• Releasing government information : Airline Security Releasing government information : Airline Security The (S.C.) Columbian — Aug. 21, 2005 Similar to circuit-riding ministers of old but with a different message Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna is spreading the
• Releasing government information : Airline Security
Releasing government information : Airline Security
The (S.C.) Columbian — Aug. 21, 2005
Similar to circuit-riding ministers of old but with a different message Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna is spreading the news about open government. We’re glad he’s got such passion for such a cherished freedom.
McKenna is using a 12-city tour to discuss a new public disclosure law that puts more pressure on public agencies to release information to citizens. He also wants to hear from local agencies and instruct them on how to follow the law.
The new law closes a loophole created when the state Supreme Court ruled public records requests may be denied if agencies deem them too broad. McKenna has made open government a major priority since taking office in January. “A strong public disclosure act and other sunshine laws are very important to transparency and accountability in government,” he said recently.
Last year the Supreme Court said government can ignore public records requests if they’re too broad, and supported use of attorney-client privileges to deny public record requests. The new bill prevents agencies from using the “too broad” opinion. McKenna says “it’s in every taxpayer’s interest to see less litigation and more successful compliance with the public disclosure law.”
But the law isn’t perfect. The attorney-client exemption wasn’t addressed, and language increasing fines for agencies that violate the law was removed by legislators. Greg Overstreet, a public access expert McKenna hired, accompanies McKenna on the tour.
Open records are necessary and essential for public knowledge of government actions. Public information should not be censored or hidden. That’s why the McKenna tour merits high praise and good attendance.
The Hartford Courant — Aug. 19, 2005
Airline security is compromised when passengers who are obviously not terrorists, but whose names erroneously appear on the government’s “no-fly” list, are stopped at airports, subjected to extra security checks or bumped from flights. Time is lost and attention of airport security personnel distracted when frivolous inquiries are made.
A well-publicized example is Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who has been stopped from boarding more than once because his name matches someone’s on the list. A U.S. senator should be able to pass through security without having to prove he’s not a terrorist. So should other well-known people or those from no-risk groups, such as babies.
While the Transportation Security Administration, which manages the list, instructs airlines not to detain children under 12, it happens often. Some children as young as 1 have been flagged and they and their parents made to wait until the infants check out.
In fact, nearly 100 claims have been filed with the TSA ombudsman on behalf of children who have been mistakenly identified as persons on the no-fly list. This is not only inefficient, it’s a public relations nightmare for the airlines. The extent of the government list is restricted information, but The Associated Press quotes people in the aviation industry as saying it contains 100,000 names. That affords plenty of opportunity for error. The margin could be reduced if certain classes of passengers — such as judges, members of Congress, regular frequent fliers known to a particular airline and babies — were permitted blanket waivers. Security personnel have more important work to do.
- Provided by The Associated Press
