John Simkin Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Message from John Judge, Friends, The 15th annual regional meeting of COPA is just a few weeks away. I am still trying to add a few key speakers to what promises to be one of our best lineups ever. Come and hear the latest evidence, the best research and the most cogent analysis of political assassinations from the 60s to the present. Special events include a Moment of Silence on the Grassy Knoll on November 22 at 12:30, a visit afterwards at Baylor University's Poague Library in Waco, TX to see the Penn Jones, Jr. collection, and a public talk "There Must Be Some Way Out of Here: The Rise of the Military Industrial Complex, the Permanent War Economy and the Future of Humanity, at 6:30 pm, on the night of Monday, November 23 at the Dallas Peace Center office, (Children's Chapel, *5910 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX). Also, John Geraghty has posted a video on You Tube promoting the conference. See the link below. I hope to see you there this year, other details attached - John Judge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvWvM2MwmHE John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 copa@starpower.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 Message from John Judge: Friends, For those of you who will be in Dallas after the COPA conference ends, you are welcome to attend a public talk I have scheduled for Monday night, November 22 in Dallas. Those who live in Dallas are welcome and encouraged to let others know about this. I want to do an overview about the problem of militarization and also the solutions possible at the crossroads and crisis we face. Veteran peace activist John Judge will speak on: “There Must Be Some Way Out of Here: The Rise of the Military Industrial Complex, Permanent War and the Future of Humanity” Since 1985, John Judge has co-directed the Committee for High School Options and Information on Careers, Education and Self-Improvement (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.), a volunteer group of veterans, military family members and others who counter military recruitment with civilian options in public schools in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center and Iranians for Peace & Justice. November 23, 7:00 p.m. At Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 copa@starpower.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antti Hynonen Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Message from John Judge:Friends, For those of you who will be in Dallas after the COPA conference ends, you are welcome to attend a public talk I have scheduled for Monday night, November 22 in Dallas. Monday is Nov 23rd. 11/22/09 is a Sunday. Antti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted November 17, 2009 Author Share Posted November 17, 2009 The latest from COPA: Friends, The Dallas regional meeting of the Coalition on Political Assassinations is just around the corner, from Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22. Here is the final version of our flyer, our speaker schedule and our speaker biographies. It promises to be a great weekend of speakers and events. C-SPAN has shown some interest in covering it, so I am following up on that. We should be able to livecast some of our featured speakers at our website during the weekend, so peek in for those events at www.politicalassassinations.com if you are not going to attend. In addition to our keynote speakers, Jim Douglass and Walt Brown, we will have award-winning film documentarian Randy Benson with his latest cuts from The Searchers, a film on the JFK researchers. Our resource room will feature the latest books, including those by our speakers, and DVDs on all the assassinations, thanks to JFK Last Hurrah Books. We will be showing a series of assassination documentary films on both Friday and Saturday night after 10:00 pm. We have a lunch for the early birds on Friday at 12:00 noon at the Hotel Lawrence restaurant, and a dinner that night at the Rodeo Bar & Grill, just off the main lobby at the Adolphus at 5:30 pm, before our keynote speaker at 7:00 pm. Our location is right off Dealey Plaza, down the street from the Texas School Book Depository, now the Sixth Floor Museum. There is a Dealey Plaza webcam that runs all the time at http://www.earthcam.com/jfk/, so you should be able to see the crowd during our Moment of Silence on the Grassy Knoll at 12:30 pm CST on Sunday, November 22. Remember that all our schedule times are Central Standard as well if you are watching us livecast this weekend. DVD recordings of all the events will be available soon afterwards this year, we have a three-camera shoot going on currently, for a donation of $50 or more to COPA. After the conference, we will carpool to Baylor University's Poague Library in Waco, TX to see the Penn Jones, Jr. collection and other JFK assassination materials archived there, courtesy of Ben Rogers, the director. On Monday, November 23 at 6:30 pm CST I will be speaking at the Dallas Peace Center on the topic "There Must Be Some Way Out of Here: The Rise of the Military-Industrial Complex, the Permanent War Economy and the Future of Humanity". Those still in Dallas are welcome to attend on a donation basis. We will also be recording and perhaps livecasting that talk at www.judgeforyourself.com, my website. Next February 21st, COPA will co-sponsor a panel on the assassination of Malcolm X at the Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Memorial and Educational Center in Harlem, at the site of his murder. This will mark the 45th anniversary of his death. This will be our third year of presenting such panels and the best information on this case. We are also working hard to get the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Records Act introduced and passed this year. It is moving toward that, and once there is a bill number I will get it out to all of you to get your members to co-sponsor it, to press for hearings, along with a review of the JFK Records Act it is based on, and for passage. Thanks for all your support and interest. Hope to see you in Dallas this weekend. John Judge, for COPA -- John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 copa@starpower.net Check out our new website: www.politicalassassinations.com Annual meeting in Dallas in November Hotel Lawrence - 214-761-9090 - discount room reservations Speakers, films, books, resources, email for details National organization of medical and ballistic experts, academics and authors, researchers and interested individuals investigating major political assassinations in America and abroad. Responsible for creation and implementation of the JFK Assassination Records Act. Promoting a Martin Luther King Records Act and a grand jury process to reopen all the major assassinations. We are not allergic to donations, donations NOT tax deductible. DVD set of last year's COPA meeting in Dallas for any donation of $50 or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Friends, On Thursday, March 18, 2010, the House Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled: "Administration of the Freedom of Information Act: Current Trends." The hearing will take place at 2:00 p.m. in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The Rayburn Building is south of the Capitol on Independence and 2nd Street, SW in Washington, DC. This event falls within Sunshine Week activities in Washington, DC, held from March 14-20 in DC this year. For more on their plans nationwide see: http://www.sunshineweek.org/About.aspx#howcan. A group of researchers including Bill Kelly, Bill Simpich, Adele Edisen and others will be visiting the members of this subcommittee to lobby for both oversight hearings on the implementation of the JFK Assassination Records Act as required by legislation, and for hearings on and passage of a Martin Luther King. Jr. Records Act, as proposed but not yet introduced by Senator John Kerry and Rep. John Lewis. The members of the subcommittee are listed at http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?optio...cle&id=2229 %3Amembership&catid=37&Itemid=20 Please check to see if your representative is listed here and contact them asking them to support these efforts by calling for hearings and voting for the new bill when it comes to the floor. Rep. Lucien Clay, Chairman of the subcommittee was a co-sponsor of the MLK Records Act when it was introduced by Rep. Cynthia McKinney in 2005 and is sympathetic. If your representative is not listed, ask them to contact Rep. Clay to urge him to move forward on hearings and to push for introduction of the MLK bill. Once the bill has a number in the Senate and House, we will be in touch for ask for further support. This is an early lobbying effort. The hearings for the MLK Records Act may combine with the oversight hearings on the JFK Act because they are closely related. Thanks for your support, and hope to see you in Dallas this year November 19-22! John Judge John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 copa@starpower.net Check out our new website: www.politicalassassinations.com Annual meeting in Dallas in November Hotel Lawrence - 214-761-9090 - discount room reservations Speakers, films, books, resources, email for details National organization of medical and ballistic experts, academics and authors, researchers and interested individuals investigating major political assassinations in America and abroad. Responsible for creation and implementation of the JFK Assassination Records Act. Promoting a Martin Luther King Records Act and a grand jury process to reopen all the major assassinations. We are not allergic to donations, donations NOT tax deductible. DVD set of last year's COPA meeting in Dallas for any donation of $50 or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Parker Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Friends,On Thursday, March 18, 2010, the House Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled: "Administration of the Freedom of Information Act: Current Trends." The hearing will take place at 2:00 p.m. in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The Rayburn Building is south of the Capitol on Independence and 2nd Street, SW in Washington, DC. This event falls within Sunshine Week activities in Washington, DC, held from March 14-20 in DC this year. For more on their plans nationwide see: http://www.sunshineweek.org/About.aspx#howcan. A group of researchers including Bill Kelly, Bill Simpich, Adele Edisen and others will be visiting the members of this subcommittee to lobby for both oversight hearings on the implementation of the JFK Assassination Records Act as required by legislation, and for hearings on and passage of a Martin Luther King. Jr. Records Act, as proposed but not yet introduced by Senator John Kerry and Rep. John Lewis. The members of the subcommittee are listed at http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?optio...cle&id=2229 %3Amembership&catid=37&Itemid=20 Please check to see if your representative is listed here and contact them asking them to support these efforts by calling for hearings and voting for the new bill when it comes to the floor. Rep. Lucien Clay, Chairman of the subcommittee was a co-sponsor of the MLK Records Act when it was introduced by Rep. Cynthia McKinney in 2005 and is sympathetic. If your representative is not listed, ask them to contact Rep. Clay to urge him to move forward on hearings and to push for introduction of the MLK bill. Once the bill has a number in the Senate and House, we will be in touch for ask for further support. This is an early lobbying effort. The hearings for the MLK Records Act may combine with the oversight hearings on the JFK Act because they are closely related. Thanks for your support, and hope to see you in Dallas this year November 19-22! John Judge John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 copa@starpower.net Check out our new website: www.politicalassassinations.com Annual meeting in Dallas in November Hotel Lawrence - 214-761-9090 - discount room reservations Speakers, films, books, resources, email for details National organization of medical and ballistic experts, academics and authors, researchers and interested individuals investigating major political assassinations in America and abroad. Responsible for creation and implementation of the JFK Assassination Records Act. Promoting a Martin Luther King Records Act and a grand jury process to reopen all the major assassinations. We are not allergic to donations, donations NOT tax deductible. DVD set of last year's COPA meeting in Dallas for any donation of $50 or more. la bumpa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Geraghty Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Good stuff Bill. I know you've wanted to do this for a while. I think John Judge said that the relevant committee was having hearings in October at some point too. I'd like to try to make that if my travel schedule suits. What do you think are the chances of full or at least part implementation of the JFK act and what form do you see the process taking? Anything further on the grand jury? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 (edited) Good stuff Bill. I know you've wanted to do this for a while.I think John Judge said that the relevant committee was having hearings in October at some point too. I'd like to try to make that if my travel schedule suits. What do you think are the chances of full or at least part implementation of the JFK act and what form do you see the process taking? Anything further on the grand jury? Hi John, Good to see you back in action. The House Oversight Committee Sub-Committee on Information Policy, NARA and Census hearing this week is on the Freedom of Information Act, and I don't yet have a list of those who will be testifying. We hope that our issues will be incuded and will be meeting with each of the sub-committee members individually to brief them on the need to have a similar open public hearing on the oversight of the JFK Act, which we hope they will schedule soon. Hopefully they will not only have a hearing but open an investigation into the destroyed and missing records under their open government task force - and require the testimony of witnesses and supboena records that have been wrongfully withheld. Once there is testimony before the sub-committee of destroyed and missing records, that will be established on the official record - I will take the petitions for a federal grand jury investigation to the federal attorney and ask him to open an investigaton into these crimes and convine a special grand jury. Hell John, by October we should have the case wrapped up. You should try to get an internship with the NARA subcommittee, where all the action will be, unless they elect to do nothing. BK Edited March 13, 2010 by William Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) COPA SPRING OFFENSIVE – Pro-active Strategies and Tactics Employed in a Campaign for Congressional oversight of the JFK Act and enactment of the MLK Act. When the Assassinations Records Review Board (ARRB) closed up shop nearly ten years ago, we thought that oversight hearings of the JFK Act would be forthcoming, a sort of After Action Report, as required by law, but it never happened and won't happen unless a concerted effort is made to make it happen. Once JFK Act oversight hearings are held, and new sworn testimony is taken, then the dominos will begin to fall, and it will become easier to accomplish other goals, such as the convening of a Special Federal Grand Jury to determine if anyone can be indicted for crimes related to the assassination, and order a proper forensic autopsy of the victims. The Congressional Oversight Hearings appear to be the easiest of things desired, but it has proved elusive. After years with no interest by the Republicans, who decided not to exercise their oversight responsibilities at all when they controlled the leadership, the Democrats are now equally busy with their own agendas on what issues they intend to hold public hearings on. There are others who are quietly trying to persuade Congress to hold JFK Act oversight hearings, and acting privately through correspondence and behind closed doors, but we are the most outspoken and broadest coalition of people interested in and intent on getting Congressional oversight of the JFK Act. So far, we have agreed, per Bill Simpich's suggestion, that we do something different every month – and build up some momentum and pubic support for Congressional hearings and oversight of the JFK Act. Towards this end we have laid out the following: January – 18 Monday, Martin Luther King Birthday – and national "day of service," in which we will ask everybody to lobby their representatives and the Congressmen on the House Oversight Committee to hold the JFK Oversight Hearings. Surprisingly, Senator John Kerry (D. Mass.), in a story out of Boston, endorsed the MLK Act and the release of the MLK assassination records (See: Story link). Feburary – There's a COPA event in New York City to commemorate the assassination of Malcolm X, which was addressed by COPA director John Judge and others. This week – March – 14 – 20 – is Sunshine Week - not only in Washington DC – but everywhere – when Open and Transparent Government issues are discussed and the media pays attention, sometimes. COPA meeting Wednesday 9 am - 12 noon - Stewart Mott House Conference Room, 122 Maryland Ave. (Join Us) Thursday - 2 p.m. House Oversight and Government Reform Sub-Committee on Information Policy, NARA and Census Meeing on Freedom of Information Act Issues - Room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. (Attend this meeting if you can, or watch in steamed on the Sub-committee's web site). April – MLK assassination remembered with a focus on the release of the MLK records of the HSCA and other government agencies, and the passage of the MLK Act. May – 7 Days in LeMay – Scheduled whenever the House Oversight Committee holds JFK Act Hearings, and if they are not scheduled, we take out ads calling for them and hold our own Mock Hearings. May 15 – JFK's Birthday. He would be 93 years old. June – 4 RFK's assassination remembered. June 10Annual COPA memorial at JFK monument at American University, when we honor JFK's life, his peaceful policies and why he was killed. We will ask Jim Douglas, author of "JFK & the Unspeakable" to be guest speaker, since his Dallas COPA speech in November was so inspiring. The American University history professor who is co-authoring Oliver Stone's TV series on Hidden History will also be invited. We hope it inspires you to help us achieve are very achievable goals. If we don't have JFK Act Oversight Hearings in this Congress (before January) we will never get them, or they will be too late. Congress goes into summer recess in July and August and return in September-December. It can be done, but the battle plan must be laid out firmly and followed, and we need a regiment – not an army – a regiment will do, to follow through, foot soldiers on the ground in Washington, especially Capitol Hill, hitting up every Congressman on the Committee and Subcommittee personally. List Congressmen targeted to be contacted and invited to meeting and given briefing. 1) Rep. Ed Towns (D. New York) Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee 2) Rep. William Lacy Clay (D. St. Louis, Missoui), Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Information Policy, NARA and Census. 3) Rep. D. Kucinich (D. Ohio) Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Justice, and member of the Committee, who does TV show with Towns on oversight issues. 4) Senator John Kerry (D. Mass.), has endorsed the MLK Act and needs to be briefed on necessary preliminary hearings on MLK Act and oversight hearings of JFK Act. 5) Your Representative will listen to you and reflect the need for JFK Act oversight hearings to these committee and subcommittee chairman or other members of the committee (See: List of House Oversight Committee ) who they work with on other issues. If any of these Congressmen represent you, please contact them and ask them to support oversight of the JFK Act. Subcommittee: Jurisdiction includes public information and records laws such as the Freedom of Information Act, the Presidential Records Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Census Bureau, and the National Archives and Records Administration. Majority William Lacy Clay, Chairman Paul Kanjorski Carolyn Maloney Eleanor Holmes Norton Danny Davis Steve Driehaus Diane Watson Minority Patrick McHenry, Ranking Member Lynn Westmoreland, Vice Ranking Member John Mica Jason Chaffetz THE FULL COMMITTEE Democrats Chairman, Edolphus Towns, New York Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, Pennsylvania Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, New York Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Rep. John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, Missouri Rep. Diane E. Watson, California Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts Rep. Jim Cooper, Tennessee Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Rep. Mike Quigley, Illinois Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Ohio Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island Rep. Danny Davis, Illinois Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas Rep. Paul W. Hodes, New Hampshire Rep. Christopher S. Murphy, Connecticut Rep. Peter Welch, Vermont Rep. Bill Foster, Illinois Rep. Jackie Speier, California Rep. Steve Driehaus, Ohio Rep. Judy Chu, California Republicans Rep. Darrell Issa, California, Ranking Minority Member Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana Rep. John L. Mica, Florida Rep. Mark E. Souder, Indiana Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee Rep. Michael Turner, Ohio Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, Georgia Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Rep. Brian Bilbray, California Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah Rep. Aaron Schock, Illinois Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri Edited March 16, 2010 by William Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 (edited) Live Webcast of House Oversight Committee on FOIA http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&view=calendar&Itemid=2 "Administration Of The Freedom Of Information Act: Current Trends." (2:00 PM) On Thursday, March 18, 2010, the Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled: Administration of the Freedom of Information Act: Current Trends." The hearing will take place at 2:00 p.m. in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. Connect to the Live Webcast Can somebody record this so we can play it back later? http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 Edited March 18, 2010 by William Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 A Note From COPA Director John Judge Friends, Here is a set of talking points (attached and below) regarding the need for oversight hearings on the JFK Assassination Records Act as well as the need to pass the Martin Luther King, Jr. Records Act and implement recent open government directives and executive orders from the Obama administration that cover related records. Upcoming meetings this week include: Lunch for lobbying group, March 18 1:00 pm Rayburn Building, Cafeteria, Basement level Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and NARA hearing on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act Thursday, March 19, 2:00 pm Rayburn Building, Room 2154 Meeting with staff of Subcommittee Friday, March 19, 10:00 am Rayburn Building, Room 2157 Hope you can be there with us. OVERSIGHT HEARINGS ON JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT FUTURE LEGISLATION FOR RELEASE OF HISTORIC RECORDS Why we need oversight hearings: * The JFK Records Collection Act (Public Law No. 102-526) mandated oversight hearings following termination of the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) to implement ongoing release of records by all agencies and to review the effectiveness of the Review Board process. Section 5, (g) PERIODIC REVIEW OF POSTPONED ASSASSINATION RECORDS -- (1) All postponed or redacted records shall be reviewed periodically by the originating agency and the Archivist consistent with the recommendations of the Review Board under section 9©(3)(. Section 7 (l) OVERSIGHT -- (1) The Committee on Government Operations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate shall have continuing oversight jurisdiction with respect to the official conduct of the Review Board and the disposition of postponed records after termination of the Review Board; and shall have access to any records held or created by the Review Board. * The stated purpose of the JFK Records Act is as follows: Section 2, (a) FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS -- The Congress finds and declares that -- (1) All government records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy should be preserved for historical and governmental purposes; (2) all government records concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy should carry a presumption of immediate disclosure, and all records should be eventually disclosed to enable the public to become fully informed about the history surrounding the assassination; * A range of executive agencies have not yet complied or have failed to fully implement the provisions of the JFK Records Act in the following ways: The Assassination Records Review Board, prior to its termination in 1998, released a Final Report which names the specific agencies that failed to comply in any substantial way with transfer of JFK assassination related files before the Review Board’s termination. These agencies have not subsequently complied with additional releases. Other agencies failed to carry out their responsibilities in effecting and securing release of records of foreign governments, preventing their release. Certain records and categories of files were never initially transferred to the ARRB for review because they were not recognized as meeting the definition of “related records”, they were missing from record files, or they had been destroyed both in the past and illegally after passage of the Act. Attempts to garner more information or release of such files has been obstructed in large part by the originating agencies following the termination of the ARRB. In cases where newly discovered related records have been found or acknowledged to exist their requested release has been evaluated by the standards of the Freedom of Information Act rather than the presumption of release and limited options for postponement under the guiding legislation of the JFK Records Act, usually resulting in denial of access. While mandated annual reviews of records for release by various agencies has continued to result in additional disclosures over time, it is also the case that many postponed records, some never reviewed, have not been released by dates certain specified by the JFK Records Act. All related records are to be released in 2017. Additional issues include digitization of the collection, ease of public access in its current location, provision for copies of the record in NARA regional offices, incomplete releases of records or empty file folders without postponement slips and appeal procedures for additional review by the Archivist when new records or categories are discovered. Recently, Senator John Kerry and Rep. John Lewis announced their intention to introduce legislation originally drafted in 2005 to release files on the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This Records Act is modeled after and hopes to improve upon the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, and to broaden the scope of the related records to include both the life and the murder of Dr. King. Since the two pieces of legislation are closely related, it might make sense to combine an oversight hearing when the King Records Act is introduced to consider both. In addition, President Obama initiated an Open Government Directive in January (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memor...2010/m10-06.pdf) through the Office of Management and Budget that requires all government agencies to identify at least one “high value data set” of records for release to the public. These are being stored at www.data.gov <http://www.data.gov/> and hundreds of thousands of sets are already online. In our view, records that qualify as related records in the JFK assassination history qualify as a high value data set both historically and because the JFK Assassination Collection at the National Archives is still the most requested record set since it’s early releases. President Obama also issued an Executive Order on Classified National Security Information on December 29, 2009 (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office...ity-information.) The following section appears to apply directly to both JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. records still held by federal agencies, as well as those segregated for the House Select Committee on Assassinations: Sec. 3.3. Automatic Declassification. (a) Subject to paragraphs (–(d) and (g)–(j) of this section, all classified records that (1) are more than 25 years old and (2) have been determined to have permanent historical value under title 44, United States Code, shall be automatically declassified whether or not the records have been reviewed. All classified records shall be automatically declassified on December 31 of the year that is 25 years from the date of origin, except as provided in paragraphs (–(d) and (g)–(i) of this section. If the date of origin of an individual record cannot be readily determined, the date of original classification shall be used instead. In our view and in practice the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act and a similar Nazi War Crimes Record Release Act, using independent review boards and a presumption of release standard have worked far better than the Freedom of Information Act regarding historical records of extensive public interest and should be replicated and form a new method for encouraging government transparency and declassification. Introduction and passage of the proposed Martin Luther King. Jr. Records Act will be an important step in that direction. Finally, the JFK Assassination Records Review Board in its Final Report laid out a set of recommendations for the future: 1. The Review Board recommends that future declassification boards be genuinely independent, both in the structure of the organization and in the qualifications of the appointments. 2. The Review Board recommends that any serious, sustained effort to declassify records requires congressional legislation with (a) a presumption of openness, (2) clear standards of access, (3) an enforceable review and appeals process, and (4) a budget appropriate to the scope of the task. 3. The Review Board recommends that its "common law" of decision, formed in the context of a "presumption of disclosure" and the "clear and convincing evidence of harm" criteria, be utilized for similar information in future declassification efforts as a way to simplify and speed up releases. 4. The Review Board recommends that future declassification efforts avoid the major shortcomings of the JFK Act: (a) unreasonable time limits, ( employee restrictions, © application of the law after the Board terminates, and (d) problems inherent with rapid sunset provisions. 5. The Review Board recommends that the cumbersome, time-consuming, and expensive problem of referrals for "third party equities" (classified information of one agency appearing in a document of another) be streamlined by (A) requiring representatives of all agencies with interests in selected groups of records to meet for joint declassification sessions, or ( devising uniform substitute language to deal with certain categories of recurring sensitive equities.** 6. The Review Board recommends that a compliance program be used in future declassification efforts as an effective means of eliciting full cooperation in the search for records. 7. The Review Board recommends the following to ensure that NARA can exercise the provisions of the JFK Act after the Review Board terminates: a. that NARA has the authority and means to continue to implement Board decisions, b. that an appeals procedure be developed that places the burden for preventing access on the agencies, and c. that a joint oversight group composed of representatives of the four organizations that originally nominated individuals to serve on the Review Board be created to facilitate the continuing execution of the access provisions of the JFK Act. 8. The Review Board recommends that the Review Board model be adopted and applied whenever there are extraordinary circumstances in which continuing controversy concerning government actions has been most acute and where an aggressive effort to release all "reasonably related" federal records would serve usefully to enhance historical understanding of the event. 9. The Review Board recommends that both the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Executive Order 12958 be strengthened, the former to narrow the categories of information automatically excluded from disclosure, the latter to add "independent oversight" to the process of "review" when agency heads decide that records in their units should be excluded from release. 10. The Review Board recommends the adoption of a federal classification policy that substantially: a. _limits_ the number of those in government who can actually classify federal documents, b. _restricts_ the number of categories by which documents might be classified, c. _reduces_ the time period for which the document(s) might be classified, d. _encourages_ the use of substitute language to immediately open material which might otherwise be classified, and e. _increases_ the resources available to the agencies and NARA for declassifying federal records. (for full text see: http://www.fas.org/sgp/advisory/arrb98/part12.htm). These recommendations should be considered and guide any oversight hearings and should lead to implementation of some if not all recommendations. There is also public support for this effort reflected in over 275 signatures on an online petition for oversight hearings at http://www.petitiononline.com/JFKACT/petition.html Contacts: John Judge, Coalition on Political Assassinations 202-583-5347 or copa@starpower.net <mailto:copa@starpower.net> William Kelly, 609-893-7014 or billykelly3@yahoo.com <mailto:billykelly3@yahoo.com> -- John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 202-277-1992 cell copa@starpower.net Check out our new website: www.politicalassassinations.com Annual meeting in Dallas in November Hotel Lawrence - 214-761-9090 - discount room reservations Speakers, films, books, resources, email for details National organization of medical and ballistic experts, academics and authors, researchers and interested individuals investigating major political assassinations in America and abroad. Responsible for creation and implementation of the JFK Assassination Records Act. Promoting a Martin Luther King Records Act and a grand jury process to reopen all the major assassinations. We are not allergic to donations, donations NOT tax deductible. DVD set of last year's COPA meeting in Dallas for any donation of $50 or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Friends, Just a note to say thanks for your efforts, travel and participation in the events of Sunshine Week and your lobbying work on the JFK Assassination Records Act oversight hearings and the proposed Martin Luther King, Jr. Records Act. Our presentations were heard and well received on these topics by committee staffers and House Members. I will follow through on the Senate side and with additional House contacts. I will also be sending the attached talking points and a contact list of Subcommittee on Information Policy Members to all the COPA contacts to encourage local representative lobbying and meetings in support of hearings. Once the MLK Records Act is dropped I will get the House and Senate numbers so we can lobby for hearings and passage nationwide. I am glad I was able to assist and facilitate some productive Congressional meetings. Bill Kelly made the room available at the Mott House and will stay in touch with you as well I am sure. John Judge for COPA -- John Judge Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) PO Box 772 Washington, DC 20044 copa@starpower.net Check out our new website: www.politicalassassinations.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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