The blurring of “official record” lines
The traditional lines of ‘official records‘
which are available for public perusal and archived forever, as
distinct from events that are observed in person and passed on by word
of mouth, have become much blurred
with recent improvements in recording devices, distribution/storage
methods, and penetration of same. It is among other things a
testament to increasingly effective archiving that the decision to
strike from the record Representative Jean Schmidt(R-Ohio)‘s words [Directed at Rep. Murtha], at the end of this C-SPAN video segment from November 18, is largely moot.
“Without objection, the gentlelady’s words will be withdrawn“…
but withdrawn from what? from the public record that is
thoroughly and reliably archived, but hard to find online; not from the
unofficial, widely-distributed public record, less consistent but much
easier to find.