Irony: Federal Government Workshop On Openness... Closed To The Public

from the well-that's-nice dept

Mon, Dec 7th 2009 5:32pm — Mike Masnick

The Obama administration still has a very mixed record on transparency and openness. Despite promising to be a lot more transparent and open, the federal government has been extremely selective in where it actually is open. So, yes, it's done a decent job with some online projects like Recovery.gov and USASpending.gov, but in other areas, such as on ACTA negotiations the government has resisted openness at pretty much every turn. So, while perhaps it's understandable, it does seem rather ironic that the federal government's workshop on openness is closed to the public. Yes, it's an internal workshop for federal government employees, but it certainly seems to be a symbolic point that openness is something that's talked about more often than done.

Filed Under: administration, openness, transparency, white house

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slander (profile), 7 Dec 2009 @ 6:17pm

In other words,
Let them eat [redacted]
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Brian (profile), 7 Dec 2009 @ 6:31pm

Citizen,
You have been found guilty of thinking. As you should very well know independent though is very dangerous and highly illegal. You must trust your mighty government overlords with full confidence. Confidence like that you place in the gumball or other candy dispensary machine from which you enjoy simple pleasures. We will be sending a unit to your house to ensure your though control device is properly enabled. Also please note we are being open about this workshop and feel that this is enough openness for one year. Please remember to serve your government well and trust us, we are doing what is best for you.
We thank you for your time Citizen
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wonder, 7 Dec 2009 @ 6:35pm

is anyone form acta involved?
makes ya wonder if it were opened people might not partake or show up cause its a sham like ACTA is
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2009 @ 6:43pm

Not so much moral outrage so much as meaningless finger pointing.

Petty.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2009 @ 7:03pm

Re:
And?
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slander (profile), 7 Dec 2009 @ 7:23pm

Re: Re:
So there. Nyaa!
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The Groove Tiger (profile), 7 Dec 2009 @ 9:14pm

Well, if the Workshop on Openness is where they decide what to be open about and what to hide, it makes sense to hide it.
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Yakko Warner, 8 Dec 2009 @ 8:00am

How is this ironic?
If something is transparent, it means you cannot see it. Therefore, this administration is upholding its promise to be the most transparent in history! ;)
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