Obama tightens his control over White House computers

[East Catalina]

The memorandum applies to the National Security Council, the White House Military Office and the Office of Administration -- all components of the Executive Office of the President. But it also expands the reach of White House control over information systems to include the the White House Communication Agency, which is part of the Defense Department, and the Secret Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

After reading the article, this means that the executive branch and all of the departments it runs will become more secretive.

So NSG, what do you guys think?

Executive Departments
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Department of Commerce (DOC)
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Education (ED)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Department of State (DOS)
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Department of the Treasury
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
from http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/Executive.shtml
bolded are what's the new rules applying to, in part.
Your statement is blatantly false and exaggerating. Given this, it's reasonably justifiable, if still a tad bit...asswiperish.

[Roski]

Is it secrecy or is it so people like Hilary Clinton can't overfuck themselves.

[Madiganistan]

Your statement is blatantly false and exaggerating. Given this, it's reasonably justifiable, if still a tad bit...asswiperish.

I dunno if it's so much "justifiable" (considering that it seeks to exempt executive agencies that clearly are agencies from rules to which all government agencies much adhere) as it is just as an action we ought not be surprised by in this era in which government and politics have merged to the point of being indistinguishable.

[Arkotania]

It wouldn't work if Congress tried to do something like this for themselves, and that's because lots of Congress people like to tout how they DON'T use computers or email. Definitely something to be proud of in the 21st century! ~sarcasm.

Completely banning FOIA requests is a bit drastic in my opinion. The people still have a right to what government does, especially when government likes to just keep things hushed. If our government was more transparent in a voluntary fashion, without forcing people to use the FOIA to get information we should legally have access to to, it probably wouldn't be so much of an issue.

Of course when the FOIA is used as a political weapon against the current administration, I can see why they might not be a big fan of it.

[Scomagia]

Anyone who's ever worked in the public sphere in any capacity knows that FOIA is the bane of the government worker's existence-- FOIA casework obstructs all other work, specifically because it's so legally time-sensitive, and although transparency advocates love championing FOIA as the crown jewel of their activism, FOIA requests are almost exclusively filed by opposition researchers looking to prep their books for the next upcoming election cycle.

This attempt at redefining the White House as not being a government agency is an egregious attempt to extrapolate executive privilege, but not for any devious, sinister conspiracy reasons. Truth probably is that the White House is just being bogged down with FOIA requests from Republican Presidential staffers scouring for campaign fodder and the Administration is just trying to find some clever way of not being legally forced to accommodate them.

None of that makes this any less an affront to transparency.

[Hannibal Lector Society]

Keeping all the porn to himself. Selfish.

how dare he!

[Caninope]

Anyone who's ever worked in the public sphere in any capacity knows that FOIA is the bane of the government worker's existence-- FOIA casework obstructs all other work, specifically because it's so legally time-sensitive, and although transparency advocates love championing FOIA as the crown jewel of their activism, FOIA requests are almost exclusively filed by opposition researchers looking to prep their books for the next upcoming election cycle.

This attempt at redefining the White House as not being a government agency is an egregious attempt to extrapolate executive privilege, but not for any devious, sinister conspiracy reasons. Truth probably is that the White House is just being bogged down with FOIA requests from Republican Presidential staffers scouring for campaign fodder and the Administration is just trying to find some clever way of not being legally forced to accommodate them.

None of that makes this any less an affront to transparency.

Let's not get too wrapped up in thinking there is value in transparency for transparency's sake- rather it's because of what transparency provides.