I think that it was Thomas Jefferson that stated "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent" and there is another side to that equation, that all tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience on the outside to not have the right information from the inside so they can speak up. In essence I believe that all aspects of government should be an open process, to the point that I have even taken to teaching others about the various formalities of records requests, sharing websites that open the doors of legislatures, and more. Myself and a few others have even joked about not acknowledging that we are citizens until we have had our first open records request granted, no matter how small it is. Why? Because an open records request is a chance to MAKE YOUR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES do something directly for you. In a time when government is all about telling you what to do and when, so you remain to busy to see what is really going on... it is nice to know that we still have the power to require them to do something for us out of their day for the very pay that your local, state, federal, and property taxes contribute.
Here are some references that you should share with others:
Freedom of Information Help, includes open meetings, open records, and government transparency references: http://foiahelp.blogspot.com
State Surge, state by state legislation tracking. Monitor bills that are moving through your state legislative bodies. http://www.statesurge.com/legislation
State Surge, state by state legislator tracking. Monitor what each legislator is doing across the nation. http://www.statesurge.com/legislators
Halt.Org, Judicial Accountability group that monitors, reports, and discloses various issues to the public. http://www.halt.org
Follow the Money, group that is tracking the flow of money on various bills, initiatives, and government acts. http://www.followthemoney.org/
Government shouldn't run on autopilot.
When government thinks nobody is looking, that is when they move to restrict, encumber, and otherwise change the various rights and liberties that we are guaranteed. So be sure that you take some time out of your busy weeks to check in on your officials. Make a telephone call to your local representatives, your federal legislators, your governors, and your other "decision-makers." My getting in the loop you can help micromanage them, rather than waiting for them to micromanage YOU.
