The Secrecy Of The US Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee

An interesting article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...8752160.html

I find it especially noteworthy that requests for information about the Committee's procedures under the Freedom of Information Act is denied. Apparently the Board members of the CSAC are sworn to secrecy and all meetings are closed, all Minutes of meetings are private, and all notes are destroyed.

I never realized there were such rules in what (should be) a relatively simple thing such as making recommendations for subjects to be depicted on new stamps.

We have something similar here in Canada like the US Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee.
In my opinion they should all be scrapped. All there there for is to
placate to every ethnic and regional group and to make sure
no one is offended in our Multicultural society.

For example why do we have these annual Black History Month stamps here in Canada ?
I can see them issued in the US but not here.

Same for the Chinese New Year. Why another 12 years of these, once was enough.

I read that article too and was surprised about the inability to get info on the meetings.