Have you ever made use of the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information?

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   joanwzposted 11 years ago

   Have you ever made use of the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information?
   
   What kind of information? Did you run into any difficulties?

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   FitnezzJimposted 11 years ago

   No I have not, however, I had it suggested to me today (offline) as a means to develop solid facts supporting childhood memories.  I wouldn't know where or how to begin, and even whether things that are (or should be) a matter of public record actually would still have records existing.
   I do have a friend who occasionally tries to get FOIA information from both CIA and NSA regarding the puzzle Kryptos and its' related history.  'Going to the source' seems to have better results, but seems to become overly subject to interpretation because it is treated by those reviewing the obtained information as less reliable.  Actually, nowadays, even government sources get treated that way.

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      joanwzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think the trick to getting the information is to know exactly what you are looking for, and be specific in your requests, otherwise they parties involved are disinclined to honor your request. At any rate, thanks for the response.

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   MizBejabbersposted 11 years ago

   I don't recall ever using that option but I have had to answer FOIAs for the government agency where I work. Most information would have been freely given if the person had picked up the phone and asked, and certain information is not subject to the FOIA under any circumstance. One prisoner in the state prison actually tried to FOI our agency for a full set of law books. That one we did not have to comply with. Working papers aren't subject to the FOIA, and the finished product is under state contract to a private company and would have been a copyright violation. He was told to go use the set in the prison library.

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      joanwzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I love anecdotal stories like this. Thanks for the feedback.

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   Old Empresarioposted 11 years ago

   As a defense contractor, yes. It's sometimes necessary to know why one company won a bid over another or where future money will be allocated. The US Air Force never responds to FOIA requests. It's a corrupt agency.

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      joanwzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Does the Air Force refuse to answer? or do they give you their standard response "we don't have that information, and aliens do not exist"?

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