"FOIA? Nah, we don't believe we need to obey *that* law either. So go to hell."
You may recall that a few months ago a whopping 17 percent of the federal government was put on hold for, what, 18 days?--due to a budget deal passed a couple of years ago. Barry's administration responded by ordering the National Park Service to "make it hurt" ordinary Americans.
The NPS responded by barricading open-air monuments like the WW2 and VietNam memorials, as well as...other public assets. Among many other things, the park service shut down scenic turnouts on the George Washington Parkway, at Mount Rushmore and closed several parking lots serving...Mount Vernon just outside of D.C.
All these struck most Americans as stupid, fascist and thuggish--in other words, typical Obama chickenshit. But the closure of the parking lots at Mount Vernon sparked a special curiosity, since that national attraction isn't owned or operated by the Park Service but is privately funded.
Since no one needs a park ranger to explain the use of a parking lot, it seemed this was another obvious case of just sticking a thumb in the eye of the public.
But government actions don't just happen--someone picks up a phone and gives an order. Conservative groups wanted to know who and why, and filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act seeking all emails and other communications related to the Park Service's closure of the parking lots at Mount Vernon.
I know you'll be shocked to learn that what they got was...bullshit, like copies of emails with everything blacked out except the name of the sender. Basically the NPS told the group "We don't have to obey FOIA, and you can't force us to produce actual information."
Okay, the FOIA does list some exceptions that allow an agency to refuse to comply. So are you refusing because releasing the emails would harm national security? Yeah, didn't think so. Well are you claiming "executive privilege," which means you would have had to give the president legal advice? No?
Ah, here we go: They claimed that releasing the docs "would have a chilling effect on the agency's deliberative processes."
Seriously, that's what they said. In writing.
This little episode is another example of Barry ignoring laws he doesn't want to obey. That should be an impeachable offense. It shows just how far the country has departed from "nation of laws" to "a nation of unaccountable dictators." But it does offer Constitutionalists a great opportunity to put the fear of God into bureaucrats:
Congress should determine who make the decision to "redact" the emails and prosecute 'em for violating the Freedom of Information Act. Barry won't lift a finger to prevent it, because the decision actually came from the White House. He'll let some GS-8 take the fall, with a promise of big job with a Democratic agency.
Throw the guy in jail--that would be the park service official who will claim to have made the decision to close the parking lots. Obviously this won't affect King Barack but it will make other bureaucrats think twice about breaking the law just because King Barack orders 'em to.
Long, LONG overdue.
The NPS responded by barricading open-air monuments like the WW2 and VietNam memorials, as well as...other public assets. Among many other things, the park service shut down scenic turnouts on the George Washington Parkway, at Mount Rushmore and closed several parking lots serving...Mount Vernon just outside of D.C.
All these struck most Americans as stupid, fascist and thuggish--in other words, typical Obama chickenshit. But the closure of the parking lots at Mount Vernon sparked a special curiosity, since that national attraction isn't owned or operated by the Park Service but is privately funded.
Since no one needs a park ranger to explain the use of a parking lot, it seemed this was another obvious case of just sticking a thumb in the eye of the public.
But government actions don't just happen--someone picks up a phone and gives an order. Conservative groups wanted to know who and why, and filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act seeking all emails and other communications related to the Park Service's closure of the parking lots at Mount Vernon.
I know you'll be shocked to learn that what they got was...bullshit, like copies of emails with everything blacked out except the name of the sender. Basically the NPS told the group "We don't have to obey FOIA, and you can't force us to produce actual information."
Okay, the FOIA does list some exceptions that allow an agency to refuse to comply. So are you refusing because releasing the emails would harm national security? Yeah, didn't think so. Well are you claiming "executive privilege," which means you would have had to give the president legal advice? No?
Ah, here we go: They claimed that releasing the docs "would have a chilling effect on the agency's deliberative processes."
Seriously, that's what they said. In writing.
This little episode is another example of Barry ignoring laws he doesn't want to obey. That should be an impeachable offense. It shows just how far the country has departed from "nation of laws" to "a nation of unaccountable dictators." But it does offer Constitutionalists a great opportunity to put the fear of God into bureaucrats:
Congress should determine who make the decision to "redact" the emails and prosecute 'em for violating the Freedom of Information Act. Barry won't lift a finger to prevent it, because the decision actually came from the White House. He'll let some GS-8 take the fall, with a promise of big job with a Democratic agency.
Throw the guy in jail--that would be the park service official who will claim to have made the decision to close the parking lots. Obviously this won't affect King Barack but it will make other bureaucrats think twice about breaking the law just because King Barack orders 'em to.
Long, LONG overdue.
posted by SF at
9:17 AM
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