Friday, October 28, 2011

SAFE Shortcuts Public Comment Procedure

Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE) has begun a petition campaign in support of the Bulgarian MOU. See http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post_27.html

But the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has already set up a procedure for public comment open to all interested in whether there should be an MOU with Bulgaria. Can't SAFE follow directions?

Petitions like SAFE has prepared are inherently unreliable:


  • There is no way to verify that the signatories are real people or if one person has signed the petition under different names;


  • It's doubtful that many of the signatories have any real knowledge of the issues involved beyond the minimal information they have received with the petition.


  • It is likely that some signatories have also made public comments, thereby overstating support for the proposition.

    • SAFE already has already asked its supporters to use the regulations.gov website to comment on the Bulgarian MOU? So, can this petition accomplish anything, but to mislead?

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