President Calls for “National Day of Renewal & Reconciliation” Via Proclamation & Blog; Will Still Use Blackberry
On Tuesday, January 20 at 12:01 p.m., the administration of America’s first African American President ushered in a technological and communications event — the first White House blog.
According to that blog, President Obama’s first official act after taking the oath of office was to proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation.
A Purpose for Everything
According to the President’s proclamation:
We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.
While not everyone believes that God literally has an ultimate purpose for everything, we here at the Blawg believe that, at the very least, the current multiple crises in which we find ourselves can be used to achieve great purposes — and that so far our new national leadership seems determined to do so.
In what ways could our dramatic economic downturn — and our recovery — alter us as individuals and as a nation? In a climate where all of the things we took for granted seem to be pulled from under us, what questions should we ask? And are we willing to face up to the answers we find?
The I Ching says, “Before moments of great brilliance, there must be chaos.” Well, chaos we have. What brilliance, then, will the worlds of business, labor, science, religion, and our citizenry bring forth?
A Call to Service and Unity
In keeping with the President’s Inaugural Address themes, the Presidential Proclamation “call[s] upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.”
Though we are entering the ninth year of the 21st Century, history may yet come to view the past eight years as in a sense a continuation of the 20th — and this current crisis and Presidential transition the true beginning of the 21st. History’s eras don’t always coincide neatly with century and decade dividing lines.
We share President Obama’s faith in America’s people, history, and future, and we welcome the White House blog to the blogosphere discussions.
The President Insists on 21st Century Electronic Communications
Today’s Wired Blog Network post by Nicholas Thompson proclaims: “Obama Gets to Keep Blackberry. Hooray!” See also the New York Times: Obama Gets a Thumbs-Up for His BlackBerry
There had been a lot of buzz that President Obama would have to give up his beloved Blackberry upon taking office. Why?
Per the New York Times, the concerns were:
- Concerns about e-mail security; fear that messages could be intercepted
- The Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review
- The threat of subpoenas
Thompson adds another concern Obama grappled with: “Having a blackberry could make Obama easier to track, thus putting his security at risk.”
Addressing the Concerns:
These are all concerns every business today faces. Though the special role of the President certainly magnifies them, solutions others have developed should work for the President.
Security concerns can be addressed on two levels:
- Using the best encryption and latest, greatest hardware and software, such as the Sectera Edge, which JR Raphael of PC World suggests may be “A BlackBerry Secure Enough For Obama.”
- Exercising good judgment, perhaps pursuant to a carefully delineated policy, about what matters are too sensitive to chance electronic interception. There are some things that are simply better communicated in person or by phone than on paper or by email, thus avoiding a “paper trail” or its electronic equivalent. (Of course, one can still be vulnerable to spies, eavesdropping, and wiretaps!)
As to the official record and possible subpoenas, anyone who hasn’t learned to keep this possibility in mind when using email, posting to blogs and social networks, etc. really isn’t living in the 21st Century.
If that’s you, here it is in a nutshell: Email is subject to subpoena and “discovery” in litigation; so are ISPs and cell phone records; electronic trails are stubborn and harder to remove than just shredding paper; and efforts to clean up electronic trails often leave trails that have as bad a legal impact as the data you may have removed!
Finally, possible tracking of Presidential whereabouts may be a legitimate Secret Service worry, but surely one that could be handled by separating him from his device at sensitive times.
