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Obama Secretly Accepts Transparency Award...

Too Much Free Time

from the that's-not-transparency dept

Fri, Apr 1st 2011 6:47am — Mike Masnick
Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) writes "A group awarded Obama for bringing greater transparency to government during the recent Sunshine Week. One hour before the meeting, which was to be open to the press, it was inexplicably postponed. The meeting did take place Monday but was closed to the press while location and schedule were undisclosed. A commenter on one of the sites joked that this must be an Onion article."
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Filed Under: obama, transparency

41 Comments

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  • icon
    Lisa Westveld (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 6:24am

    April's Fools Day???

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    The eejit (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 6:26am

    It can't be an Onion article...

    It's too plausible.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gary, 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:00am

    That's been the problem with The Onion ever since Bush took over in 2000. Reality is so much more perverse than mere writing folk can imagine.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:01am

      Re:

      It's been that way before, it's just that our monopolized press never covers the truth and they paint us with this fairy tale image of reality instead.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Greg G (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 9:29am

      Re:

      *shakes head*

      Yea, Gary, it's all Bush's fault.

      If you want to know who perverted reality, you have to go West, young man, to Hollywood, and, of course, to the rest of the world.

      Yes, I am talking about reality shows.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:10am

    Is this an alternate reality that we accidentally woke up in?

    Maybe he is feeling guilty for accepting such a thing knowing what he has done or then again maybe not.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    fogbugzd (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:14am

    Spagetti Harvest

    There was just an update on the reason for the delay of the first meeting. Apparently Obama had to miss the original meeting so he could attend a celebration of the spagetti harvest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdQqh9jvB6w&feature=related The video isn't for this year, but it was the closest link I could find. There is a more recent one, but I think it was on one of the domains seized by ICE.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:28am

      Re: Spagetti Harvest

      "celebration of the spagetti harvest"

      Didn't Obama hear that the whole spaghetti trees thing was a hoax?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        fogbugzd (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:07am

        Re: Re: Spagetti Harvest

        It's a hoax? Really? I guess that explains why it was so hard to find a youtube video about it that didn't start with "April Fool's."

        The worst thing about April 1 is trying to figure out who is being sarcastic and who is just clueless.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:15am

          Re: Re: Re: Spagetti Harvest

          The worst thing about April 1 is trying to figure out who is being sarcastic and who is just clueless.




          **For some values of the word worst. I think it's fun.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:18am

    Ah, obviously there's more to this story than what's being postulated here. Was a bomb threat called into the rendevous? Perhaps the CIA/NSA/whoever received a report indicating Al Queda targeting the award ceremony?

    Let's give our leaders their due credit rather than just falsely lampooning them.

    Obviously certain agencies within our government will be overwhelmingly more informed on the dangers than we will. Likely there was some danger they were trying to avoid. Snark for snark's sake does no one any good....

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      kyle clements (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:34am

      Re:

      "Snark for snark's sake does no one any good...."

      I don't know, reviving a transparency award in secret is pretty hilarious.

      Whether there were dangers or not, it's still a good story, one that is far too easy of a target to pass up.

      I got a very good chuckle out of it.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Dark Helmet (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:41am

        Re: Re:

        Apparently you did. Perhaps to some it's funny. Regardless, this is a snark piece. I for one don't appreciate it. Likely others feel the same.

        Fear is the likely motivator here. Otherwise they'd publicize the location and all that. Or do you have a more rational explanation? Lemmie hear ya. Seriously.

        (FYI, there's a hidden message in all this. See if you ca figure it out....)

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:56am

          Re: Re: Re:

          All of us should stop and take a look at this. Pointlessly assuming there is a greater danger is stupid. Reckoning and postulating never solved anything. Is it so hard to accept that he's just another idiot? Let's assume for a moment that you're right and he's doing it out of fear.

          First, he is probably the most protected man on the fact of the planet. Optimally he would be behind a transparent bubble shield for a ceremony where something could go wrong. On the other hand, you could be right. Logically it wouldn't be that far fetched. Seriously though, it's funny either way.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Marcus Carab (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:14am

          Re: Re: Re:

          A progressive, realistic, insightful lampooning! Full-on opprobrium: lovely!

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Malibu Cusser (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:52am

          Re: Re: Re:

          Nice one DH. Didn't think you were really thinking this.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          btr1701 (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 1:49pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Ptetty good impression. However since it lacks his particular flavor combination of both condescension and cluelessness, I think it only qualifies as TAM-lite.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:27am

        Re: Re:

        "I don't know, reviving a transparency award in secret is pretty hilarious. "

        Next thing I know you'll tell me he won a noble prize.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:41am

      Re:

      Au contraire, DH. Snark for snark's sake does the person handing out the snark plenty of good. Why, without snark, I wouldn't be half the irritant I am today.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Steven (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:37am

    This is so massively ridiculous that I can't believe it, yet so believable that I'm hardly surprised.

    My head hurts now.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Berenerd (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:48am

    The location was indeed announced...get off his back...

    It was posted to a very popular site which was quickly taken down and replaced with a warning that ICE took it down because there was an illegal font used in the announcement. Later that day Obama got his award and thanked ICE for doing such a good job for the big labels and "protecting" the true Americans...
    It was announced today that Darkhelmet has accepted his nomination for the Pirate Party's candidate for the next American Idol. his running mate will be Angelina Jolie.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:13am

    No no no no, everyone misunderstood. He's transparent as in that he's invisible. No one can tell what he's doing.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:15am

    Today's Philly Inquirer (yes, I still love to read the actual paper product) had this very item boxed within an article about Congress looking into the FOIA politicizing delay situation.

    Digital version doesn't have this interesting juxtaposition. Physical layout FTW.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Shine (profile), 22 Oct 2011 @ 4:59am

    funny

    Ha Ha! That's funny! I find the writer's name funny too...Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased)...I always laugh at Chuck Norris jokes.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Nicole, 14 Jan 2012 @ 10:49am

    Governments should always be transparent.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Katherine, 3 Feb 2012 @ 9:34pm

    It is hard to trust a government that is not transparent in things they are doing or dealing with, unless national security is at risk.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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