Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland Sec

Ron Mars · Apr 4, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

TacticalEvilDan said:
We didn't hire the woman, and prior to 2008 we didn't hire minorities for the job either.

If anybody can apply for the job but you only hire certain kinds of people and your parameters aren't matters of record, that's the definition of an unwritten policy.

If you believe that then so be it. I don't like where this is going.

Here in Virginia we had an excellent State Senator, Governor, and later the Mayor of Richmond.

Douglas Wilder is one of mine, and many Virginian's, all time favorite politicians. We didn't care what race he was and enough Republicans, like myself at the time, didn’t even care that he was a Democrat.

Douglas Wilder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ron Mars · Apr 4, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Simon W. Moon said:
They kinda broke the story and let everyone else, including Rep Issa, know about it. Is that a good job?

It's good for AP.

Who else is doing a good job reporting this?

Simon W. Moon · Apr 4, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Ron Mars said:
It's good for AP.
Who else is doing a good job reporting this?

Idk, but it was the AP that got the documents that revealed this practice, a journalist named Ted Bridis did it.

AFAICT, they're still at it. Now, their rhetoric and charges aren't as fiery or dramatic as Rep Issa's. So it may not make as popular of reading.

Emails: Insiders worried over political 'meddling' - Yahoo! News

"This level of attention is CRAZY," Callahan wrote in December 2009 to her then-deputy, Catherine Papoi. Callahan said she hoped someone outside the Obama administration would discover details of the political reviews, possibly by asking for evidence of them under the Freedom of Information Act itself: "I really really want someone to FOIA this whole damn process," Callahan wrote.

I am not sure how related this is...but it contains e-mails in re requests from the reporters who broke the story. Unfortunately, those sections are somewhat redacted. lol

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/foia/ogc_ap_redacted_foia_process_351-400.pdf

Here are some more source docs:
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/foia/ogc_ap_redacted_foia_process_101-150.pdf
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/foia/ogc_ap_redacted_foia_process_801-850.pdf

If you want me to look anything else up for you, I might.
http://tinyurl.com/435kw8q

TacticalEvilDan · Apr 4, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Ron Mars said:
If you believe that then so be it. I don't like where this is going.

Here in Virginia we had an excellent State Senator, Governor, and later the Mayor of Richmond.

We were talking about the Presidency of the United States. Move the goal posts if you must, but it won't score you any points.

Ron Mars · Apr 4, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

TacticalEvilDan said:
We were talking about the Presidency of the United States.

In the country today as you clarified earlier.

You're basically arguing that what has already happened is impossible.

Kinda silly.

Ron Mars · Apr 4, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Simon W. Moon said:
If you want me to look anything else up for you, I might.

I don't need you to look up anything for me.

I already know this story is not being reported by the lefty media.

TacticalEvilDan · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Ron Mars said:
In the country today as you clarified earlier.

You're basically arguing that what has already happened is impossible.

Kinda silly.

No, not really. You started off arguing that this country doesn't have a well-defined pattern of traits common to the Presidents it elects, and then you tried to broaden the discussion to elections across the nation.

Do a victory dance if it helps, but you're still wrong.

Ron Mars · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

TacticalEvilDan said:
No, not really. You started off arguing that this country doesn't have a well-defined pattern of traits common to the Presidents it elects,

And I stated that I thought you meant in the country today and you replied back that in fact you did.

I completely agree that as late as the 70's a non-white male Christian would stand little chance to be elected President.

For the past three decades IMO that has not been the case.

TacticalEvilDan said:
and then you tried to broaden the discussion to elections across the nation.

I'm pointing out that minorities can be very popular political candidates in America today. Even here in Virginia.

It's been that way for some time now.

TacticalEvilDan said:
Do a victory dance if it helps, but you're still wrong.

Of course I'm wrong. Obviously a minority would never be elected as POTUS today. Anyone can see that.

Guy Incognito · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Ron Mars said:
He was ineffective in stopping the meltdown and for that he deserves his share of criticism.

Bush wasn't just ineffective in stopping it, his deregulatory policies were instrumental in causing it.

TacticalEvilDan · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Ron Mars said:
And I stated that I thought you meant in the country today and you replied back that in fact you did.

Of course I did. We were talking about the Presidency of the United States, right? :lol:

Ron Mars said:
I completely agree that as late as the 70's a non-white male Christian would stand little chance to be elected President.

For the past three decades IMO that has not been the case.

That's great and all, except that, up until 2008, the Presidents we in fact elected pretty much blow your opinion away, and even then most of the unwritten policy items I mentioned are still in place -- as I've now said multiple times.

ReverendHellh0und · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Jetboogieman said:
CNN generally has been neutral (people who want to dispute this. Quite frankly I couldn't care about your opinion, just because CNN doesn't accuse Obama of being a Kenyan socialist)
.

Kathleen Parker - Led Assassination Of Sarah Palin | Ziegler | Mediaite

Neutral! :thumbs:

Paschendale · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

I'm hardly surprised by this trend. The government has been moving towards this kind of secrecy on a steady course for decades. Even if Obama's top priority was government transparency, one man, even the president, can't change this much.

Ron Mars · Apr 5, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

TacticalEvilDan said:
Of course I did. We were talking about the Presidency of the United States, right? :lol:

That's great and all, except that, up until 2008, the Presidents we in fact elected pretty much blow your opinion away, and even then most of the unwritten policy items I mentioned are still in place -- as I've now said multiple times.

So it's been possible for a minority to be elected POTUS for many years. I'm glad we agree on that.

Because it didn't happen until 2008 that means what?

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

today: another lawsuit over administration stonewalling of foia

and this time it's by the PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES

The largest union representing federal government workers may sue the Obama administration if there’s a government shutdown at the end of this week.

With a shutdown looking increasingly likely by the hour as congressional Republicans and the White House stay stuck at an impasse, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees says the union will file suit against the federal government if it’s not clear that essential employees will be guaranteed pay for their work during the shutdown.

AFGE has already filed one lawsuit against the federal government over a possible shutdown. Last week, after not hearing back on Freedom of Information Act requests made to the White House Office of Management and Budget for details of how government agencies will handle the shutdown, the union sued OMB Director Jack Lew. “It’s inside baseball with the Obama administration about the lack of information coming from the agencies,” Gage said.

Federal workers? union preps government shutdown lawsuit - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com

so far we've seen the ASSOCIATED PRESS and BLOOMBERG go after dhs' political screening (which the dept's own INSPECTOR GENERAL called out as UNPRECEDENTED) of foia requests and bernanke's concealment of exactly how much TARP went to exactly which FOREIGN entities...

notice a PATTERN?

TRANSPARENCY, anyone?

justabubba · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

The Prof said:
today: another lawsuit over administration stonewalling of foia

and this time it's by the PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES

Federal workers? union preps government shutdown lawsuit - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com

wow. the union wants to be assured that employees who work will get paid
as if the government is going to refuse to compensate employees it will have deemed essential to keeping the government's doors open
foolish action by the union chief
the government has a law known as the antideficiency act. it is illegal to obligate monies that have not been authorized by congress. the union official wants the government to agree to violate the antideficiency act. that would be as foolish as believing that essential employees cannot expect to receive compensation for their work

way to find another insightful anti Obama issue prof. keep em coming

so far we've seen the ASSOCIATED PRESS and BLOOMBERG go after dhs' political screening (which the dept's own INSPECTOR GENERAL called out as UNPRECEDENTED) of foia requests and bernanke's concealment of exactly how much TARP went to exactly which FOREIGN entities...

notice a PATTERN?

TRANSPARENCY, anyone?

see a pattern? oh yes, another pointless matter raised within a string of anti Obama threads

the IG said it was unprecedented for an agency head to be so involved in processing of FOIA requests. i know, you supported the shrub and cannot imagine a competent government official now exerting effort to assure that her department is well run

notice that the IG also stated that nothing illegal was found in the processing of the FOIA requests

stand for something or fall for anything

by subscribing to the message of that saying, it can only be concluded that you stand for nothing. is that transparent enough for you

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

compensation is only part of the complaint

the search for ANSWERS is the other

the refusal to be FORTHCOMING is the last

which is why the afge is SUING

this administration appears actively opposed to satisfying foia requests

at least, that's what the largest rep of fed employees is saying

along with ap, bloomberg, dhs' ig...

ie, tell it to them

“We’ve asked the Obama administration how they would guarantee employees’ pay, what the conditions are for essential employees to be paid,” John Gage, president of the 265,000-member union, told POLITICO on Wednesday. “Should essential employees be required to work without a guarantee of pay, we will file a lawsuit.”

The shutdown battle is “more political theater than anything else,” Gage said, and it’s “deeply disturbing when people don’t know whether they’re going to be able to make a mortgage or pay their bills.” Government workers, he said, need more clarity about whether they’ll be required to work and whether they’ll be paid for that work.

His request for more information has gone to Attorney General Eric Holder and to Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry. Late Tuesday night, OPM published a brief overview of how a shutdown would work. Federal agencies do not have the authority to pay employees during a shutdown. Workers “excepted” during the shutdown would be paid for their work once the president signs a new appropriations bill or a continuing resolution, OPM said, but it’s up to agencies to determine who is excepted and who isn’t. Workers who are “non-excepted,” or furloughed, “are not permitted to work as unpaid volunteers for the government.”

AFGE has already filed one lawsuit against the federal government over a possible shutdown. Last week, after not hearing back on Freedom of Information Act requests made to the White House Office of Management and Budget for details of how government agencies will handle the shutdown, the union sued OMB Director Jack Lew. “It’s inside baseball with the Obama administration about the lack of information coming from the agencies,” Gage said.

Federal workers? union preps government shutdown lawsuit - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

justabubba said:
the IG said it was unprecedented for an agency head to be so involved in processing of FOIA requests

a competent government official now exerting effort to assure that her department is well run

oh, so THAT's what ms callahan's doing

LOL!

Investigations Find Unprecedented Political Review

The report from DHS Acting Inspector General Charles Edwards did not allege corruption, but did say the department must make changes.

“We also determined that the Office of the Secretary has had unprecedented involvement in the Freedom of Information Act process beginning in 2009,” the IG report said. “For several hundred requests deemed significant, components were required to provide for headquarters review all materials they intended to release.”

The IG report also says, “Potentially embarrassing wording was redacted in other cases as well. In November 2009, a senior DHS official suggested limitations on the release of particular requests that a component was processing.”

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

justabubba said:
keep em coming

will do

Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Treasury officials explicitly allowed AIG bonuses - Los Angeles Times

Geithner's New York Fed Pushed AIG To Keep Sweetheart Deals Secret from the SEC (READ THE AIG EMAILS)

Obama top recipient of AIG’s hefty campaign contributions - The Center for Public Integrity

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Obama was top recipient of BP-related dollars in 2008 - CNN

U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study/WaPo

Simon W. Moon · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

It seems a lot of the more recent posts have wander far afield from the OP

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Barack Obama largest recipient of political funds from mortgage giants Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Sweeping reform, but not for Freddie, Fannie - Business - Eye on the Economy - msnbc.com

The Prof · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s two-year fight to shield crisis-squeezed banks from the stigma of revealing their public loans protected a lender to local governments in Belgium, a Japanese fishing-cooperative financier and a company part-owned by the Central Bank of Libya.

Foreign Banks Tapped Fed

transparency, anyone?

American · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

Jetboogieman said:
Once again this conservative persecution complex springs up again.

Jesus.

It's like conservatives are under the impression that during the Bush Years ever single news channel on planet earth (minus Fox News) was bashing Bush 24/7 when really, things were just in reverse as they were today.

MSNBC generally was against Bush, for Obama
CNN generally has been neutral (people who want to dispute this. Quite frankly I couldn't care about your opinion, just because CNN doesn't accuse Obama of being a Kenyan socialist)
Fox News was for Bush and against Obama.

Oh well.

I swear, Americans when their guy isn't in power, can turn into the biggest ****ing whiners on planet Earth, never in my entire life has I heard THIS MUCH bitching and whining and moaning and complaining. Holy mother of god.

Yes Obama said his administration would be transparent, but in the end he's a politician, to try and slam him on breaking his promises is as redundant as saying Hitler was a bad guy (Yeaaaaaah godwinning for kicks).

In the end. The world will continue to spin and politicians will continue to be politicians.

Politicians are like diapers, their contents are the same, and they should be replaced very, very often.

Another classless post attempting to protect the corrupt.

justabubba · Apr 6, 2011

Re: Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland

American said:
Another classless post attempting to protect the corrupt.

please explain for us how a matter investigated by the inspector general, where no illegal activities were found, is then temed "corrupt"

Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland Sec

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Investigations Find ‘Unprecedented’ Political Review of FOIA Requests by Homeland Sec

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