@markstoneman It's very disturbing. I suspect the restriction is deliberately worded in such a way that authorities can define "legitimate business need" on the fly.

It's whatever they claim is legitimate at the moment. If you're research is a problem to them, it's not legitimate.

@markstoneman

If anybody's got time, maybe they could develop some kind of legitimate business need before it closes to them, so you can monitor what's happening.

I'm checking my own local National Archives site....

@markstoneman While the current regime said that breaking into a restricted access federal facility with weapons, is a perfectly activity for tourists

#Jan6 #gopHypocrisy #CreepingFascism

@markstoneman

"As the National Archives at College Park continues into its third decade of existence, the facility accommodates more than 22,000 annual research requests from nearly 48,000 visitors."
This page was last reviewed on March 27, 2024.

#USNationalArchives #CollegePark #RecordsAccess
@histodons @geneadons

https://www.archives.gov/about/history/college-park

@markstoneman

"O'Brien was looking down at him speculatively. More than ever he had the air of a teacher taking pains with a wayward but promising child.

'There is a Party slogan dealing with the control of the past,' he said. 'Repeat it, if you please.'

"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past," repeated Winston obediently.

"Who controls the present controls the past," said O'Brien, nodding his head with slow approval. 'Is it your opinion, Winston, that the past has real existence?'

Again the feeling of helplessness descended upon Winston. His eyes flitted towards the dial. He not only did not know whether 'yes' or 'no' was the answer that would save him from pain; he did not even know which answer he believed to be the true one.

O'Brien smiled faintly. 'You are no metaphysician, Winston,' he said. 'Until this moment you had never considered what is meant by existence. I will put it more precisely. Does the past exist concretely, in space? Is there somewhere or other a place, a world of solid objects, where the past is still happening?'

'No.'

'Then where does the past exist, if at all?'

'In records. It is written down.'

'In records. And- ?'

'In the mind. In human memories.

'In memory. Very well, then. We, the Party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not?'

'But how can you stop people remembering things?' cried Winston again momentarily forgetting the dial. 'It is involuntary. It is outside oneself. How can you control memory? You have not controlled mine!'

O'Brien's manner grew stern again. He laid his hand on the dial."

@markstoneman i checked this yesterday, then pointed it out to the congresshuman whose district that is.

I'd be OK if they just came out and said, "melon husk fucked up our budget and fired everybody," but an email to inquire@nara.gov gets a shit robomail with no information.

If trumpys will be deciding what the undefined "legitimate business need" is, I'm all in favor of breaking the door down and fracturing a few testicles.

@markstoneman This seems to be a violation of the 14th Amendment's requirement of Equal Protection.

Here is a situation in which businesses and people are given different treatment.

(And the right that people are exercising can include 1st Amendment rights to accumulate information for a petition.)

So this would seem to be a change that requires quite strict scrutiny. Yet the maga-klan has not presented any reasoning, much less one that is both compelling enough to overcome strict scrutiny and also to be the least burdensome method.

@markstoneman

Watch as they swiftly rewrite science and history and obliterate centuries of documents, purged from the world as it burns to keep the coming generations from the means to educate and govern themselves peacefully...