Tuesday, 22 December 2009
More Transparency Coming from Obama? Don't Bet On It.
Unlike Obama's comrades at arms in CONgress, he could actually do this right. Let's hope our Marxist brother gets the right balance of national security with protection of our rights via transparency. That's if his handler's allow it.
Wonder if he will make it easier for suppressed technology to be mainstreamed to the public's benefit. But then if Gitmo or Birth Certificates are any indication...
NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER AWAITS PRESIDENTIAL DECISION
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
A new draft executive order on national security classification and declassification policy is expected to be presented to President Obama this week for his personal resolution of issues which remain in dispute among policymakers and affected agencies, especially intelligence agencies.
This marks the first time since the first Bush Administration, nearly two decades ago, that a President has needed to make a final determination on the contents of an executive order because staffers and agencies were unable to reach a consensus view.
The hotly disputed issues are believed to include the composition of the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel, including whether it should include representatives of ODNI or CIA or both, and whether the intelligence agencies should continue to have the veto over Panel declassification decisions that was granted by the George W. Bush Administration.
The final order, which is likely to be issued before the end of December, is expected among other things to direct agencies to conduct a Fundamental Classification Guidance Review in order to eliminate obsolete classification requirements, and to establish a National Declassification Center to coordinate and expedite declassification of historical records, as described in a previous draft dated August 4, 2009.
See "Obama Plan Could Limit Records Hidden From Public" by Pete Yost, Associated Press, December 20, 2009.
looking for pocket change because there is no other change.
Technorati Tags: obama transparency openness security clearances security classifications
