Cebo -- WAY off base

Some of Cebo's comments are so off-base I don't know where to begin. Cases in federal courts are assigned AT RANDOM, so to think the Post found a sympathetic judge is absolutely incorrect.

Second, the issue of invasion of privacy in dealing with the White House is also ill-conceived. The president and vice-president, as elected officials, are our employees. Not employees for the Republicans or for the Democrats. For the American public. There is no "invasion of privacy" here. The bottom line is: you deserve to know who is visiting the president and vice president. These documents are routinely turned over to the news media to disclose who visited the president and vice-president, gifts they received, etc.

Third, there is a different standard for private citizens. Last time I checked, FOIA didn't apply to unelected, private citizens, so there's no way a rival could demand to know who's been visiting you. FOIA does apply to government officials and their actions, and given that it appears the Abramoff investigation may be headed toward the White House from Congress, you'd better want to know.

The fact of the matter is, this interpretation of FOIA via the Ashcroft memo may make you less safe in the process. If there's a chemical plant in your community, or a rail line hauling hazardous materials through it, your firefighters and rescue teams can't even find out from the Department of Homeland Security what might be there so they can draw up plans to keep you safe. Why? Their interpretation of the Ashcroft memo. Ask the people around the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland why they can't find out about the hazardous chemicals in their water or how to get it cleaned up -- because the federal government is refusing to disclose the information to the residents so they can decide the best way to clean it up.

So Cebo, put down what you've been smoking and WAKE UP. These are folks who think you are better off being in the dark, regardless of the circumstances. Maybe you don't want to know what the government is trying to hide from you, but I sure do.