'Ain't no sunshine ...'

For the unitiated, this is “Sunshine Week.”

The special week has nothing to do with a Florida tourism campaign or nudists trying to get in touch with themselves in Sedona.

Nor is it a celebration of journalists, although they’re directly involved. The week celebrates YOUR “right to know” what’s going on in YOUR government.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 - landmark legislation which opened government records to the public.

“Because of FOIA,” the Progress Report of 12 March 2007 (LINK) says, “Vietnam War veterans learned about their exposure to Agent Orange, reporters learned that the military had given U.S. troops in Iraq body armor that failed ballistics tests, and the public learned how many times Jack Abramoff had visited the White House.

“Unfortunately, under the Bush administration, federal agencies have stalled or ignored an increased number of FOIA requests, classified a record number of documents, stepped up punishment for whistleblowers and tightened secrecy in the name of national security.”

Always the increased secrecy and infringement on YOUR rights – clamoring to classify - is wrapped in the cloak of “post-9/11” necessity.

The Progess Report continues, “A new study by the National Security Archive finds that just one in five federal agencies posts on its Web site all the records to file FOIA requests and just 6 percent ‘tell people how to request what does not appear there.’

“Another study by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government ‘found that 26 federal agencies were processing fewer FOIA requests, making petitioners wait much longer for responses and releasing less information than they were nine years ago. …’

“Sens. Pat Leahy (D-VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) plan to reintroduce legislation that will strengthen FOIA by giving agencies ‘strong incentives to act on FOIA requests in a timely fashion.’ It will also ‘ensure that Internet-based journalists and people who write Web logs (blogs) are given the same reduced FOIA fees as other members of the press’ and will establish an FOIA hotline to track requests.”

So many people going to bat to bring government secrecy to light. Lucky you!

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“Ain’t no sunshine … only darkness every day.”

How important is an unfettered press to a free society? How important is it to you?

For an in-depth and fully documented report on the relationship between the Bush administration and the media, read “Government: The Dark Ages.” The Progress Report, 13 March 2007: LINK