“Open & Shut”
AP Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais
“… we don’t know why ‘(B(6)’ decided to use recorded music. . . ”
-Redacted Marine Corps documents, citing the Freedom of Information Act’s privacy exemption (B)(6) in place of Beyonce’s name in response to a records request on the lip-sync controversy.
“It is not unprecedented for the Justice Department to secretly get the numbers of reporters. What’s remarkable is the sweeping nature of this, the dragnet approach … and that’s why you have some press watchdog groups tonight, and freedom of the press groups saying this is positively Nixonian. They have not seen a precedent for this in decades.”
-NBC News’ Michael Isikoff said on “The Rachel Maddow Show” regarding the AP phone records subpeona.
“We apologize for the delay in processing your request. We are unable to provide you a final determination on your request within the 20 working day statutory time frame established by the FOIA because the referred documents require a classification review. Accordingly, I find that we must invoke the additional ten working day extension provision. … Your request has been placed in our complex queue. At this time, we are unable to provide you an approximate completion date.”
-The Naval Criminal Investigative Service wrote in a letter to Judicial Watch apologizing for the delayed response and noting that after some confusion, it had just only received the records request the organization filed in 2002.
“This is Big Brother come to life and a witch hunt to prevent Americans from exercising their First Amendment rights.”
-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wrote in a letter to President Obama concerning revelations that the IRS was targeting conservative groups.
“Almost 50 years ago, I made a difference with just an armband. Can you imagine what a 13-year-old today can do with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all of the other extraordinary speech tools available in the palm of her hand? We look forward to reminding her — and sharing real-life stories about how students today are keeping the First Amendment alive.”
-Mary Beth Tinker, who was suspended for wearing a black armband to junior high school in 1965 to mourn Vietnam War casualties and prompted the Tinker ruling, launched a crowdsourcing campaign this spring for a bus tour supporting the First Amendment.