In a post on the White House blog, William H. Leary, senior director of records and access management at the National Security Council, writes that the effort is aimed at shifting the burden of defending secrecy to the government.
"While the Government must be able to prevent the public disclosure of information that would compromise the national security, a democratic government accountable to the people must be as transparent as possible and must not withhold information for self-serving reasons or simply to avoid embarrassment," he wrote.
The order comes as part of Obama's promise to push government to lean toward disclosure as it tackles the need to keep certain information from the public.
WHAT??? Will we survive this Obama government? CAN WE? Can we DO anything about this?
UPDATE: I don't know why, but I feel the disappearance of genteel, beautiful institutions of days gone by is as sad and even scary as the story above. Big Box stores and McDonald's reign in America today. Are we better for it? Small mama-papa stores are folding, we're losing things I'm not sure we yet recognize the importance of. I feel quite sad about THIS, odd that that is, I guess. Will we really be better off when nobody can afford fine dining anymore, better off when there isn't anyone who can afford to live in the gorgeous 5th Avenue mansions and Beverly Hills estates? I think not. z
18 comments:
If you ask me, the "National Declassification Center" has no "need to know" ANY of the information which might survive a declassification review... and they should therefore be denied access to that classified information for that very reason.
And any information which eventually DOES get declassified by those with "need to knows" should under no circumstances be collected in a single location and subsequently publically disclosed... whereas the disclosure of specific documents might not be harmful to national security, I'm sure that an accumulated and searchable collection of declassified documents across all agencies would likely be thousands of times more dangerous.
Why make our enemies intelligence gathering operations easier? That cannot be in the "public interest".
I agree, FJ....I'm eager to hear just what kind of information that's been classified is considered a good idea to declassify by the Obama bunch. This can't be good...especially for the 'public interest'.
I feel like we're in the hands of such immature, naive people ... these are people who seem to think being nice to terrorists is going to stop terrorism. What'll it take to stop this?
Stop this? Nothing will stop this. The Left thinks it "knows" what it's doing. They harbour no doubt.
Z,
You wrote, "Will we really be better off when nobody can afford fine dining anymore, better off when there isn't anyone who can afford to live in the gorgeous 5th Avenue mansions and Beverly Hills estates? I think not."
Agreed. In the future, what will anybody have to aspire to?
Oh, Sue, that's what I think, too.
Obama promised children in that famous speech to all our schools that the future was bright "do your best!" for WHAT? To fit into a Mao suit of socialism because being unique and special and successful is now passe?
We have schools where TBall has no score so kids don't have to LOSE (they play 10 minutes a side now instead of scoring)...we have awards ceremonies where kids who don't get one can't go so their feelings aren't hurt.
Is THIS how we raise armies? Is this how we raise families which will get ahead and have fulfilling, successful lives?
WOW
Does this mean Sandy Berger is off the hook?
tio
You know they are doing something very wrong when they do it after hours on Fridays, or better yet around the holidays when they think we are busy and not paying attention!
Recently Obama held a conference on openess in government, it was closed to the public
Oh I'm sure Obama can fill the mansions and estates with his own. Not to worry.
"eliminates the ability of intelligence officials to veto declassification decisions, and requires agencies to conduct reviews of their classification procedures."
It's not really clear in this article, who would have access to this info. Intelligence officials are cleared to see such classified material, and are professional intelligence experts. They understand the ramifications of declassification.
I have the feeling that this move is a sea change for our intelligence community. I think it will become more politicized, and possibly under the control of people who probably couldn't pass a background investigation.
FJ - If you ask me, nothing this administration has done so far, is in the public interest. I fear this latest revelation is another blow to destroy this country.
I think this is about consolidating more power in the hands of the executive branch of the government and decisions may be made to declassify info, simply for political reasons. Exactly the opposite of what was intended for the intelligence community.
Pris
I'll do him one better: why don't we just START and STOP with the Obama Administration?
Why don't we make THEM "transparent" FIRST?
BZ
Pris,
We'll never make the transition to "socialism" without a disaster of some sort... just ask the readers of Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine (it's not a tool of "capitalism" though).
UPDATE: I don't know why, but I feel the disappearance of genteel, beautiful institutions of days gone by is as sad and even scary as the story above. Big Box stores and McDonald's reign in America today.
---------------------------
I have cans of film (film, I didn't do it in digital) with before and after of the destruction of my neighborhood as it has been devastated by the big box stores.
This loss of community has been predicted as an outgrowth of capitalism since the early 1800's.
I'm putting a narration to my film and needless to say it's a little left but let's face it, the right embraced an economic system that gave them this crap.
"We'll never make the transition to "socialism" without a disaster of some sort"
Yes I agree. It was even declared by Rahm Emanuel, "never let a good crisis go to waste".
I read your reference, The Shock Doctrine. I question the author's ascribing the establishment of capitalism to things like The Falklands War, or Katrina. That's a stretch IMO.
How would the author explain the devastating conditions in North Korea, or the rapid economic decline in Venezuela, or Zimbabwe? Surely not capitalism.
Capitalism to me, is the most natural form of an economic system.
Communist countries usually have a huge black market or underground economy. These spring up I think out of need and a desire to prosper somehow.
There is no economic system which is not vulnerable to human frailties such as greed, and corruption.
Capitalism just happens to be the best because it supplies it's own fuel to the engine of success, and doesn't rely on a central control such as government, which is most likely to be corrupt and oppressive.
Capitalism provides freedom of choice, and relies on entrepreneurial endeavor, and supply and demand, which seem a natural course for economic vitality.
Down through history the most natural response to need, and supply and demand is the marketplace which is made up of shop owners, and vendors. That's the foundation of our own capitalist system. Small businesses.
Dishonorable behavior is to me, less affected by capitalism but attributable more to the decline in morality, and the assault on our religious foundation which requires voluntary observance to goodness and respect for our fellow man.
People keep looking for the perfect system. There is none, because human beings can't attain perfection.
However the US has had the most successful because we cherish freedom, and laud hard work and self reliance. Without freedom, this will not exist.
Pris
Ducky, I have to agree with you to a certain extent but I sure wouldn't throw over capitalism for socialism in my belief that capitalism is THE cause of big box stores!! If it were, of course, it would have taken off way before now.
I believe it's the entitlement mentality the left's brought to us capitalists...kids actually are learning socialism's good and they are not being taught it has never worked anywhere... Entitlement brings the desire for EASY and CHEAP. Quality be damned.
This whole phenomenon's taking off in Europe too, by the way. Not capitalists, but it's sure taking off.
People want CHEAP, they want EASY.
Z, you're absolutely right about CHEAP and EASY.
I would add VULGAR, SHALLOW, SELFISH and COARSE and SHORT-SIGHTED to the list.
It is not CAPITALISM that produced The Junk Culture, but too much DUMBOCRACY.
When the Lowest Common Denominator is put in charge, quality suffers everywhere.
Andrew Carnegie and the other "Robber Barons" gave us memorably beautiful, distinguished-looking, sturdily built libraries, museums, concert hall, opera houses, beautiful public parks and university quadrangles.
What have the Kennedys and the likes of Donald Trump given us? What have the Communist/Socialist dictatorshits produced in these realms?
I wouldn't dare say it aloud in these hallowed precincts.
~ FreeThinke
FT, you dear, dear man....brilliant.
These were things which made those avowed CAPITALISTS little return on their investment (parks, museums, etc.) but they BUILT THEM FOR THE PUBLIC.
GOD BLESS you, FT...you made my day with that retort....
Happy New Year, dear friend.
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