In some recent posts I discussed the fact that the FDA asked a federal judge to allow it to produce Pfizer documents at a rate of 500 pages per month, which would have only taken a measly 75 years? Well, the judge entered a decision yesterday. It’s not going to be 75 years. The FDA must produce 55,000 pages PER MONTH. I’m guessing the judge figured he’d like to see them all before his or everyone else’s passing.

The judge’s short 3-page order begins with several nice quotations:

“As James Madison wrote, ‘[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.’ John F. Kennedy likewise recognized that ‘a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.’ And, particularly appropriate in this case, John McCain (correctly) noted that ‘[e]xcessive administrative secrecy . . . feeds conspiracy theories and reduces the public’s confidence in the government.’”

Observing that “stale information is of little value,” the court ordered the FDA to produce the first 12,000 pages by January 31, and then produce 55,000 pages by March 1, and every 30 days thereafter until all the documents have been turned over.

It’s good to see that “insanity” isn’t prevailing everywhere, and that there are sane, reasonable and pragmatic judges out there still south of the border, now I’m hoping we can find a few of them over here.