[Peace-discuss] Re: FOIA and direct action

[Ricky Baldwin]

This is very interesting in light of the conversation we were having last 
night about possibly all requesting our FBI files before our march on the 
FBI building...

By the way, I still like the idea of turning ourselves in (as a kind of 
street theater) at the end of the march.  If we're now doing a broader 
"peace parade" maybe this could still be a part of it - with a big 
confession we all sign and invite others to sign? or wanted posters with our 
own pictures? or wanted posters with pictures of Bush & Co???  (Personally, 
I like this last one - these guys are the biggest terrorists, and I think we 
can't say it often enough - besides, it makes a nice ironic connection 
between the rollback of civil rights and the terror war that's serving as 
cover for it, methinks.)

Ricky


>From: Alfred Kagan <akagan at uiuc.edu>
>To: Peace-discuss at lists.groogroo.com
>Subject: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: [SRRTAC-L:8573] Bye!bye! FOIA?
>Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 16:55:57 -0500
>
>>Delivered-To: akagan at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
>>X-Sender: radred at pop.ix.netcom.com
>>Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 17:59:26 -0400
>>To: SRRT Action Council <srrtac-l at ala.org>
>>From: Carol <radred at ix.netcom.com>
>>Subject: [SRRTAC-L:8573] Bye!bye! FOIA?
>>X-MailScanner: Found to be clean, Found to be clean
>>Reply-To: srrtac-l at ala.org
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>>
>>Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-7D204E57; charset=us-ascii; 
>>format=flowed
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>>
>>www.nsarchive.org
>>
>>FOIA: Latest victim of the Bushwhack. You'll get investigated for
>>asking for info.
>>
>>WHAT:
>>A provision (Sec. 307) of the House Intelligence Authorization bill
>>(HR 4628, now forwarded for House consideration today under HR 497)
>>would gut the US FOIA's principle of universal access with an
>>amendment that precludes requests for intelligence agency documents
>>by any governmental entity not of US origin, their representatives,
>>and foreign nationals.  The Senate intelligence authorization bill
>>does not contain a similar provision.
>>
>>IMMEDIATE EFFECTS:
>>* Truth commissions, human rights activists, and others will be
>>forbidden access to files that aid in national reconciliation and
>>transparency.
>>* Foreign-born scholars will be prohibited from using the Act.
>>* Intelligence agencies will now create investigative files on FOIA
>>requesters to determine their suitability for access.
>>
>>POLITICS/ANALYSIS:
>>According to an Administration source, this provision is the 'camel's
>>nose under the tent' in terms of attempts to restrict public access
>>to intelligence records.  It was added to the bill only in the last
>>few days 'under cover of darkness' as it had been previously 'beaten
>>down' internally from becoming an Administration proposal.  A
>>Statement of Administration policy is being circulated, is negative
>>as to the provision, but does not threaten veto.  US State Department
>>officially against it because a) its counter to USG policy favoring
>>transparency and b) this effort would encourage classified-only
>>communications between governments, which is burdensome and self-
>>defeating.
>>
>>ARGUMENTS:
>>* If one class of requester can be excluded, which class is next?
>>* Congress ought to be concerned with WHAT gets released, not WHO
>>gets it.
>>* Not one instance of a document released under FOIA that harmed
>>national security.
>>* Under FOIA, any classified document must be reviewed for release
>>against specified criteria, regardless of the identity of the
>>requester.
>>* House intelligence committee has no clue about the Internet: what's
>>released to one is released to all.
>>* The 'efficiency argument'--that foreign requesters are a burden on
>>declassification resources--is not proven, but for an anecdote in the
>>House report.
>>
>>William Ferroggiaro
>>Director
>>Freedom of Information Project
>>National Security Archive
>>www.nsarchive.org
>>Tel-(202) 994-7045
>>Fax-(202) 994-7005
>
>
>--
>
>
>Al Kagan
>African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
>Africana Unit, Room 328
>University of Illinois Library
>1408 W. Gregory Drive
>Urbana, IL 61801, USA
>
>tel. 217-333-6519
>fax. 217-333-2214
>e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
>
>_______________________________________________
>Peace-discuss mailing list
>Peace-discuss at lists.cu.groogroo.com
>http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss




------------------------

  "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the 
citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double edged 
sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind.
  And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils 
with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing 
the rights of the citizenry.
  Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will 
offer up all of their rights unto their leader and gladly so. How do I know? 
For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."  -Julius Caesar


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