44th Time's the Charm

Truth is, I'm not feeling particularly "bloggy" lately, so forgive my inadequate volume of inspired thought. One thing that I have been feeling inspired about though, is keeping up with the new American President. First of all, HOW IN THE WORLD did we manage to pull this off??? Former President Bush is back in Texas, and this time he's not just on vacation. President Obama is rapidly and surely undoing all of the nastiness the last President imposed on the country. I've been watching it; every morning I check in on the White House Website to see the latest Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda issued the day before, and to marvel at how the President is keeping his nose pressed into the grindstone, really. I hate to resort to tired idioms, but damn (!) he's really serious about getting this job right. One of his first memoranda was one designed to clarify and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In a complete turnabout from the doctrines of the former administration, the opening paragraph reads:

"A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, 'sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.' In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open Government. At the heart of that commitment is the idea that accountability is in the interest of the Government and the citizenry alike."

I could not think of a more fitting message to convey to a weary, beaten, and discouraged people than one expressing loudly that, here on this spot, and today, on this the second day of a new Presidency, the tide HAS turned. The morandum goes on to state:

"The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve."

Poetry! Again, how did we manage to pull this one off?

I wonder how "Dub'yah" and "Darth Vader" feel about all this...

Anyway...Cheers!

~B