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The Lies End Now: "Most Transparent Administration Ever" Is No More: White House To Delete Its FOIA Regulations
Back on October 28, 2009, then White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the following:
... understanding what this President has done is institute the very toughest ethics and transparency rules of any administration in history... I think the President has returned to a stance of transparency and ethics that hasn't been matched by any other White House.
... the President believes strongly in transparency... that transparency in that way in the best policy
... understand that what the President campaigned on - toughening our ethics rules, making more transparent our transparency policy - was something that he was passionate about and is proud of the progress that we've made in ensuring that.
And here is the president himself: "We have put in place the toughest ethics and transparency laws of any administration in history."
Lies, lies, and nothing but lies. The lies end now.
As reported moments ago, the White House is voiding a federal regulation that subjects its Office of Administration to the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA (incidentally the same act that discovered none of Hillary Clinton's "personal" government-business emails since they were not even stored on government property!) which as USA Today explains, makes "official a policy under Presidents Bush and Obama to reject requests for records to that office."
And just like that the lie of Obama's transparency is over, and it couldn't come at a worse time for the democratic party, just as its top contender for the 2016 presidential race is struggling to emerge from a cover-up scandal which reeks of intentional hiding of classified documentation from the public (or worse). Going forward it will no longer be Hillary Clinton who will be mocked and ridiculed for her total impunity when it comes to public accountability and transparency, but the "most untransparent" president as well.
The White House said the cleanup of FOIA regulations is consistent with court rulings that hold that the office is not subject to the transparency law. The office handles, among other things, White House record-keeping duties like the archiving of e-mails.
Actually, Obama really couldn't have picked worse timing because not only does it come hot on the heels of clintonemail.com, but the announcement also is taking place on National Freedom of Information Day and during a national debate over the preservation of Obama administration records. It's also Sunshine Week, an effort by news organizations and watchdog groups to highlight issues of government transparency. Almost as if the president of the US is openly mocking the public, making it clear he is accountable to no one (except of course for a few mega corporations: see: The Best "Democracy" Money Can Buy: For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back)
"The irony of this being Sunshine Week is not lost on me," said Anne Weismann of the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.
"It is completely out of step with the president's supposed commitment to transparency," she said. "That is a critical office, especially if you want to know, for example, how the White House is dealing with e-mail."
But who wants to know that? Can't the peasants just pay attention to the rigged all time high in the Apple Sachs Non-industrial Average and just leave the troubled leader of the free world alone?
The irony here is that with this act, Obama is now becoming even less transparent than the loathed by the left Bush dynasty:
Unlike other offices within the White House, which were always exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, the Office of Administration responded to FOIA requests for 30 years. Until the Obama administration, watchdog groups on the left and the right used records from the office to shed light on how the White House works.
"This is an office that operated under the FOIA for 30 years, and when it became politically inconvenient, they decided they weren't subject to the Freedom of Information Act any more," said Tom Fitton of the conservative Judicial Watch.
That happened late in the Bush administration, when CREW sued over e-mails deleted by the White House — as many as 22 million of them, by one accounting. The White House at first began to comply with that request, but then reversed course.
"The government made an argument in an effort to throw everything and the kitchen sink into the lawsuit in order to stop the archiving of White House e-mails," said Tom Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, which has used similar requests to shed light on foreign policy decisions.
As USA Today further explains, the rule change means that there will no longer be a formal process for the public to request that the White House voluntarily disclose records as part of what's known as a "discretionary disclosure." Records released by the Office of Administration voluntarily include White House visitor logs and the recipe for beer brewed at the White House.
"You have a president who comes in and says, I'm committed to transparency and agencies should make discretionary disclosures whenever possible, but he's not applying that to his own White House," Weismann said.
Why wait until now? The White House did not explain why it waited nearly six years to formally acknowledge the court ruling in its regulations.
Because accountability, that's why. No really: "In the notice to be published Tuesday, the White House said it was not allowing a 30-day public comment period, and so the rule will be final."
Well, at least Obama has a sense of humor as he brings the country ever closer to the police state so well forecast by George Orwell: "It's a little tone deaf to do this on Sunshine Week, even if it's an administrative housecleaning," said Rick Blum, coordinator of the Sunshine in Government initiative for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press."
And the punchline: the notice that will be published in Tuesday's Federal Register, and in which the White House says it's removing regulations on how the Office of Administration complies with Freedom of Information Act Requests based on "well-settled legal interpretations" is hosted on a cloud server run... by Amazon.
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And so yet another nail in the coffin of the Republic
The whole thing is nails. Doesn't something built like that fall apart?
""It's a little tone deaf to do this on Sunshine Week, even if it's an administrative housecleaning," said Rick Blum, coordinator of the Sunshine in Government initiative"
No, Rick, it's not tone deaf at all. He's giving you (and by extension all of us) the middle finger right in the middle of your own little party.
This was done on purpose and with malice aforethought. This is no oversight, no feat of tone-deafness.
"Why? Because I can. What ya gonna do about it?" - Obama
The only purpose of power is to use (and abuse) it.
So then, really, the lies are just beginning. You know, the real whoppers.
There's not a smidgen, aw fuck it....what're you gonna do indict us, overthrow us?
We have allowed an unholy alliance of government - the new monarchy - and corporate influence - the new aristocracy - to take control of events in a way that would have made our Founders shudder.
Marianne Williamson
He's the most transparently fascist President, ever.
Oh but we had such high expectations for you Obama
We? Really? He's been about what I expected...maybe falling a little short, in fact. But give him time - say two more years - and we'll all be completely fucked.
On a serious note, I wonder if he believes that he will not survive this adventure and is just going full-blown "don't give a shit."
History shows people with his psychological makeup eventually go whacky and try to Take Over Everything.
He has so much in common with history's famous tyrants and dictators it's kinda obvious.
As I have posited before, his owners needed someone steeped in revolutionary theory, unacculturated to America, with his racism being an extra plus.
Look at the photo they use for this story. You can see the Hate pouring from him.
Two more years. Can he destroy the US in that amount of time?
Assuming he seizes more Power, I would have to say "yes."
I'm sure glad all of us "little people" studied up on their "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" ...they may come in handy someday soon.
Practice such techniques by irrigating your nasal passages with a nice saline solution. Keeps the colds and allergies at bay.
Extra credit if you can do it hanging upside-down.
ANM, if you already do gravity inversion, you should know that it alone, along with a serious daily dose of vitamin C will keep colds, flu, and all but the most severe allergy attacks at bay.
That aside, what I really popped in to say was that if that pathetic fuck could sing, I could almost get a Sammy Davis Jr vibe from the video.
Makes nothing but sense. Up is down, left is right, right is wrong.
Just what all the Leftist Technocrat pieces of shit want......
HOPE! HOPE and CHANGE !!!!!!!!!!
"How about this uniform, Reggie?"
"The pink color is a little too hot. I think the soft powder-blue uniform shows off all your medals. How did you get so many?"
"They come with the uniform, no extra charge. I think this one needs more gold braid."
Going down as the biggest liar in history.
And the media is OK with that....Barry the movie should be entertaining, hope Stone or Tarintino writes it.
Liar!
"Going down as the biggest liar in history."
You are assuming someone will come along and right this ship after he leaves (if he leaves). He's already written himself in history books as being the American Nobel Peas Prize winning messiah. If nothing changes soon, he will be beatified within the decade.
Indeed. Do not tempt fate. The bodies are not piled high enough.....yet.
Cowbell. Moar Cowbell.
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun, or Cheney
La, la la, la la
Come on Barry
And they ran to him
Then they started to cry
Don't fear the Rapist
It's Obamacare
Come on, Baby
Barry take my laaaaaaaand...
laaa la laaaa laaa la
laaa la laaaa laaa la
It would be funny as hell if Airforce 1 landed in some country and the locals arrested Obama and put him in jail waiting for his trial and no one would go over there to get his ass out.
That really sums up the problem of a nation of lawyers. Particularly a nation ren by a government of lawyers.
The answer to everything is "So, Sue me."
Five years and 500,000 later we can have another appeal.
The whole lot of them have adopted the Lois Lerner tactic. Just draw a salary and pension while they run out the clock.
I love how it says "makes it official". Im sure when the FOIA was passed that policy was "made official" too. Turns out 'official' is just a euphemism for "government can do whatever the fuck it wants at any time, for any reason, and if you don't like it we will fine/imprison/kill you and oh, by the way, you have to foot the bill too".
The citizens of this country are being beaten by the hammer of corporate power against the anvil of an oppressive federal government. We will either collectively decide to change things or be smashed to pieces.
Well, the obvious answer to that dilemma is to purchase more Green Tip M855. Then, purchase some more.
The sad thing is that just a small fraction of the populace is even aware that they're being beaten and bloodied!!! As long as they can stuff their face and be entertained by the inane they don't f-ing care!! The subtext to all this is a media that is complicit and is more enamored with celebrity and their follies. Truly amazing!
I did not have sex with that "woman".
-Barack Hussein Obongodinga
All depends on what the meaning of "woman" is
He probably didn't...
A black swan bitchez. The color of is skin got him in. That was the scam , Teflon., untouchable.
Forget the swans, we have flocks of vultures circling over the White House. The lawyers are scared shitless because thousands of emails from the IRS scandal have been found, Clinton´s shit is also totally in the wind, and there are leakers around every corner. He must literally be one email revelation away from impeachment
Just read this story in USA Today (from a link). The story notes that the Bush Admin deleted an estimated 22M emails. As I see it, this is Obama being more transparent than Bush, as in transparently not transparent.
The Obam admin is too lazty to hit delete. They just want a new law that says you can't see the mail.
Hope and change is now dead for good
Dude, thats been dead a long time ago.
my roomate's step-mother makes $79 hourly on the laptop . She has been fired for 10 months but last month her pay was $18694 just working on the laptop for a few hours. see here... www.globe-report.com
According to the article, FOIA doesn't apply to the White House, anyway (according to the Supreme Court), so it's a moot point. Move along ..
Damn. Until now, I thought he was honest.
I'm so disappointed!
I'll never vote for him for President again. That'll show him. Lost my vote, he did. Serves him right. Hah!
His third term won't require your vote.
Vicky Nuddleberg says Dick (Darth Vader) Cheney is really in charge.
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1844.htm
I doubt he even wants a 3rd term, I dont think he even likes the job. He'd rather be out on the golf course getting his Tiger Woods on than to be bothered with all this political stuff. He's just setting up the pins for Killery to knock them down with her balls.
Are you ready for war?
Long Au, Ag, Cu, and Pb.
Might as well include a steel core, while we're at it (i.e. 62gr 5.56x45mm NATO M855).
"we shut the fuck up'ed some folks"
If you like your clown car, you can keep your clown car.
If you like your clown, you can keep your clown.
If you like your virgin bunghole, no don't print that.
I come here for the witty sarcasm that cannot be found on TMZ.
Sure the same stuff can be found on TMZ, but this stuff deals with fractional reserve lending and we decry sheeple rather than celebrities
If you ain't part of the solution, you be part of the problem. Start uplifting people rather than spouting off your stupid bullshit.
What a butthole.
If yur talkin' Obama, I'll keep it fer sure.
Now you on the other hand, well, hang on to yur dependz...
This is beyond a joke.
If you like your edits and redactions, ...
Reddit will be so conflicted.
"Freedom and liberty" and the most corrupt government on earth!
Teleprompter Dictator.
Transparent, as in we see right through you.
After the elections, he has more flexibility.
But wait, Putin admitted that he told a lie about the 'polite men' in Crimea.
Fuken lyin commonist KGB Soviet bastard!
USA! USA! USA!
See? All better now. Everyone go watch some TV.
Some Doomer sites I read "threaten" to vote Lib if Jeb is the R nominee. They are so offended!
Well, they are roomers and how better to fulfill their ideology. Vote lib and end it all!
I personally have come to embrace the torture.
Pure doublespeak.
Obama is a dog.
Ouch! Muzzie mean ouch!
Hey! Don't insult Man's Best Friend.
He has a chance to become the greatest Tyrant Evah!
Retracted
Articles like this are irrelevant and silly.
"People get the government they deserve"
How many times have your read that perusing doomer sites?
Damn, we have a government much better than we deserve. Anyone who doesn't see that is fooling themselves.
You just met the requirments for a kommandostelle s unit .
Making a typing error as I was caught up in excitement was a bad move, for sure. But the point stands.
Mine too. Testing new weapon systems on your own countrymen and blaming your enemy you have to allow rounding errors
"Damn, we have a government much better than we deserve"
Damn, we have a Government with a higher price than we can buy?
Or, We have the best Government money can buy.
Fixed it for ya
I get more fucking pissed thinking about the people who buy into his bullshit than oblama himself.
lol...Hope-n-Change!...Red hot Hope-n-Change!...Gitcher Hope-n-Change here!
"Not even the appearence of impropriety"...nope, none, not at all.
Have I mentioned that I'm a Constitutional scholar, was President of the Hahhhvahd Law Review and stared down the tube of an RPG while munching on dog meat?
Its tough ;-)
The White House says it just a typo correction from "Most Transparent Administration Ever" to "Most Transparent Lies Ever".
.
Hey, don't forget that he wrote the Declaration of Independence, discovered penicillin, and charged up San Juan Hill, all at the same time.
That was Brian Williams, not Obama. Get your facts straight! Obamaz a bigger deal than that right there.
Future generations will look back at the communist Barry Soetoro, and they will ask. How were the American people brainwashed by this blantant communist? What was the media not covering?
Hitler also moved slowly at first, until behind the scenes, he had amassed enough control thru his Gauleiters to grab the whole enchilada.
I suspect the quite numerous "tsars" he appointed early on in his regime may now be ready to come out in the open.
I don't know. Comparing obama to hitler is a bit of a stretch. Hilter was quite the orator. Mesmerizing and scary to watch the power of his word to rally others. Obama is a limp wrist that reads his speeches off of a telepromter. The power grab may come but I doubt it would be from him. He's just here for the golf and the vacations.
Miffed
Agree on old Adolf's oratoracal skills. He almost seemed possessed while speaking. Obama ain;t got shit but hems and haws and ums. Obama is the set up for the real deal. All the repubs will vote in force, hitlery's been debunked, jebs not republican enough, watch for the third party "libertarian" candidate. That guy will be the wolf in sheeps clothing.
Although, opposite guy is still working. Most transparent administration ever becomes least-hah!
I've never voted, I recognized the election process as a pay-to-play scam when I was a teen and knew even then it was an exercise in futility. I knew the HSIC was a commie-Manchurian candidate before he got elected the first time.
And the marxist are beginning to show their true face. I can't wait for all the idiots to begin holding up signs with "help" or I didn't know". PLease pass the EBT
The tragedy is that their signs will say nothing more than "ba-a-a-a".
Andrea Mitchell reporting...
OoOOp Breaking news, Justin Beiber now needs Viagra due to estrogen disrupters, GMO's and Chemtrails.
Justin is male? Has a penis? Is Justin a trans man?
Wasn't Michael Jackson also?
Chick with a short stick. It's what's for dinner, eat your peas.....
I fuk up. Too many beers after garden work.
Endocrine disrupters.
No, it's a clitoris masquereding as a penis.
Hey Andrea, How about doing an in depth interview with your husband, Mr. Magoo?
Show us the dirty laundry, you know where it is...
lies ends, ministry of truth starts.
I smell USURPATION! No doubt they are preparing for something rather large, rather soon. If this corrupt institution isn't dealt with the end to freedoms as we know it will be attended by the death knell many of us here are trying to repel against. Yes dear leaders USURPATION IS ON THE DOCKET.
Yeah, looks like a possible attempt to seize Absolute Power.
Let's see what happens.
What a narcissist.
Do yall ever just need a hug? I almost feel like giving up on this shit, trying to educate people and voice my opinion. I'm tired bitchez, I'm just tired.
You can't fix gov. dependent, stupid, and brainwashed victimhood racism. That is why he is letting in illegals (undocumentd dependent democrats) by the 10s of millions.
I know how you feel.
I fully agree with you. The vast majority will not listen, care not to listen, are too caught up in their own lives to listen, and like you I'm just tired. I don't care enough to scare people, I care enough to be there for them. I remember years ago when Mike Ruppert said something like "I'm not here to save the world, because the world doesn't want to be saved." He was spot on since most people seem too involved with impulsive pursuits not meaningful ones.
Apathetic sheep are the easiest and quickest to subdue. And then easiest to brainwash later to subdue the resistance.
3 million living in the Colonies when 56 men, and a couple hundred of their backers, decided to hit the reset switch. Just sayin'...
You gotta hand it to him, though.
He has to be the Biggest Asshole who ever walked the Earth, jamming this one down intentionally on Information Freedom Day!
Let's put this dog down by pushing our state legislatures to call an Article V and undoing all of the damage that the skeptical original founders created 250 years ago in the form of a (very) limited Federal Republic. One amendment to kill it and then off to the tough work of figuring out what kind of limited central functions the states really need from a new central agent, like a common defense of our borders and....uh........I can't really think of any other good reason for a central government.
Biggest Asshole on Earth. Sounds like a nice replacement award for the Nobel Peace Prize. This one should be voted on by the people and I don't think a monetary award would be appropriate.
Miffed;-)
<despair....>
But hey!
thanks, missy, but it doesn't do me any good if i won't be alive long enough to say "i told you so". i think a clear historical perspective on this era, when all can agree on the rampant stupidity, is decades away...and i'm an old fart.
Quite possible the FOIA shutdown is an attempt to thwart recovery of private-server Hitlery.com emails to Miss Barrie.
It's what happens when you put a racist activist in the White House. Are those who voted for him happy with their messiah?
Actually, it appears they are since never hear anyone left of center complaining, do you?
From the freedom of information perspective there is NO pragmatic difference From Bush and Obama.
Obama has been Cheney's 4th term.
We do know that 300 tons of radioactive water have been pouring into the Pacific every day. And that spent fuel rods are littered around the site. Tokyo Electric power may or may not have brought down all the fuel rods from Unit Four, but many hundreds almost certainly remain suspended in the air over Units One, Two and Three.
We also know that Abe is pushing refugees to move back into the Fukushima region. Thyroid damage rates—including cancer—have skyrocketed among children in the region. Radiation “hot spots” have been found as far away as Tokyo. According to scientific sources, more than 30 times as much radioactive Cesium was released at Fukushima as was created at the bombing of Hiroshima.
Some of those isotopes turned up in at least 15 tuna caught off the coast of California. But soon after Fukushima, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration stopped testing Pacific fish for radiation.
Should every meal you are served now be accompanied with a radiation monitor?
http://ecowatch.com/2015/03/16/radioactivity-green-tea-fukushima/
I'll give the guy credit for being industrious and hardworking!
Maybe I can NOW decline info to the court in what now appears to be a nasty divorce!
I like this train of thought.
I do not need to turn over my income statements to the IRS, at all.
If you like your FOIA, you can shove your FOIA!
Some people ain't even worth killin. Obama is one of those.
I went over to Huffpo to get their take on this, and was treated instead to some woman wearing a shirt that looks like a penis, because you know, THAT is newsworthy
http://www.barstoolsports.com/iowa/australian-tv-personality-wore-a-jack...
In other news
Obama, Holder Hailed for Openness at Transparency Celebrationhttp://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/16/federal-transparency-cele...
Still looking for Huffpo's condemnation of this, unless it's stuck in small print between all the republican bashing......
We TORTURED, COUP'd & FOIA'd a few ...
"We de-FOIA'd some folks"
My question would be what are they hiding?
Anyone who fights this hard to prevent his emplyers from seeing what he is doing is up to no good.
So many on here think that it is a move to protect Hillary. I wonder if Hillary's material (email) implicates Obama.
That was my first thought, too...!!
The inquiry into Hilary's emails will most certainly lead back to the white house. Time to end that shit quick.
So i guess my freedom of information request regarding the full list of Who gets a free ticket into the Nuke bunkers.. won't get Honored ?
FOIA : Fuck Off Information Askers!
Don't you love democracy?
So, when is Obozo going to be arrested.
If not soon, then America as we know it is finished.
You all know that, right?
‘
‘
‘
Obedience to the Unenforceable.
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It is a phrase that ZeroHedgers should get to know and become familiar with, as it is EXACTLY the description of what is occurring in the world.
Why is the WH doing what they’re doing?
Why are the banks breaking the laws and acting in an unlawful manner, even if they haven’t ‘technically’ broken the law?
Why are the cops using technology that clearly violates the Constitution?
Because the they have no ‘obedience to the unenforceable.’
It is the tragedy of our time and society.
I came across the phrase, today in this article:
http://nypost.com/2015/03/14/defending-the-indefensible-hillary-clinton/
Here’s what it means…
The test requires “obedience to the unenforceable,” a phrase my friend Daniel Rose suggests amounts to “doing the right thing.” Rose, a New York builder and philanthropist, uses the phrase in a collection of essays and speeches he has published.
Coined by an English judge nearly a century ago, the phrase was summarized by the late educator John Silber as the “domain” that exists between law and free choice.
“It may include moral duty, social responsibility and proper behavior,” all reflected by the idea of “manners,” he wrote.
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It’s that simple. And nobody in power is paying heed to this.
We’re a nation of cheats, liars, and thieves, out for nothing more than personal gain at the expense of everyone else.
And look what the highest office in our land, has done.
What does this breed?
The idea that…
Why should I obey the law, if the highest office in the land, just chooses to ignore or shirk the law?
•?•
V-V
We've become a nation of "Just Don't Get Caught." All letter of the law and no spirit.
Pretty much what all black rulers have done. It's the breed. Why the shock and surprise?
Criminal Govt is Criminal . . . so what?
The people: Dear beloved leader, If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide.
Our beloved leader: Surveillance state for thee, but not for me Bitchez!
In this "US Democracy". the government is the servant of the people (ROFLMAO!!)
who hire and pay fo rall government employees, including the US President....
In essence, the people who commission and pay for this work are the true owners of all work product of every member of US government, this work product is definitely not the private property of the government employee (including POTUS) to do with according to whatever whim strikes the employee at the moment.
As the real owner of this work product, the US citizen has the right of access to every bit of this information, subject, of course, to appropriate redaction necessary for national security or to respect the right to individual privacy of individual persons.
The US citizen does not own the work of the government. That is owned by the powers that pay for it - corporations and foreign interests.
Obama is the presidential fool. He's there to keep the audience distracted while the real powers are at work. He's the star of the circus that also employs the Democrats and the Republicans.
Can he do that or is he just making shit up as he goes along? Geez, I'm glad I don't have to stand there and lie every day. Ha! Sucker!
this is nothing more than a big middle finger, in yo face fuck you to the citizens of the Ussa by an arrogant asshole!
civil war if justice is denied ..how clear must it be made..loosie murder, can't breathe is the phrase for all the tyranny we face each day..free corzine..moar fiat for banksters more .gov policy to off shore industry, moar death to main street economics, moar security drones, cameras,phone tracs, internet spying,MSM
lies and propaganda..justice is on a cross and obuma is offering it vinegar to slake it's thirst..
Was Charlemagne transparant? Was Innocent III transparant? Was Edward I transparant? Was Vlad the Impaler transparant? How dare you demand to see his highnesses royal papers. Those are the kings papers and no one else's. Back to your duties surfs.
At least they had the decency to never claim their rule would be transparent and it was very clear what would happen if you asked them to be so. Things just were better defined then and enemies easier to see. Now they hide in the shadows and fool the simpleminded who are distracted by baubles. the only hope appears to be some random element or a screw up to shake things up.
Miffed
Barry is openly embracing his inner thug.
Doubleplus unFOIA!