Obama Secretly Accepts Transparency Award...

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

April's Fools Day???
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The eejit (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 6:26am

It can't be an Onion article...
It's too plausible.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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....
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:20am

Re: April's Fools Day???
I heard this a few days ago so unless it is a very early April Fools nope.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/6927-obama-receives-transparency-award-at-sec ret-meeting
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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?
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imbrucy (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 7:33am

Re:
Guilt from a politician, especially a Chicago politician?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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....)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:02am

Re:
Or maybe he's just being modest.
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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.
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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.
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Marcus Carab (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:14am

Re: Re: Re:
A progressive, realistic, insightful lampooning! Full-on opprobrium: lovely!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Malibu Cusser (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 8:52am

Re: Re: Re:
Nice one DH. Didn't think you were really thinking this.
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Marcus Carab (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 9:14am

Re: Re:
Awww please, reconsider it liontamer! Fellowship overrides our looming squabble!
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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.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 9:38am

Re: Re: Re:
Apparently pleading reasonableness is lost. Forgive our obvious little sparring....
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The eejit (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 10:45am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Reasonable? In my TD? Okay, who released the Gryphocorns again?

*Fetches Lassoo of Truth*
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Dark Helmet (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 10:59am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Again, please read inbetween lines, fool. Otherwise our lunacy sucks....
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Marcus Carab (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 11:06am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Appropriate Parsing Reveals Intent Lurking (Fairly Obviously) Outside Language Specifics!
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2011 @ 11:17am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Alas, people reading improperly lie first on our little site.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 11:43am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Well done!
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 11:49am

Re: Re: Re:
Looming squabble, eh? I thought I only had one open-ended looming squabble. It revolves around the word "challenge."

Consider it reconsidered. (Yes. I also received the message. But my point about snark remains.)
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Dark Helmet (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 12:55pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
"Looming squabble, eh? I thought I only had one open-ended looming squabble. It revolves around the word "challenge.""

Oh, I issued my challenge a while back. You never responded, which left me utterly triumphant....
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 1:48pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
No shit.

Hmmm...

Well, we'll call this a draw...
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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.
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 1:53pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Found it. Some sort of wine metaphor involving Citigroup and the NYT.

I'll chalk that up at 1-0 as I was staring off into the stands or something when that got served past me over a week ago.
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Atkray (profile), 1 Apr 2011 @ 2:02pm

Re: Re:
Nah he is hiding from Glenn Beck.
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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.
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Nicole, 14 Jan 2012 @ 10:49am

Governments should always be transparent.
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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.
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