3 POWERS REFUSE TO DO THEIR DUTY TO REMOVE THE TYRAN, ONCE AND FOREVER,
@Greg: Actually Greg, every colony had a colonial government to include the 13 colonies in North America. That is what was over thrown. I know you believe in the revisionist history your lefties preach, but there are real events that happened and the government over the 13 colonies was over thrown.
@obamarhhea: I suppose that no one other than Colorado has ever heard of recalling an elected official? No one proposed armed over throw of the current administration., someone who like Greg thinks like a socialist/communist would not understand that.