- Social:
Open the Government
Executive director of Open the Government, a nonprofit coalition of over 60 organizations advocating greater openness in government
PROFILE
Patrice McDermott
Guest
FROM Patrice McDermott
To the Point
E-Mail Gate: Is it Real or Politics as Usual? Hillary Clinton has joked about it, called it partisan and blamed it on turf wars between federal agencies, but questions about her use of private email as Secretary of State are not going away. Some intelligence officials say some messages should have been classified – two of them as Top Secret. The FBI is investigating a possible crime, and polls show serious damage to her credibility with the voters. Has Clinton’s damage-control effort backfired? Is the controversy creating an opening for Joe Biden to launch a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination?
To the Point
Is Our Government Keeping Too Many Secrets? Bill Clinton's Attorney General, Janet Reno, ordered that government agencies should tell American citizens what they wanted to know, as long as it would "do no harm." After September 11, John Ashcroft changed the standard to tell the public less, rather than more, saying he would defend in court any legal argument against releasing information. While the argument is that, especially in times of war, it's best to err on the side of caution, critics contend that too much secrecy is counterproductive and destroys the openness that leads to trust in representative government. Last week, the House passed what's called "sunshine" legislation . If it passes the Senate, the White House threatens a presidential veto. We talk about privacy, national security--and political embarrassment.
Recommended
Left, Right & Center
Very legal? Very cool? President Trump says it was very legal and very cool to run his business and campaign simultaneously, but was it?
LRC Presents: All the President's Lawyers
Does Manafort have any credibility left? Is this a crazy legal strategy or a hail mary?
The 805
One year later, Ojai reflects on the Thomas Fire in a new book A year after the Thomas Fire began, a new book out of Ojai tells stories of the community’s destruction and regrowth. Cuddle groups are popping up all over the place, including Santa Barbara. And, according to a newly released report, sea level rise could cover nearly two-thirds of Santa Barbara city beaches by 2100.