St. Mary's gets $1 million DoD grant to study how to limit FOIA

[theredstate]

Hey everyone,

I am writing to you to inform of an unfortunate event happening at St. Mary's University and to ask for your help.

On July 7, 2006, the San Antonio Express News article "St. Mary's to study limits on info law" told us that the university would be receiving a $1 million dollar grant from the Dept. of Defense to study "ways to limit the scope of the Freedom of Information Act, a landmark open government law that celebrated its 40th anniversary ."

The Freedom of Information Act is the world model for an open and transparent government. The law has been invaluable to holding our government accountable to the people. In 1993, President Clinton said that FOIA was "enacted based upon the fundamental principle that an informed citizenry is essential to the democratic process and that the more the American people know about their government the better they will be governed. Openness in government is essential to accountability and the Act has become an integral part of that process."

The professor in charge of the $1 million is Jeffery Addicott, former member of the secret Green Berets. He was my professor while I was a law student at St. Mary's and I remember him being openly hostile towards FOIA.

So why would this grant be given to the university? The grant seeks to create model legislation to given to the federal and state government so they can limit our freedoms.
I find this approach contrary to St. Mary's mission of social justice and civic engagement.

In addition, a newspaper columnist recently asked "here are the Defense Department's priorities when they cut a million-dollar check to find ways to limit transparency in government when they can't adequately equip soldiers in the battlefields, care for injured and sick veterans, or find the money to pay Fort Sam Houston's utility bills?"

Therefore, I am asking alumni, faculty and concerned citizens to join us in asking St. Mary's University to return the money. Here is the open letter to the university in .pdf format.

Please sign on by sending me your name and year of graduation if an alumn to [e-mail].

Help protect the Freedom of Information Act and the reputation of St. Mary's University.

Thanks,

Mynor "Eddie" Rodriguez
St. Mary's Class of '97 (BA) '02 (MA & JD)
www.GiveItBackStMarys.com
[e-mail]

P.S. Check out the Give It Back St. Mary's in Sunday's San Antonio Express News .

[sonias]

1. What a horrible waste of money

Why the hell is DoD involved in FOIA? Why is this grant being funded by DoD at all. This has nothing to do with defense and that money should be going to other needs within DoD, like for example paying their utility bills. Remember how long republicans screamed about the government wasting money and cutting expenses to the bone? What the hell is this but a big taxpayer waste of $1 million dollars. I'm not an alumni of St. Mary's but can you tell us, Eddie what CD this is in? Don't you think we could be writing our Congressman to tell them about this waste.

Sonia

[WolverineDG]

2. Additcott is an asshat

He continues to claim that Iraq has WMDs, despite evidence to the contrary. He'll also get up & lie to people, telling them he's a Democrat when in fact, he's a neocon of the worst order.

dg

[sonias]

3. All the more reason this is a waste of money

Should this neocon warmonger be given a $1 million dollar grant to waste? This sounds like someone who's going to "fix the facts to fit the predetermined policy". I think some outrage shown to the Congressman in charge of this district could help stop it too.

:hi: dg!

Sonia

[Gingergal]

4. Not sure, but was St. Mary's the same school

where the administration cancelled the New York Times subscription because of the claim that it leaked national security but of course did not cancel the Wall Street Journal which also published it? Does anyone know?

[WolverineDG]

5. No, that was OLLU

same city, different university.

dg

[theredstate]

6. Correction - It was Incarnate Word however

they recinded the cancelation after people protested. Speaking of which, if you want be on the petition list asking St. Mary's to give the money back, shoot your name and year of graduation (if an alumn) to [e-mail]. You don't have to be an alumn to be on the list. Help me spread the word!

[WolverineDG]

7. I've already done that

& spread the word to other StMU grads in my area as well.

dg

[theredstate]

8. Thanks.

I have been getting tons of email on this issue. St. Mary's has already started to backpedal. They now say don't have the money yet. There are lots of inconsistent statements. Maybe they will do a 180 on this like Incarnate Word did on the NY Times.... All we can do is to keep pushing.

[WolverineDG]

9. Yeah, I saw that

"oh, we don't have the money YET." blah blah have to fill out forms & junk, but anyway, we're going to use the money to take your freedoms away so screw you. :eyes:

Well, hope that $1mil lasts you a looooooong time, StMU, because I'll be damned if I'm giving any program at the school another DIME.

dg