If you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t have anything to worry about

[ck4829]

"If you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t have anything to worry about!" - A Christian Rightist who dined with John Ashcroft

Well, that person should have a look at what the Bush Administration is 'protecting' us from.

The Presidential Records Act - The Presidential Records Act, which was enacted in 1978 in the wake of Watergate, establishes the important principle that the records of a president relating to his official duties belong to the American people. Early in his term, President Bush issued an executive order that undermined the Presidential Records Act by giving former presidents and vice presidents new authority to block the release of their records. As one prominent historian wrote, the order “severely crippled our ability to study the inner workings of a presidency.”

The Federal Advisory Committee Act - The Federal Advisory Committee Act prevents secret advisory groups from exercising hidden influence on government policy, requiring openness and a balance of viewpoints for all government advisory bodies. The Bush Administration, however, has supported legislation that creates new statutory exemptions from FACA. It has also sought to avoid the application of FACA through various mechanisms, such as manipulating appointments to advisory bodies, conducting key advisory functions through “subcommittees,” and invoking unusual statutory exemptions. As a result, such key bodies as the Vice President’s energy task force and the presidential commission investigating the failure of intelligence in Iraq have operated without complying with FACA.

Laws that Restrict Public Access to Federal Records - In the 1990s, the Clinton Administration increased public access to government information by restricting the ability of officials to classify information and establishing an improved system for the declassification of information. These steps have been reversed under the Bush Administration, which has expanded the capacity of the government to classify documents and to operate in secret.

Sensitive Security Information - The Bush Administration has sought and obtained a significant expansion of authority to make designations of Sensitive Security Information (SSI), a category of sensitive but unclassified information originally established to protect the security of civil aviation. Under legislation signed by President Bush, the Department of Homeland Security now has authority to apply this designation to information related to any type of transportation.

The Patriot Act - The passage of the Patriot Act after the September 11, 2001, attacks gave the Bush Administration new authority to conduct government investigations in secret. One provision of the Act expanded the authority of the Justice Department to conduct secret electronic wiretaps. Another provision authorized the Justice Department to obtain secret orders requiring the production of “books, records, papers, documents, and other items,” and it prohibited the recipient of these orders (such as a telephone company or library) from disclosing their existence. And a third provision expanded the use of “sneak and peak” search warrants, which allow the Justice Department to search homes and other premises secretly without giving notice to the occupants.

Congressional Access to Federal Records - Our system of checks and balances depends on Congress being able to obtain information about the activities of the executive branch. When government operates behind closed doors without adequate congressional oversight, mismanagement and corruption can flourish. Yet despite Congress’ constitutional oversight role, the Bush Administration has sharply limited congressional access to federal records.

GAO Access to Federal Records - A federal statute passed in 1921 gives the congressional Government Accountability Office the authority to review federal records in the course of audits and investigations of federal programs. Notwithstanding this statutory language and a long history of accommodation between GAO and the executive branch, the Bush Administration challenged the authority of GAO on constitutional grounds, arguing that the Comptroller General, who is the head of GAO, had no “standing” to enforce GAO’s right to federal records. The Bush Administration prevailed at the district court level and GAO decided not to appeal, significantly weakening the authority of GAO.

The Seven Member Rule - The Bush Administration also challenged the authority of members of the House Government Reform Committee to obtain records under the “Seven Member Rule,” a federal statute that requires an executive agency to provide information on matters within the jurisdiction of the Committee upon the request of any seven of its members. Although a district court ruled in favor of the members in a case involving access to adjusted census records, the Bush Administration has continued to resist requests for information under the Seven Member Rule, forcing the members to initiate new litigation.

Withholding Information Requested by Congress - On numerous occasions, the Bush Administration has withheld information requested by members of Congress. During consideration of the Medicare legislation in 2003, the Administration withheld estimates showing that the bill would cost over $100 billion more than the Administration claimed. In this instance, Administration officials threatened to fire the HHS Actuary, Richard Foster, if he provided the information to Congress. In another case, the Administration’s refusal to provide information relating to air pollution led Senator Jeffords, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, to place holds on the nominations of several federal officials.

The 9-11 Commission - On November 27, 2002, Congress passed legislation creating the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (commonly known as the 9-11 Commission) as a congressional commission to investigate the September 11 attacks. Throughout its investigation, however, the Bush Administration resisted or delayed providing the Commission with important information. For example, the Administration’s refusal to turn over documents forced the Commission to issue subpoenas to the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Administration also refused for months to allow Commissioners to review key presidential intelligence briefing documents

All that and more at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/anti_cnp/message/242

[Protagoras]

1. I'm sure people who spout off shit like that

won't mind if the govt places cameras in their bedroom and bathroom...after all, they have nothing to be ashamed of. Heck I bet they don't even close the curtain when they try on clothes...after all, they have NOTHING to hide.

Oh wait, are they assuming that none of that would ever happen because the government only spies on people who DO have evil, bad, dirty little secrets, unlike them?

Or maybe they just work for the government? Cuz it's pretty clear that privacy is something that the PEOPLE IN POWER need...not us simple sheeple.

[LdyGuique]

2. I have 3 comments

1) This posting was comprehensive enough with facts that I went on over to yahoogroups and joined the anti_cnp group :) Looking forward to reading more "stuff."

2) Several different threads have been combined over the upcoming Sunshine Week beginning this Sunday -- sponsored by 50 different organizations. Even with 3 threads combined, there are only a handful of postings (20) and most of those are just sneers at the media.

Based on the level of secrecy that the above article details, it's quite possible that many a newsworthy article has been stalled out and died a death on many a journalists' computers while they tried to get documentation to back up their stories, rather than just an unwillingness to buck the Administration's position on issues.

3) Coupled with secrecy, there has been a huge increase in Propaganda by the Administration. As they attempt to control what the media receives through briefings and such, they've also increased the outright bullshit content of what they do disemminate.

Perhaps, the press is going to wakeup and fight back -- IF they can. It looks as though everyone is being affected by how the Administration conducts business in secrecy and/or dribbles out nonsense.

[ck4829]

3. Be sure to read the Files section

It will teach you everything you need to know about the CNP and the lesser known elements of the RW.