[govinfo] problem with transmission
- From: "Patrice McDermott" <pmcdermott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "govinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <govinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:22:44 -0400
Only part of what I sent out in the 8-16-06 issue made it through. I have
contacted the tech support to try to figure out what happened. In the interim,
I will try again. Patrice
- Bill targeting intelligence leaks meets criticism (this bill is identical to
the one Sen. Shelby introduced in 2000
and 2001)
- Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB); Notice of Meeting
- DHS warns Federation of American Scientists about Anti-Missile Report On Site
- Hentoff op-ed on State Secrets ruling in EFF case
- Services Acquisition Reform Act panel wants better reporting
Be sure to check out OpenTheGovernment.org's Policy and News Updates
http://www.openthegovernment.org/article/subarchive/60 . To subscribe, go to
http://www.openthegovernment.org/article/subarchive/44
- Bill targeting intelligence leaks meets criticism
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0806/080806tdpm2.htm
DAILY BRIEFING
August 8, 2006
From National Journal's Technology Daily
Senate legislation aimed at punishing intelligence leaks by government
employees and contractors has received a chilly reception from a major
newspaper in the home state of bill sponsor introduced by Christopher (Kit)
Bond, R-Mo.
The bill, S. 3774, would make it easier for the government to prosecute
whistleblowers who reveal information about "sensitive intelligence programs."
The Kansas City Star urged Bond to "withdraw his proposal immediately," saying
it is "not well thought out."
The Missouri Press Association planned to send a letter to Bond on Tuesday
opposing the bill, the group's president Doug Crews said.
In floor remarks about his proposal, Bond said each government leak is "a
window of opportunity for terrorists to discover our sources and methods,"
which guarantees "chaos and violence in the world."
The bill is backed by the Association of Intelligence Officers. President
Clinton vetoed a similar measure in 2000.
- Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB); Notice of Meeting
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-13393.htm
[Federal Register: August 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 158)][Notices][Page 47258]
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
Information Security Oversight Office
Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB); Notice of Meeting
Pursuant to Section 1102 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism
Prevention Act of 2004 which extended and modified the Public Interest
Declassification Board (PIDB) as established by the Public Interest
Declassification Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-567, title VII, December 27,
2000, 114 Stat. 2856), announcement is made for the following committee
meeting:
Name of committee: Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB).
Date of meeting: Saturday, September 9, 2006.
Time of meeting: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Place of meeting: National Archives and Records Administration,
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington Room, Washington, DC 20408.
Purpose: To discuss declassification program issues.
This meeting will be open to the public. However, due to space
limitations and access procedures, the name and telephone number of
individuals planning to attend must be submitted to the Information
Security Oversight Office (ISOO) no later than Tuesday, September 5,
2006. ISOO will provide additional instructions for gaining access to
the location of the meeting.
For Further Information Contact:
J. William Leonard, Director Information Security Oversight Office,
National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20408, telephone number (202) 357-5250.
Dated: August 8, 2006.
J. William Leonard,
Director, Information Security Oversight Office.
[FR Doc. E6-13393 Filed 8-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-P
- Federation of American Scientists Removes Anti-Missile Report From Site
http://www.nysun.com/article/37885
By JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 15, 2006
WASHINGTON A scientific watchdog group has removed from its Web site an
unclassified government report on anti-missile technology after receiving a
warning letter from the Department of Homeland Security.
The Federation of American Scientists said yesterday that it decided to take
down the report while reviewing the agency's concerns.
"I have no interest in the absolute disclosure of absolutely everything," the
head of the association's program on government secrecy, Steven Aftergood,
said. "I think that's a ridiculous position to hold."
[.]
The 74-page report was delivered to Congress late last month and summarizes the
Department of Homeland Security's response to the threat posed by
shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, referred to by specialists as
Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or ManPADS.
On August 3, Mr. Aftergood posted the report to his organization's Web site.
Last week, the group's president, Henry Kelly, received a letter from a
Department of Homeland Security attorney, William Anderson.
"Due to the sensitive nature of the report, I request that your organization
immediately remove the report from its Web site," Mr. Anderson wrote. "If the
report is not removed from your Web site within two business days, we will
consider further appropriate actions necessary to protect the information
contained in the report."
[.]
Mr. Aftergood said his decision to acquiesce to the government's request was
influenced by a recent ruling in a criminal case against two former lobbyists
for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven Rosen and Keith
Weissman. Judge Thomas Ellis III declared that individuals could be prosecuted
for obtaining or distributing closely held information related to national
defense, even if it is unclassified.
Asked if the keeping the anti-missile report on the Web could have triggered
criminal charges, Mr. Aftergood said, "Until last week, I would have laughed
and said, 'Of course not.'"
The scholar and critic of government classification policy said he is no longer
so sanguine..
- Brave judge overrules government secrecy
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/oped/ci_4182750
Article Last Updated: 8/15/2006 07:32 AM
AT LAST, a federal judge has refused to automatically, reverentially bow to a
Bush administration lawyer demanding a case be shut down without being heard
because it involves "state secrets." The Electronic Frontier Foundation had
filed a suit against AT&T claiming the company "has given the National Security
Agency secret, direct access to phone calls and e-mails - handing over
communications logs detailing the activities of millions of ordinary Americans."
Federal District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco - pointing to the
continuing, widespread public controversy over the president's secretly
authorizing the NSA's warrantless disregard of individual privacy rights -
ruled that there was no urgent state need for secrecy.
Moreover, he added significantly, "it is important to note that even the
state-secrets privilege has its limits. While the court recognizes the
executive's constitutional duty to protect the nation from threats, the court
takes seriously its constitutional duty to adjudicate the disputes that come
before it ... To defer to a blanket assertion of secrecy here would be to
abdicate that duty."
Most importantly - if other federal judges take courage from Judge Walker's
insistence on the rule of law - he said (and future historians will quote):
"The compromise between liberty and security remains a difficult one. But
dismissing this case at the outset would sacrifice liberty for no apparent
enforcement of security."
[.]
- Services Acquisition Reform Act panel wants better reporting
http://www.fcw.com/article95654-08-14-06-Web
BY Matthew Weigelt
Published on Aug. 14, 2006
The Acquisition Advisory Panel said Aug. 11 it has made recommendations focused
on data collection and transparency in the competitive process.
The panel said it wants to conduct studies concerning interagency data on
awards of contracts, grants and agreements through a Web-accessible database
that the public can search, according to a press release.
It also recommended requiring that the reports the Federal Data Procurement
System-Next Generation creates for the panel should be made available for
scrutiny, and it wants to correct reporting flaws. Moreover, officials need to
reiterate how important it is that workers use good data to get accurate
information for the reports, the panel said.
[.]
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