Hawaii's proposed law to block information requests

We thought Ron Sims went to DC to mismanage Obama's HEW department. But his spirit is active in Hawaii.

Workers in the Health department in Honolulu are receiving 10 to 20 email requests per week, so the Legislature is taking action with SB2937. Poor people, so overworked. Associated Press:

Birthers beware: Hawaii may start ignoring your repeated requests for proof that President Barack Obama was born here.

As the state continues to receive e-mails seeking Obama's birth certificate, the state House Judiciary Committee heard a bill Tuesday permitting government officials to ignore people who won't give up.

... The issue coincides with Sunshine Week, when news organizations promote open government and freedom of information.

But there are questions from elected representatives about this strange law:

"Do we really want to be known internationally as the Legislature that blocked any inquiries into where President Obama was born?" asked Rep. Cynthia Thielen, R-Kaneohe-Kailua. "When people want to get more information, the way to fuel that fire is to say, 'We're now going to draw down a veil of secrecy.'"

The law would label a repeat questioner as a "vexatous requester" and block his access to government records for two years. That's severe. It won't bother a "birther" in New York, but will hurt Hawaii government-watching citizens.