FOIA Being Subverted

July 8th, 2006 at 18:53 Björn Hallberg

The US government backtracks on the Freedom of Information Act.

Is the Freedom of Information Act the next target of the Bush administration in its neverending War on Terror? FOIA which has been with us since 1966 has suddenly become the focus of forces looking to clamp down on our personal freedoms here in the United States under the guise of protecting us from future terrorist attacks.

Most recently, they have enlisted the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary’s University here in San Antonio to study ways to limit the scope of FOIA.

Furthermore …

The FOIA is a vital part of American citizens’ ability to hold government accountable and it should be expanded, not curtailed. The “Ignorance is Strength” crowd is clearly using scare tactics. Do they suggest a terrorist would make the FOIA request themselves? If so, the terrorist would reveal contact information that could raise suspicions (we usually got requests from reporters). Or do they suggest that FOIA requests would reveal information through the press?

This is a more credible possibility, but again, civil servant professionals would have to get approval from the agencies involved in the document before it’s released, so there is already adequate, responsible operational security. There are those who are simply enemies of FOIA since its inception because it shines the light on their deeds. There are many patriotic, good-intentioned people who work for the government with the country’s best interest in mind, but they need the support of good engaged citizenry to do their jobs. I urge everyone to take a stand and draw the line here. It’s already gone too far. This is not a right-left issue, (it’s been used during the Clinton Admin. too) it’s an American freedom issue.

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