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RadioRote The rest is silence.
RadioRote #2
(outside Link) 11.08.01 |
"Choosing the path of least resistance makes both men and rivers crooked" (Attributed to Richard Nixon). Précis: President George W Bush signed Executive Order 13233 prohibiting greater access to Presidential Papers; thus revoking earlier enacted laws meant to deter the abuse of secrecy and power as witnessed in the Nixon White House. George W Bush's decision rides upon the notion that National Security is at stake. It also rides on the fact that these same papers he is shelving are those that are tied to the Reagan-Bush years as well as to upper level staff who served alongside both Bush presidencies. The question arises whether this enactment safeguards the nation or the Cult of the Individual. Report: When does secrecy become conspicuous?
Mark Twain, the 19th century American satirist and writer who lived during the political crisis of the Civil War and the complacency of Social Darwinism during the Gilded Age, noted that "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them." The events in the White House over the past few weeks over whether or not to release presidential papers is rooted in another scandal whose leader neither had the support or 'sophistication' to suppress his own trail of criminality. Although Richard Nixon was able to erase, in some part, his role in Watergate--he left enough evidence behind to raise sufficient public awareness against him from continuing his term any further than 6 years. Although it was a hard lesson learned by Nixon, allowing a trail of high crimes and misdemeanors that lead to the White House; this was not the type of error to be repeated by the head of Republican National Committee when he rose to the the vice presidency and presidency ---George Herbert Walker Bush . Following Richard Nixon's resignation in 1972, laws were enacted to breach the secrecy of a presidents activity from the public. One such law, the Presidential Records Act of 1978, made it clear that after a president left office, his papers became the property of the Federal government under the guardianship of the US Archivist . After 5 years, many of these papers may become public under the FOIA Act. After 12 years of the president leaving office, the need to request papers under this Freedom Of Information Act requirement would no longer be applicable, and presidential papers could be acquired easier for public use. The law changed just prior to Ronald Reagan leaving office and George Herbert Walker Bush capturing the presidential nomination as the Republican candidate. In January 1989, the Reagan administration issued Executive Order 12667 which created the added step of a person having to notify a former president for the "privilege" of gaining access to his papers.(1)
Thus it was that when
this year, the year the Reagan papers were due out, Bush White House
Counsel Alberto Gonzales delayed the release. (2) Alberto Gonzales first delayed the release of the Reagan Papers to June 21st and then to August 31 under the guise of having the papers released in a more orderly manner. However, it became apparent that the Bush White House had no intentions of releasing the Reagan papers for public scrutiny. When George W Bush signed Executive Order 13233 that if a sitting president decides a former presidents papers would not be released -- even if the former president or his family requests its release -- the papers will remain virtually inaccessible. The first consideration may have been for his father who served as Nixon's RNC Chief, CIA Director, Reagan's Vice President and President of the US. In each capacity his father was involved in national scandals that, if he had not personally obstructed the investigations, stood a good chance of having him face impeachment and/or dismissal.(6) To further complicate the issue, the United States is currently at war with a psychopathic religious leader whose Saudi family also had strong and close business ties with the Bush family through the Carlyle Group that still existed after September 11th of 2001. (7) This is certainly a time to wonder whether or not the suppression of Presidential Papers is due to National Security or the Cult of the Individual. If it is due to National Security, we must ask what activities still need to be hidden from the light of public scrutiny which occurred well over a decade ago; and if the suppression is tied to this current conflict. If the denial of access to the Presidential Papers has to do with the Cult of the Individual, then how exactly is this form of leadership going to convince the world to fight against autocracy? Either way, if one of these options is true, then the reason to usurp Democracy for all for the sake of a few leads to dangerous outcomes. History has proven when power becomes arbitrary in the hands of leaders, the nation becomes the victim when times become desperate. Please Distribute. 1. Federal Register page and date: 54 FR 3403; January 23, 1989 2. Carlin, John W. "Presidential Papers and the NARA." Organization of American Historians. 3. Bryce, Robert "Prosecutor says Bush "directly deceived" him to avoid jury duty" Salon Nov. 5, 2000 2000 *NewsMax "Pataki Snipes at Bush's DWI " Dec. 27, 2000; * Dallas Morning News "No arrests after '68, Bush told paper" Nov. 3, 2000 NOTE: Of interest is the fact that George W Bush reportedly told a KVUE reporter on video that if he was on the jury, he would have probably hung the drunk driver on trial. SEE: Above Salon Article. 4. The Montana Lawyer magazine "ABA thrown out of judge-screening process." April/May 2001 5. Dean, John. " The woefully insufficient evidence behind the White Houses Claim that the ABA's screening of judges is political." FindLaw Legal Commentary. Mar. 30, 2001 6. Federation of American Scientists. Tracking Number: 260039 *Johnston, David "Walsh Criticizes Reagan and Bush Over Iran-Contra" New York Times Jan 19, 1994 *Parry, Robert "Firewall: Inside the Iran-Contra Cover-up" Consortium 1997 7. Golden, Daniel; Bandler, James and Walker, Marcus "Bin Laden Family Could Profit From a Jump In Defense Spending Due to Ties to U.S. Bank," Wall Street Journal 9/28/01 *Judicial Watch "Wall Street Journal: Bush SR. in business with Bin Laden family conglomerate through Carlyle Group" Sept 28, 2001 *Parasuram, T V "Hike in US defence spending to benefit Osama's family" Hindustan Times Sept 28, 2001 *MacKay, Neil "John Major link to bin Laden dynasty" Sunday Herald Oct 7, 2001
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