Re: Weaving the Web of Deceit - Significantly, Precedential, and Tangentially‏‏

Ms. Barry makes good points about high charges for information from the Town of Lisbon.   I think she is correct in her interpretation of the inadequacies of the "legal memoranda" prepared by the town attorney.  It would be wise to file a formal complaint about the inadequacies with the Maine Bar because the attorney is taking money for his inadequately researched opinion that inflicts real harms on the people of Lisbon and others.  (It would not take more than few minutes, if the attorney is computer literate, which he obviously is not and that is one ground for a complaint -- give opinion that is in error  - the charges for obtaining the information are arbitrary and capricious and can not be supported by reality).

The Reporters' Committee for a Free Press, and many other professional groups have litigated who is and is not press, and the attorney is in error on this opinion as well.  He needs to read Maine history of posting of information on trees, etc., and how those acts are protected.  The attorney is required to exercise some diligence in creating an opinion and the town needs to request a refund for this shoddy legal work by Lisbon's attorney.

Note below that petitions are being circulated now in other jurisdictions over excessive fees.

The court's excessive new search fees hamper public records access and the burden falls disproportionately on the poor.

So I've signed a petition to the court and Leah T. Wilson, Executive Officer, and I encourage you to do same.

Click here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/ask-the-alameda-county?source=s.em.mt&r_by=844410

Dwight Hines

IndyMedia

P.S.  Is the Lisbon town attorney advocating that we allow local or state governments determine who is press and who is not?  Well, they do that in many countries and not many people want to live in those places. Besides, any power held by the town attorney's opinion of who is press is derived totally from the power granted to the people.