Is President Obama’s ‘Fishy Emails’ Reporting Program Illegal? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Larry Greenley   
Friday, 07 August 2009 12:51

Right on the heels of the widely publicized town halls in Philadelphia and Green Bay on Sunday and Monday where hundreds of concerned citizens were very vocal in their opposition to a government takeover of health care, the Obama administration posted a blog on www.whitehouse.gov, “Facts Are Stubborn Things.” This blog features a video of Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White House’s Health Reform Office. According to the blog:

Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, "facts are stubborn things."

Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to "uncover" the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions....

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care.  These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation.  Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
 

Here’s the video with Linda Douglass that is embedded in the blog asking citizens to report fishy emails and other “disinformation” by emailing the White House:


 

Questions are now being raised about whether the President’s ‘fishy email’ reporting program is in violation of U.S. law. Back when Nixon was president, Congress passed a law against government record-keeping of citizen dissent. As WND’s “Obama 'snitch' program put on notice” puts it:

"According to 5 U.S.C. § 552a, United States agencies, including the Executive Office of the President shall, 'maintain no record describing how any individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment unless expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained or unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity.'"

Here’s what Judge Andrew Napolitano had to say about this situation on the Glenn Beck TV Show last night:



Here’s video coverage from yesterday of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ evasive answers about the legality of the fishy emails snitch program:



Of course, the fishy emails snitch program is just one of three major counterattacks by the Obama administration this week on behalf of its beleaguered health care reform plan. The other two consisted of the demonization and ridiculing of the health care reform protesters in a one-minute video ad, “Enough of the Mob,” sponsored by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), released on Tuesday, and of Obama’s call to action (“This is the moment our movement was built for.”) of his millions of online followers in the form of an email and blog at “Organizing for America,” on Wednesday.

Here’s the DNC’s “Enough of the Mob” video:




I’ve been hearing from personal contacts that the DNC is busy organizing upcoming demonstrations at the district offices of swing representatives in particular and at congressional town halls in general to support Obama’s health care reform legislation. So, the battle is joined. We’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more about all of this during the rest of August and on into September.

In light of President Obama’s rapidly falling personal approval rating and the rapidly growing disapproval of his health care reform legislation, he and his advisers are deliberately taking actions that, in my opinion, will likely further discredit and marginalize Obama in the eyes of the majority of Americans. We'll see how that turns out.

Click here to contact your representative and senators in opposition to any form of government takeover of our health care system, whether directly through the Democrats’ “public option,” or indirectly through the Republicans’ “health care cooperatives.”
 

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0
TJ
August 08, 2009
24.193.44.225
Votes: -5
Why do you conservatives hate America??

It feels so good to be able to finally pose that question to the very people who asked the same thing of me any time I voiced opposition to Dubya. Also, was it legal for Dubya's thugs to remove people who simply wore anti-Dubya t-shirts from his rallies?? You people really have short memories. Enjoy the next 7.5 years! :)

0
ck
August 08, 2009
71.34.75.107
Votes: -1
...

Oh TJ, you are so right. If that had happened to Obama, Obama would have not only ousted the people wearing anti Obama shirts but he would have lined them up and put each one of them on a list.

Just because we do not agree with Obama does not mean we Loved Bush. Simple minded thinking is where you go wrong.

0
MarkGlen
August 08, 2009
98.22.18.214
Votes: +0
Hang'em High

I could use some help at this communist chat room if any would care to drop by every once and awhile. It's my home town paper. I hope I'm not breaking any rules by asking this favor.
http://blogs.lubbockonline.com/lubbockleft/2009/08/05/how-to-use-gravatar-com-on-lol-blogs/

112
RichardR369
August 08, 2009
68.12.145.1
Votes: +2
Stupid Commentators

People that are posting in this room actually think that Conservatives are Neocons and that Conservatives supported George Bush. I guess too much public schooling as they cannot tell the difference.

0
couponcutter
August 09, 2009
70.224.33.118
Votes: +0
couponcutter

Individuals that regularly read this site know that the former administration got called on just as much. It is not a Democrat or Republican thing. It is about freedom and the continuation of the experiment called freedom. Never before in the history of the planet has this happened and we ought to be doing everything in our power to keep it going. INstead we have individuals who are attempting to turn us into another failed template under the guise of 'change'. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor, read The 5000 Year Leap and take to heart. I personally found it a very interesting read and highly inspirational.

0
rentacop
August 11, 2009
74.67.166.253
Votes: +0
separate campaign to stop the Soviet-style snitch program

Why don't we have a separate campaign to push Obama into shutting down that email snitch program? This is exactly the kind of thing the Soviets did to find (and persecute) political dissidents! This should be raising an enormous red flag that tyranny has, indeed, come to America!

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Last Updated on Friday, 07 August 2009 14:06
 
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