Obama signs an executive order to reverse the past eight years of paranoia.

[elfs]

Yesterday morning, President Obama made a statement to the press and issued a memorandum and an executive order to his staff directing them to err on the side of openness when considering Freedom of Information acts. Openness and transparency are foundational principles of good government, and Obama has put the pressure onto the executive offices, demanding that they use all techonologies available to make apparent what they do to the American people. Obama wrote:

Agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government. Disclosure should be timely.

That's so refreshingly, wonderfully different from the past eight years. Once again, the grown-ups are in charge once more.