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A Final Comment
On January 26, EFF headlined, "Under Obama, the Freedom of Information Act is Still in Shackles," saying:
On his first day in office, Obama's infamous memo promised transparency and open government, saying:
"My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficient and effective(ness) in Government."
Obama's a serial liar. "Openness" was code language for America's most secretive administration. Subverting FOIA is one of many examples of Obama's rogue governance. Secrecy and public trust betrayal trust took precedence immediately.
As a result, vital public information's suppressed. FOIA "deliberative process (DP)" exemptions are abused, including withholding documents dealing with decision making issues. In Obama's first year, he invoked DP exemptions an astonishing 70,779 times.
Moreover, in year two, a National Security Archive study found "less than one-third of the 90 federal agencies that process such FOIA requests have made significant changes in their procedures," even on transparency issues.
Yet when questioned at a town hall meeting, Obama claimed his administration's the most transparent in modern history. Public ignorance lets him get away with it and much more. EFF said government secrecy under Obama reached "absurd (unprecedented) levels."
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