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US Declassifications Delayed. Infrastructure Classification to follow?
kiwimate writes "This article discusses an executive order issued yesterday which delays the release of millions of historical documents until the end of 2006. Apparently, the relevant agencies need more time to study the affected papers, even though it only affects papers more than 25 years old. Evidently a quarter of a century is not a sufficiently lengthy review period. For a slightly different version of the same story, see here." For further news on the classification of "critical infrastructure" see Declan's story.
In related news.. Phybersyko writes "Declan McCallagh at cnet.com(website) reports (story)that "President George W. Bush has signed an executive order that explicitly gives the government the power to classify information about critical infrastructures such as the Internet."
Do we chalk this up to the cost of "freedom" or are we repeating the same mistakes the Catholics made in the Middle Ages (keep em' ignorant and our rule is secured)...."
/. with "Fair and Balanced" reporting. Read the The Guardian for the Right and The New Zealand Herald for the Left. Read it at C|Net if you don't care.
Don't worry if you forget a secret Echelon knows it already.
Some US code relating to this...
The President of the United States is authorized to designate and
empower the head of any department or agency in the executive
branch, or any official thereof who is required to be appointed by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to perform without
approval, ratification, or other action by the President (1) any
function which is vested in the President by law, or (2) any
function which such officer is required or authorized by law to
perform only with or subject to the approval, ratification, or
other action of the President: Provided, That nothing contained
herein shall relieve the President of his responsibility in office
for the acts of any such head or other official designated by him
to perform such functions. Such designation and authorization
shall be in writing, shall be published in the Federal Register,
shall be subject to such terms, conditions, and limitations as the
President may deem advisable, and shall be revocable at any time by
the President in whole or in part.
-SOURCE-
(Added Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655, Sec. 10, 65 Stat. 712.)
-TRANS-
TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS
Functions vested by law (including reorganization plan) in Bureau
of the Budget or Director of Bureau of the Budget transferred to
President by section 101 of 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 1,
1970, 35 F.R. 7959, 84 Stat. 2085. Section 102 of 1970 Reorg. Plan
No. 2, redesignated Bureau of the Budget as Office of Management
and Budget and Director of Bureau of the Budget as Director of
Office of Management and Budget. See Reorganization Plan No. 2 of
1970, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization
and Employees.
-MISC5-
SIMILAR PROVISIONS; REPEAL; SAVING CLAUSE
For similar provisions contained in prior law, and saving clause
in connection therewith, see note preceding this section.
-EXEC-
EX. ORD. NO. 10250. DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS TO THE SECRETARY OF THE
INTERIOR
Ex. Ord. No. 10250, June 5, 1951, 16 F.R. 5385, as amended by Ex.
Ord. No. 10732, Oct. 10, 1957, 22 F.R. 8135; Ex. Ord. No. 10752,
Feb. 12, 1958, 23 F.R. 973; Pub. L. 101-509, title V, Sec. 529
(title I, Sec. 112(c)), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1427, 1454,
provided:
1. The Secretary of the Interior is hereby designated and
empowered to perform the following-described functions of the
President without the approval, ratification, or other action of
the President:
(a) The authority vested in the President by section 1 of the act
of July 10, 1935, ch. 375, 49 Stat. 477 (see 16 U.S.C. 19e to 19n),
to appoint members of the National Park Trust Fund Board.
(b) The authority vested in the President by section 2059 of the
Revised Statutes (25 U.S.C. 62) to discontinue any Indian agency,
or transfer the same, from the place or tribe designated by law to
such other place or tribe as the public service may require.
(c) The authority vested in the President by section 6 of the act
of May 17, 1882, ch. 168, 22 Stat. 88, as amended (25 U.S.C. 63),
to consolidate two or more Indian agencies into one, to consolidate
one or more Indian tribes, and to abolish such agencies as are
thereby rendered unnecessary.
(d) The authority vested in the President by the act of March 1,
1907, ch. 2285, 34 Stat. 1016 (25 U.S.C. 140), to divert
appropriations made for certain purposes to other uses for the
benefit of the several Indian tribes: Provided, That the Secretary
of the Interior shall make to the Congress reports required in
connection with action taken by him under this provision.
(e) The authority vested in the President by section 5 of the act
of February 8, 1887, ch. 119, 24 Stat. 389, as amended (25 U.S.C.
348), by the act of December 24, 1942, ch. 814, 56 Stat. 1081 (25
U.S.C. 348a), by the act of June 21, 1906, ch. 3504, 34 Stat. 326
(25 U.S.C. 391), and by section 3 of the act of January 12, 1891,
26 Stat. 712, as amen
Do people really think government agencies are sitting there for 25 years trying to figure out what documents to declassify? When a document is released, that someone gets assigned to it specifically to determine the precise point at which it can be declassified? Of course not - it'd be a complete and utter waste of resources. These reviews are done periodically and cover reams and reams of documents that can't simply be glanced at and passed through - they must be studied down to the individual words used. No doubt it takes quite a while.
But I guess, since we're dealing with Bush, there must be some nefarious governmental conspiracy behind it, right? It can't possibly be that it just takes a while to do the work properly, can it? "No more documents for oil!"