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p.s. The Mercury (paper edition) reported that all the Senators and
most of the representatives in the Assembly from the Bay Area voted
for the budget, gutting the Public Records Act. I just found my
representatives in the California Assembly and Senate via "<a
href="http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/">http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov</a>"
and wrote them as follows: <br>
<br>
<br>
What are your thoughts on the provision of the current budget that
would apparently nullify the California Public Records Act? The
Mercury editorial on this yesterday gave several examples of
problems that likely would have gotten worse without the present
transparency. The public has a need to know, and we need to
encourage rather than discourage citizen involvement in politics.
Gutting the Public Records Act is a step in the wrong direction, I
believe. <br>
<br>
<br>
I agree with the Mercury -- and Assange, Manning, Snowden and
Obama's hosts in Germany who compared the US national security
apparatus to the East German Stasi, who recruited 15% of the
population to spy on their fellow citizens, school children turning
in their parents, etc. I encourage you to write you representatives
on this -- and the Mercury. <br>
<br>
<br>
Best Wishes, <br>
Spencer <br>
<br>
<br>
################<br>
<br>
<br>
Below please find a letter I sent to the Mercury responding to their
editorial yesterday, "Public Records Act must be restored" (<a
href="http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_23485981/mercury-news-editorial-public-records-act-must-be">http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_23485981/mercury-news-editorial-public-records-act-must-be</a>).
Comments? Best Wishes, Spencer <br>
<div class="moz-forward-container"><br>
<br>
-------- Original Message --------
<table class="moz-email-headers-table" border="0" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap">Subject:
</th>
<td>Public Records</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap">Date: </th>
<td>Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:01:58 -0700</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap">From: </th>
<td>Spencer Graves <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
href="mailto:spencer.graves@effectivedefense.org"><spencer.graves@effectivedefense.org></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap">To: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:letters@mercurynews.com">letters@mercurynews.com</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<pre>The Mercury News editorial on the Public Records Act provides good
examples of problems that would have gotten worse without transparency.
Current international news includes other examples such as Iran's
nuclear program. Fifty years ago, the US Central Intelligence Agency
organized a coup that destroyed democracy there, replacing it with state
terror under the Shah. In 1980 as the Iranian public stood in the
streets until the Shah fled, the US pushed Saddam Hussein to attack
Iran. A few years later, the US provided chemical and biological
warfare technology to Saddam Hussein, which he used during that period.
Are we better off today because of these and many other acts of war
taken by the US government without the knowledge of the electorate?
--
Spencer Graves, PhD
Executive Director
effectivedefense.org
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph: 408-655-4567
web: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.effectivedefense.org">www.effectivedefense.org</a>
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<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph: 408-655-4567
web: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.structuremonitoring.com">www.structuremonitoring.com</a>
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