Posted by John Crewdson at 2:49 pm CDT
Anybody remember April 1, 1997? The top-rated TV shows were ER and Seinfeld. Angela's Ashes headed the best-seller list. People were just starting to worry about Y2K. Movie-goers were anticipating the opening of "Titanic." Ellen DeGeneres was about to tell the world that she was gay. The Dow closed at 6,583 (really). And I wrote a letter to the Central Intelligence Agency.
"This is a request, under the Freedom of Information Act...", it began, and went on to ask for "copies of any and all records maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency" which contain information about eight non-profit charities. The letter closed with the standard boilerplate:
"As provided for under the statute, I expect to hear from you within 10 working days, whether or not the requested records exist and whether you intend to release them pursuant to my request. We will consider failure to receive such notification within the prescribed period as a defacto denial of this request and will pursue appropriate appeals."
I didn't receive a response within 10 days--no surprise there, since the CIA is notorious for not complying with the FOIA laws--and in truth I eventually forgot about it. The world continued to turn. Bill Clinton weathered the Monica Lewinsky scandal, barely. Kosovo survived "ethnic cleansing," barely. George Bush was elected president, barely. Then came Sept. 11, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq.
All that time my letter continued to fight its way through the federal government's labyrinthine bureaucracy. A couple of weeks ago another letter arrived in the mail, not from the CIA but from USAID--the United States Agency for International Development. You know, the foreign aid people. The date on the letter was July 18, 2006. (Download PDF of USAID letter)
My FOIA request, it said, had been "transferred" to the Department of State by the CIA. State had "referred" it to USAID for a response. The distance from CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, to State Department headquarters in downtown Washington is 9.05 miles. According to Mapquest, the drive should take about 17 minutes. The drive from State to USAID's headquarters is 1.37 miles and takes four minutes.
For reasons not explained, a journey of 10.42 miles that should have lasted about 21 minutes had taken my letter more than nine years--3,394 days, to be exact. To its credit, my letter hadn't given up. Now it had come up for air, as if to say "Here I am. Anybody been looking for me?"
The USAID was writing, it said, because "we are seeking notification of your continued interest in these documents." At the bottom of the letter was the line "I would still like to receive the documents requested if possible," and a place to put a check mark. All of this, mind you, with a straight face.
The articles in which I had hoped to use the information were published by the Tribune in March of 1998, and I have no plans to write about that topic again. But I felt I owed my letter something, some commemoration of its struggle for survival.
I checked the box. But I'd like the CIA, State Department, USAID, and whoever else might become involved down the road to know that I plan to retire in 2016.
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Comments
The above story is exactly why I voted for the republican party.Reducing the size of govt.is always on their agenda.Now that President George W.Bush has been in charge the last 5+ years,has the full control of congress,and the supreme court,there is no way those liberals can stop us.
After 12 years,the reagan and bush # 1 administrations had the govt.slimmed down like Star Jones.Then that clinton/gore team took over and the size of govt.went to the moon!
I'll bet that my great party has the size of govt.down what 20-30%.
Can my boys,Billy boy or RRD(me and jr.call him the great wizard)verify this for me.These two guys know everything good about my beloved gop.
Posted by: john scanlon | August 2, 2006 3:34 PM
Excuse me Mr. Scanlon, but the President does not control Congress or the Supreme Court. They are separate from the Executive branch.
Posted by: C. Andersen | August 2, 2006 5:44 PM
We are done with Bush. Broke every promise to Veterans now cut benefits. Oh ya down sized the VA by cutting 3500 nurses,closing VA Hospitals and not taken care of the returning troops . 600,000 VETERANS DENIED HEALTH CARE last year . We voted them in we will take them out. A storm is coming its called 38 million combat vets
Posted by: Dale Peters | August 2, 2006 6:12 PM
Mr.Andersen,I know that and thanks for pointing that out.I may have mis-stated that,but I think we know who controls congress.Darth Cheney!!!!
Dale,Amen brother,you and all the other vets are going to have your day of reckoning!!!!
I'll be the first to go on record,take my tax cut back abd re-store the health care benefits for brother Dale.
Posted by: john scanlon | August 2, 2006 6:30 PM
Dale, your service to this country as a veteran is most commendable. I do have one question though. I personally know of at least eight vets, including my dad, brother, uncle and neighbor, why oh why do NONE of them have any of the anger and hatred you have? Why does every single one of them hold Bush and this administration in high honor? Why do NONE of them seem to have the problem you have with this administration's treatment of veterans?
Posted by: John D | August 2, 2006 9:01 PM
Aside from being a stark raving loon, Scanlon's right, Bush controls Congress and the supreme Court and it's exactly why we need to take our country back. That letter traveled about as fast as help did to Katrina victims and almost at the same speed it has taken to raise the minimum wage.
But Bush acts with lightening speed to expedite weapons sales to drop more bombs on the middle-east. Our nutball president is responsible for nearly everything that is wrong with America. If you like more of the same, vote Republican.
Posted by: lou kaye | August 2, 2006 9:53 PM
Is government bureaucracy really something that can be changed in any meaningful way in even 6 years? I'll be the first to criticize Bush for making the government bigger in the last six years (he has) but knowing what he does about his letter I'd expect Mr. Crewsdon understands that the mid-level bureaucrat, the most safe seat in Washington, is responsible for the delay in his letter. And the bureaucracy that he represents has been grandfathered into our government since at least the early 1900s.
Posted by: Bill | August 3, 2006 12:32 AM
I hear ya, John D. I applaud Dale for his service, but even he has to realize that he's in the minority amongst veterans. The slim minority. Military families voted 8-1 for Bush in the last election. And like John all my relatives in the military have nothing but good things to say about Bush's policies.
Posted by: Bill | August 3, 2006 12:34 AM
Lou Kaye,Thank you for those kind words.
Billy boy,I accept your apology.I know that deep down in that conservative brain,there's a kind Democrat waiting to emerge.
Bill,now that you have admitted that your party has a tinge of racisim going,and your not the party of small govt.,let's work on the next issue.
How can your party be so dis-respectfull to working class people.The very people that put them in power.To tie a tax cut, for the wealthiest americans, to the minimum wage bill,is bordering on criminal.
Your party let's the oil co's,the insurance co's,and so on beat the living hell out of these people,and you can't even give them a pittance of an increase.
Your party sends their jobs to Communist China all in the name of pandering to big business(Walton family).
And then,these are the people you want to fight the PNAC war.
Bill,tell me this not youw view.
PS,if Daley gets indicted and goes to prison,he'll have plenty of Republican company.I would give you the names,but i've never written a book before.
Posted by: john scanlon | August 3, 2006 8:55 AM
Scanlon, my mistake and I apologize. I didn't pick up on your reverse sarcasm. Sorry
Posted by: lou kaye | August 3, 2006 9:29 AM
Yes, reducing the size of government has always been one of the goals of the Republican party so that only a few of the elite have all the power.
Posted by: Janstress | August 3, 2006 11:40 AM
I love these comments from republicans,who didn't serve,yet they have a friend,brother,or sister etc.who did.These people you speak of all have a blind faith in Dubya?Please...and I know I will get swiftboated.As a vet,and the father of a marine in Iraq,I can tell you that they can't speak their mind to the press.They are being told everyday that their work is for a just cause,they have to be told that or morale would suck.Republicans, not all vets blindly follow your idiot leader,when are you going to figure this out?
Posted by: John E. | August 3, 2006 1:27 PM