What's behind the closed doors? 2 hours, 56 minutes ago
Secrecy in government takes many forms, not just in Washington but also in state governments, courts and even overseas. The Freedom of Information Act affects some but not others.
A sampling:
•Hearings for the 14 terror suspects who were transferred to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, last fall from secret CIA prisons abroad started on Friday but behind closed doors, so the American public has no way of knowing how the hearings are being conducted.
•The Congressional Research Service writes approximately 6,000 special reports for members of Congress each year on topics related to pending legislation. All the work is done at taxpayer expense, but by congressional edict the reports are not made available to the public.
•Waiting time for researchers seeking documents from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California has soared from 18 months to more than six years since President Bush's 2001 executive order setting up massive additional layers of review before papers - even those from 20 or more years ago - can be released.
•Judges in King County, Wash., were exposed by The Seattle Times after they illegally sealed court orders that hid alleged misconduct or negligence by schools, hospitals, lawyers, state agencies and businesses.
•Judges in several Florida counties were found by news reporters to be using secret dockets, keeping cases hidden from public view altogether. Some involved prominent Floridians. The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the issue last week.
•U.S. forces in Afghanistan seized and forcibly erased press photographers' electronic photos and video taken after a controversial incident early this month that left up to 10 civilians dead; locals claimed the shootings were unwarranted. One journalist was quoted as saying a soldier warned that if he didn't delete the photos, "We'll delete you."
•After disclosure by The Washington Post of shabby housing conditions and other problems affecting wounded service personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army Times reported that soldiers there have been ordered not to talk to the news media.
•Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., has twice in recent weeks tried to sneak through legislative provisions without committee hearings that would amount to a federal Official Secrets Act. One was aimed at criminalizing certain leaks of information from anyone in government; a second effort targeted more narrowly at congressional staff. The issue is still pending. |
