Plug Pulled: White House Kills “Fishy” Dot-Gov Email for ObamaCare Opposition
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 17, 2009
Two weeks ago, Pres. Obama made his appalling McCarthy-esque “fishy” request—a request reminiscent of the Second Red Scare Communist sympathizer hunt during the 1950s. POTUS wanted Americans to report (translation: witch-hunt, rat fink, rat out, snitch, stool pigeon, tattle-tale) on anyone who had “misinformation” about his failing socialized health care plan.
However, now two weeks later, the plug has been quietly pulled on the request and the email address for reporting “fishy” information. About time.
The fishy is belly-up…
Politico has the inside scoop—kudos to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) for his tenacity and his watch-dog adherence to the Constitution, and for going to bat without hesitation for the American people:
White House disables e-tip box
Politico
By Mike Allen | August 17, 2009Following a furor over how the data would be used, the White House has shut down an electronic tip box — flag@whitehouse.gov — that was set up to receive information on “fishy” claims about President Barack Obama’s health plan.
E-mails to that address now bounce back with the message: “The e-mail address you just sent a message to is no longer in service. We are now accepting your feedback about health insurance reform via http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.”
The “flag” service was introduced Aug. 4, with a White House blog post saying: “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.”
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said at a briefing shortly after the service launched: “We’re not collecting names from those e-mails. … All we’re asking people to do is if they’re confused about what health care reform is going to mean to them, we’re happy to help clear that up for you. Nobody is keeping anybody’s names.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, wrote a letter to Obama raising privacy concerns about what the senator called an “Obama monitoring program.”
“I can only imagine the level of justifiable outrage had your predecessor asked Americans to forward e-mails critical of his policies to the White House,” Cornyn wrote. “So I urge you to cease this program immediately.”
In a later statement, Cornyn said: “Of course the White House is collecting names. … It is inevitable. Anyone with access to the flag@whitehouse.gov account has access to the names and email addresses that are collected in that account. … How are they purging names and e-mail addresses from this account to protect privacy?”
From The American Pundit: White House Snitch Line Closes Up Shop
Exactly why isn’t clear. Was it the countless, sarcastic emails from Americans pissed off about the fact that their government was asking them to snitch on political dissenters? Were they simply not getting enough “tips” to warrant keeping the service going? Is it part of their overhaul of the way email addresses are collected?
Who knows. The important thing is that the White House Snitch Line has been shut down…
More “fishy” reading:
Michelle Malkin: Internet Snitch Brigade disabled, but… and No snitching on Michelle Obama allowed! and Who’s behind the Internet Snitch Brigade and and Help out the Internet snitch brigade: Report on fishy health czar office and The smell of desperation: White House unleashes on Internet critics
A Conservative Wanderer: No More Snitch-On-Your-Neighbor Email Box At The White House
Patterico’s Pontifications: A Public Service Message and Fishy Emails
Faux Populi: Obama Clown Car Brigade Still Throwing Pies Around
The Write Side of My Brain: Ding Dong, the Snitch is Dead…or is she?
The Snooper Report: I HAVE FLAGGED MYSELF!!
NWO News: Obama Shuts Email Tip List
Smart and silly: White House Disables Its “Fishy” Rumors E Mail Site
Frugal Café Blog Zone: “Fishy” Business, and After First 6 Months, More Americans View Obama’s Presidency As Failure Than Bush’s and “The Crucible” Today: White House Wants “Fishy” Reports Logged on Its Website… Reeks of Witch-hunt Tactics from Miller’s Classic
Logistically Speaking: Life as it is: Slightly good news
Clinging to G & G: Is your neighbor ratting on you?
The Sundries Shack: Fool Us Once, Shame On Us. Fool Us A Dozen Times, You’re Barack Obama.
Behind Blue Lines: Turn Yourself In, America
Vigilocanis (Watch Dog): ARE YOU ON THE GOVERNMENT’S SECRET “FISHY” LIST, FILE A FOIA REQUEST
Behind Blue Lines: Linda Douglass: White House Snitch Czarina
Gathering of Eagles: NY: Barack Obama: Why Can’t They Just Obey?
Truth, Lies and In Between: Fishy is as Fishy Does…
Angry Californian: No One likes a Tattle-Tale except for the White House Staff
B.S. Report: White House Asking People To Point Out “Fishy” Claims About Obamacare To Their Website!
Sister Toldjah: First Amendment under assault
Defenders of The Constitution: The White House Calling All Snitches
Stop The ACLU: Fearmongering Democrats Can’t Accept Americans Don’t Want Their Health Care Crap Sandwich
QandO: Skeptical Americans Continue To Say No To Democratic Health Care Plan
Victoria Jackson, Big Hollywood: Fishy
The Substratum: Obama White House Violating Government Website Rules – Domain Could Be Suspended
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