Trump administration seeks to muzzle U.S. agency employees

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just now, elgordo38 said:

 If you have been around the block for decades you must have had a clue this was coming.

Speaking personally, I pretty much figured he'd be vain, mean-spirited, combative and relatively inept.

 

Thus far, he's turned out to be all those things except the last. Be real curious to see where his political scorched earth policies ultimately get him.

 

[elgordo38]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Speaking personally, I pretty much figured he'd be vain, mean-spirited, combative and relatively inept.

 

Thus far, he's turned out to be all those things except the last. Be real curious to see where his political scorched earth policies ultimately get him.

 

A real $64,000 question. 

[elgordo38]

And the beat goes on. Trump will turn into a tombstone counter yet. Not even happy at winning.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/trump-to-seek-major-investigation-on-voter-fraud-twitter/ar-AAmehnI?li=AAggNb9

[Thakkar]

12 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

And the beat goes on. Trump will turn into a tombstone counter yet. Not even happy at winning.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/trump-to-seek-major-investigation-on-voter-fraud-twitter/ar-AAmehnI?li=AAggNb9

 

His tweet doesn't seem to be about investigating voter fraud. The voter fraud is assumed and he wants to "strengthen voting procedures" —which sounds suspiciously like attempts at further voter suppression.

[Jingthing]

53 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I've followed U.S. politics pretty closely for a couple of decades.

 

And I must say, I can't recall ever hearing of an incoming U.S. administration adopted and enforcing these kinds of federal agency gag orders across such a broad scale.

 

This guy and his cronies have no respect for ethics and propriety in government. He seems to think the entire federal goverment is just an extension of his private businesses and he can simply do whatever he likes.

 

 

 

That's because he's a wannabe dictator. That's why a resistance is needed because the majority of Americans don't want a dictator president, insane clown, or otherwise. 

 

Lots of us saw this coming. Many of the trump voters that got CONNED did not. It's not a coincidence that trump admires authoritarian strong man leaders like Putin. Those are his ROLE MODELS. We were warned, but too late for that. 

Edited January 25, 2017 by Jingthing

[craigt3365]

21 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

You mean because he has angered those powerful and secretive interests who support more openness in government?  You suffer from  a very recherché form of paranoia.

This is sick:

 

Quote

On Tuesday, Badlands National Park, located in South Dakota and part of the Department of Interior, posted a series of Tweets about climate change: "Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years. #climate," one of the tweets read. By Tuesday afternoon, the tweets were gone.

Sounds like the Chinese government's recent directive to stop all broadcasts of the air pollution problems.  Not good.

[scorecard]

16 hours ago, Emster23 said:

Divide, conquer and throw in a black hole. So much for returning the government to the people. The amazing insanity of this order is mind boggling: departments can't communicate with each other? Imagine gag order one way to stop Labor dept from releasing data on jobs, inflation, etc. Extend to the Fed? That will do wonders to financial sector. As Monty Python might quip "say no more"

 

In that scenario :

 

- Gags on freedom of speech.

- Moving away from democracy towards dictatorship.

[Trouble]

Seems to me a lot of talk about nothing.  Why wouldn't a new Administration try to put a halt to things until it has reviewed what is going on. The Obama Administration had its agenda in promoting certain things whether they were correct or not, now the Trump Administration is putting a lid on things until they can assess the new message for their agenda.  It does not stop researchers from publishing their independent work, it only stops government agencies being a propaganda organ for the previous administration until such time as they decide to agree or change things.  Badlands National Park tweeting about Climate Change sounds like someone's personal agenda to me.

[ilostmypassword]

17 minutes ago, Trouble said:

Seems to me a lot of talk about nothing.  Why wouldn't a new Administration try to put a halt to things until it has reviewed what is going on. The Obama Administration had its agenda in promoting certain things whether they were correct or not, now the Trump Administration is putting a lid on things until they can assess the new message for their agenda.  It does not stop researchers from publishing their independent work, it only stops government agencies being a propaganda organ for the previous administration until such time as they decide to agree or change things.  Badlands National Park tweeting about Climate Change sounds like someone's personal agenda to me.

He ordered the EPA to take down internet access to its data.  Sounds like suppression of facts to me.  And the Obama administration didn't order any agency to take down it's web page. So this is how Trump plans to clean the swamp. By turning out the lights so no one can see it.

[Credo]

1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said:

He ordered the EPA to take down internet access to its data.  Sounds like suppression of facts to me.  And the Obama administration didn't order any agency to take down it's web page. So this is how Trump plans to clean the swamp. By turning out the lights so no one can see it.

Trump's rights are limited.   US citizens pay for these services and they have a right to know what is happening.   

[scorecard]

8 minutes ago, Credo said:

Trump's rights are limited.   US citizens pay for these services and they have a right to know what is happening.   

 

SO I hope he gets challenged quickly anf often...

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

This is sick:

 

Sounds like the Chinese government's recent directive to stop all broadcasts of the air pollution problems.  Not good.

The fat is now out of the frying pan and into the fire. He is shutting down a lot of programs near and dear to Democratic hearts. He is tightening the noose on all press releases and  outgoing news. Social Security and Medicare are back on the table work till your 70 to collect. All savings to be rechannelled to military spending and building the wall. Crazzzzy

[Chicog]

18 hours ago, nuakmuaynina said:

How will he get away with it though? Free Speech is enshrined in the constitution. 

 

Scrutiny and our ability to criticise leaders/governments is all part of democracy... oh wait.. the snowflake probably wants to scrap that too.

 

I'm starting to think V for Vendetta and 1984 were premonitions not a work of fiction..

Funnily enough sales of 1984 have boomed since the "alternative facts" comment.

 

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, Chicog said:

Funnily enough sales of 1984 have boomed since the "alternative facts" comment.

 

I am glad I will not be around in 2084. Somebody should do a 100 year follow up book. 

[mike324]

2 hours ago, Trouble said:

Seems to me a lot of talk about nothing.  Why wouldn't a new Administration try to put a halt to things until it has reviewed what is going on. The Obama Administration had its agenda in promoting certain things whether they were correct or not, now the Trump Administration is putting a lid on things until they can assess the new message for their agenda.  It does not stop researchers from publishing their independent work, it only stops government agencies being a propaganda organ for the previous administration until such time as they decide to agree or change things.  Badlands National Park tweeting about Climate Change sounds like someone's personal agenda to me.

I would like to hear your views about whats not correct about the EPA? Don't believe in climate change?

 

Badlands National Park tweeted facts, facts that cause damage to the environment. How is that not related and not a personal agenda for a National Park? They deleted it because an employee was not authorize to use the account, period.

[Thakkar]

There are now at least 20 rogue" Twitter accounts from federal science agencies:
https://twitter.com/StollmeyerEU/lists/twistance/members

 

And growing.

 

At the above link, you'll find the list. follow them on twitter or at least visit those accounts on your browser. It will boost their morale. They are doing a public service in their own time for free to ensure the primacy of facts over propaganda.

 

give them your support any way you can.

[scorecard]

18 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

Yes the leopard is changing his spots fast. If you have been around the block for decades you must have had a clue this was coming. Keeping a tight lid on what goes in and out of the government is a top priority apparently with Trump. Just let the good news seep out and keep a lid on the bad stuff. Never changes. 

 

Just a wide open question, not aimed at any specific poster:

 

- Is this how to 'Make America Great again'?

 

 

Edited January 26, 2017 by scorecard

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, scorecard said:

 

Just a wide open question, not aimed at any specific poster:

 

- Is this how to 'Make America Great again?

Plain and simple the answer is no. To all Trump voters "as you sow so shall ye reap"

[Thakkar]

1 minute ago, scorecard said:

18 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

Yes the leopard is changing his spots fast. If you have been around the block for decades you must have had a clue this was coming. Keeping a tight lid on what goes in and out of the government is a top priority apparently with Trump. Just let the good news seep out and keep a lid on the bad stuff. Never changes. 

 

Just a wide open question, not aimed at any specific poster:

 

- Is this how to 'Make America Great again?

Edited just now by scorecard

 

"Make America blind again"

[elgordo38]

2 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

 

"Make America blind again"

Shhhsss. The Trump Raptured are listening in. 

[Thakkar]

16 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

19 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

 

"Make America blind again"

Shhhsss. The Trump Raptured are listening in. 

 

 

[KenKadz]

U.S. Federal Agencies have Public Affairs and Press Offices that are the only sources authorized to speak for the Agency.

The is taught to every U.S. Federal employee by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and/or Department of Defense (DOD) in the employee's mandatory annual Security Training.

This is part of the organization and discipline of working in a Federal Agency, and the terms of the job the person accepts. Not unlike disclosure of proprietary information in the private sector.

Telling stories out of church is subject to disciplinary actions and/or termination.

[stevenl]

9 minutes ago, KenKadz said:

U.S. Federal Agencies have Public Affairs and Press Offices that are the only sources authorized to speak for the Agency.

The is taught to every U.S. Federal employee by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and/or Department of Defense (DOD) in the employee's mandatory annual Security Training.

This is part of the organization and discipline of working in a Federal Agency, and the terms of the job the person accepts. Not unlike disclosure of proprietary information in the private sector.

Telling stories out of church is subject to disciplinary actions and/or termination.

Which is not what this is about.

[KenKadz]

21 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Which is not what this is about.

"Trump administration seeks to muzzle U.S. agency employees"

Might want to look at the again!

[mrfill]

I didn't realise that Trump had selected Mr Goebbles to look after government communications.

 

The job is right up his street though.

[Jingthing]

18 minutes ago, mrfill said:

I didn't realise that Trump had selected Mr Goebbles to look after government communications.

 

The job is right up his street though.

He's also got Bannon on the inside and then there's that Conway lady ... "holy" trinity of trumpist false reality propaganda. By the end of this, trump may even teach grand master Putin a thing or too about manipulating the minds of the masses. 

Edited January 26, 2017 by Jingthing

[Thakkar]

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

He's also got Bannon on the inside and then there's that Conway lady ... "holy" trinity of trumpist false reality propaganda. By the end of this, trump may even teach grand master Putin a thing or too about manipulating the minds of the masses. 

trum's recruited two additional propagandists from Breitbart. I forget their names, but it was on the news two days ago.

 

this is going to be a smoke and mirrors presidency.

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, Credo said:

Trump's rights are limited.  

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides the public full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the US government. It shouldn't be difficult by legal extension to use FOIA to resurrect disclosure of government information and documents withdrawn by Trump from the public under a "gag".

[Thakkar]

Tweet by Jonathan M. Katz:
"First they came for the Latinos, Muslims, women, gays, poor people, intellectuals and scientists and then it was Wednesday."

 

This is how quickly democracy is being eroded.

You do not have to be a Progressive to be alarmed.

[Thakkar]

9 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides the public full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the US government. It shouldn't be difficult by legal extension to use FOIA to resurrect disclosure of government information and documents withdrawn by Trump from the public under a "gag".

That would be under normal circumstances. And even under normal circumstances, the Bush administration was able to destroy 22 million emails that we will never see. Even a dunce like Sarah Palin in Alaska was able to resist FOIA requests for years.

 

And these aren't even normal times.

 

Scientists are even now scrambling to copy years and terabytes of Climate research data for fear that it will be scrubbed or amended. These guys are working on their own time, 20 hours a day to ensure the integrity of research data.

 

It is clear that we are looking at a post-fact administration.