wanusmaximus

Subject: CHIANG, WAYNE

Dear Mr. Chiang:

The purpose of this letter is to advise you of the status of your pending Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA) request at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Currently your request is being reviewed by an analyst. The analyst will confirm that all records are responsive to your request and apply exemptions allowed under FOIPA. If your request is for sensitive national security information, then the records must undergo a systematic declassification review prior to application of FOIPA exemptions. Large requests take the longest time to be processed by an analyst.

You may inquire as to the status of your request by calling the FBI’s FOIPA Public Information Center at 540-868-4593.

Sincerely yours,

David M. Hardy
Section Chief,
Record/Information Dissemination Section
Records Management Division

My name is Elilta Habtu, and I'm an injured survivor.

I was sitting in German class when I was shot in my wrist and in my jaw. The second bullet will forever remain 1 mm away from my brainstem.  These past two years I've advocated for more responsible gun laws in our country. 

I'm devastated that two years after the worst school shooting to occur ever in American history, where 32 of our fellow Hokies were brutally murdered, our gun laws in Virginia have not changed.

The simplest action our legislators can do that could prevent gun violence and save lives is to close the gun show loophole here in Virginia and across our nation as well. There are only 10 states in our country that currently have closed the gun show loophole. 

Our gun shows are the easiest one-stop shop to buy guns where anyone, including federal convicts, the mentally ill, gang members and even people on the U.S. terror list, can easily purchase weapons, even semiautomatics like AK-47s. 

Although the shooter didn't obtain his guns from a gun show, the mentally ill - like the shooter - can currently do so at a gun show. All a criminal has to do is purchase from a private seller - an unlicensed seller who legally is not required to perform a background check on the buyer.

Unlike a situation where a friend sells a gun to a friend, gun shows have hundreds, even thousands, of people attending and selling guns to complete strangers.

A simple background check would catch the felons and prevent them from buying guns that could mow down the rest of us. Why do our legislators refuse to protect the American people from potential killers?

The most powerful impact that any Hokie can do is to contact your legislators, especially Sen. John Edwards of Montgomery/Roanoke county, who has consistently and egregiously voted against closing the gun show loophole even though the largest mass shooting in American history took place in his very own district.

Another action one can do is to contact the one candidate in this year's Virginia gubernatorial race who does not support closing the gun show loophole - Bob McDonnell.

The only way we can change our gun laws in Virginia is to hold all of our legislators responsible for their actions, or inaction, for responsible gun laws.

Tell Edwards, McDonnell and any Virginia legislator who does not support closing the gun show loophole that you want your legislators to make public safety their first priority.

It is time for our lawmakers to take a stand for the safety of Virginians. You can also publicly show your support for closing the gun show loophole by attending this year's Protest Easy Guns second anniversary lie-in, which will be led by survivors, friends and families of the deceased victims.

It will be held at 3 p.m. on the lower Drillfield near Davidson Hall. From now on, in memory of our fallen 32 and all victims of gun violence, let us work together in bringing more responsible gun laws to Virginia and to our nation.

Elilta Habtu

Alumna, '07

The biggest media sensation of 2007 is now only a passing memory.

(AP) WASHINGTON -- A private study said the FBI tells two out of every three Freedom of Information Act requesters that it can't find the records they requested.

The study by the National Security Archive, a private group that publishes declassified government documents, said that failure rate is five times higher than other major federal agencies.

The Archive awarded the FBI its Rosemary Award for the worst Freedom of Information Act performance by a federal agency.

The award is named for former President Richard M. Nixon's secretary Rose Mary Woods who's known for claiming to have accidentally erased 18 1/2 minutes of a White House tape recording during the Watergate era.

The award is given annually around Sunshine Week, when journalism organizations promote open government and freedom of information.

An FBI spokesman said the reason for the huge number of no-records responses is that "it's become a cult phenomenon to ask the FBI for records."

Dear Mr. Chiang:

This is in reference to your Freedom of Information-Privacy Acts (FOIPA) request.

We have located approximately 506 pages which are potentially responsive to your request. Pursuant to Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Sections 16.11 and 16.49, there is a duplication fee of ten cents per page. The first 100 pages will be provided to you free of charge. Regulations require us to notify requesters when anticipated charges exceed $25, and if all of the pages are released, you will owe $40.60 in duplication fees or $15.00 to have this placed onto a CD-ROM. Please remember this is only an estimate, and if some of the pages are withheld or are not identifiable with your subject, the actual charges could be less. We acknowledge your wiliness to pay $30.00 and also that you advised that if the release is over 250 pages that you would like this to be placed on a CD-ROM.

You may want to consider reducing the scope of your request. This would allow you to lower your costs and hasten the receipt of your information. To streamline our operation, we divide our requests into three tracks based on the amount of material to be processed: small (1-500 pages); medium (501-2500 pages) and large (2501 or more pages), with the small track having the fastest rate of processing. To accelerate the processing of your request, you must reduce the pages to be processed to 500 pages or less. Please les us know in writing if you are interested in discussing the possibility of reducing the sclope of your request or if you are willing to pay the estimated duplication cost indicated in the above paragraph. Your written response should provide a telephone number where you can be reached between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m., EST. You may also fax your response to the following number: 540-868-4996, Attention: Work Processing Unit. You must include the FOIPA request number in any communication regarding this matter.

As stated previously, the cost indicated is only an estimate, therefore, no payment should be made at this time.

Sincerely yours,

David M. Hardy
Section Chief,
Record/Information Dissemination Section
Records Management Division

A Zogby Poll, commissioned by IFC, found 37.6% of those asked consider the Internets the most reliable source of news. 20.3% consider national TV news most reliable and 16% say radio is the most reliable source.

Also revealed:

• 39.3% of those surveyed trust FOX News most for the issues they consider most important, followed by CNN with 16% and MSNBC with 15%.

• 72.6% believe the news they read and see is biased.

• 88.7% Republican and 57.5% Democrat respondents describe the news media as biased.

Zogby surveyed 3,472 adults nationwide on November 5 and 6. The poll was conducted on behalf of IFC which this week debuted a new show called The Media Project which, "reveals the truth behind TV news."

I suspect that AWB 2.0 won't come into play immediately on 1/2009. Why? Simply because it will be too radical of a change. However, I bet you that the document for it has already been written up and is sitting around in some drawer waiting to be put into play.

When will it come out? The next major school shooting. It will be supported by the general public simply because it is the natural knee-jerk reaction.

I also suspect that the name will be changed to something more even "politically charged" (ghey) such as the "dangerous weapons prohibition" or something to that extent. It will probably be passed with little opposition because it also splits the 2A community. Most traditional "sportsmen" could probably care less about Glocks and Evil Black Rifles.

How do I know this? Because of the flood of drivel that I have seen post-VT. Barack Obama is playing the middle road by not immediately taking guns away. 2A rights are not a top priority for many Americans and the 2A community is temporarily dumb and happy with their guns. But when a national tragedy occurs, no matter how much opposition gun owners may give, it will be quickly drowned out by the national masses screaming for guns to be taken off the streets.

Just watch. [/tinfoil]

Today I met with an individual named John who took me to his private range. This club can probably be best described as a grown man's playground. Shooting ranges, campgrounds, fishing, etc. Probably one of the best kept secrets because I just stumbled upon it today...

One thing I noticed when it comes to guns, there are three types of gun owners:

• The have-nots
• The have-some
• The truly insane

State legislators and students supporting legislation to allow concealed firearms on college campuses aimed to debunk the notion that “traditional” aged college students are too reckless to own and possess firearms during a recent public forum held in Washington, D.C.

During its first national meeting, “Supporting Self-Defense on Campus,” Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) along with The Second Amendment Federation (SAF), hosted a six-part forum on Aug. 1 at the National Press Club in an attempt to gain support for legislation allowing concealed guns on college campuses nationwide. The group advocates that licensed individuals at least 21 years old with substantial training and background checks should be allowed to carry concealed firearms on campus.

Louisiana state Rep. Ernest Wooten (R) said groups like SCCC are “fighting a perception.”

I’m Amie XXX, editor in the chief of the Collegiate Times.  I wanted to ask you a few quick questions regarding your facebook profile.