Cornyn to Obama: Stop With the Enemies Lists

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[Sub-Driver]

Cornyn to Obama: Stop With the Enemies Lists

The White House call for people to inform on anyone spreading "disinformation about health insurance reform" didn't sit well with a lot of people -- Obama isn't running a political campaign anymore, he's supposed to be running the country (and in the event even those who spread video clips of the president making statements on health care reform that are now impolitic have been targeted by the White House). Texas Senator John Cornyn has written a letter to the president politely asking if he could please put an end to the creepiness:

“I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed ‘fishy’ or otherwise inimical to the White House’s political interests,” Sen. Cornyn wrote. “You should not be surprised that these actions taken by your White House staff raise the specter of a data collection program. As Congress debates health care reform and other critical policy matters, citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring the exercise of free speech rights.”

Read the full letter after the jump.

Dear President Obama,

I write to express my concern about a new White House program to monitor American citizens’ speech opposing your health care policies, and to seek your assurances that this program is being carried out in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and America’s tradition of free speech and public discourse.

Yesterday, in an official White House release entitled “Facts are Stubborn Things,” the White House Director of New Media, Macon Phillips, asserted that there was “a lot of disinformation out there,” and encouraged citizens to report “fishy” speech opposing your health care policies to the White House. Phillips specifically targeted private, unpublished, even casual speech, writing that “rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation.” Phillips wrote “If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”

I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed “fishy” or otherwise inimical to the White House’s political interests.

By requesting that citizens send “fishy” emails to the White House, it is inevitable that the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and private speech of U.S. citizens will be reported to the White House. You should not be surprised that these actions taken by your White House staff raise the specter of a data collection program. As Congress debates health care reform and other critical policy matters, citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring the exercise of free speech rights.

I can only imagine the level of justifiable outrage had your predecessor asked Americans to forward emails critical of his policies to the White House. I suspect that you would have been leading the charge in condemning such a program—and I would have been at your side denouncing such heavy-handed government action.

So I urge you to cease this program immediately. At the very least, I request that you detail to Congress and the public the protocols that your White House is following to purge the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and identities of citizens who are reported to have engaged in “fishy” speech. And I respectfully request an answer to the following:

· How do you intend to use the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and identities of citizens who are reported to have engaged in “fishy” speech?

· How do you intend to notify citizens who have been reported for “fishy” speech?

· What action do you intend to take against citizens who have been reported for engaging in “fishy” speech?

· Do your own past statements qualify as “disinformation”? For example, is it “disinformation” to note that in 2003 you said: “I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care plan”?

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN

United States Senator

[Sprite518]

The media and press would be going nuts.

[Deo volente]

I think the president needs to be reported for spreading disinformation about Obamacare.

He's going around the country telling everyone they can keep their own doctor and their own private insurance, when the bill guarantees they won't be able to.

[allmost]

His policies cannot stand on their own merits. Disinformation and intimidation/hatred is the only way these thugs know how to operate. An open honest discourse is dangerous. I suspect it's far more prevalent than Cornyn or most people know.

[Islander7]

What if Bush had done this?

The entire leftist media would be freaking out!! Olberman, Crissy and crew would be wetting their pants. That's what.

Of course, since it is 0bama, it is just peachy with these morons.

[mnehring]

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/5/552a.html

We should also use this to demand to see the information that is collected:

(d) Access to Records.— Each agency that maintains a system of rec­ords shall—

(1) upon request by any individual to gain access to his record or to any information pertaining to him which is contained in the system, permit him and upon his request, a person of his own choosing to accompany him, to review the record and have a copy made of all or any portion thereof in a form comprehensible to him, except that the agency may require the individual to furnish a written statement authorizing discussion of that individual’s record in the accompanying person’s presence;

(2) permit the individual to request amendment of a record pertaining to him and—

(A) not later than 10 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the date of receipt of such request, acknowledge in writing such receipt; and

(B) promptly, either—

(i) make any correction of any portion thereof which the individual believes is not accurate, relevant, timely, or complete; or

(ii) inform the individual of its refusal to amend the record in accordance with his request, the reason for the refusal, the procedures established by the agency for the individual to request a review of that refusal by the head of the agency or an officer designated by the head of the agency, and the name and business address of that official;

[OrangeHoof]

I generally like Cornyn but sometimes he bugs me. Things like this show he’s got some balls but then he’ll turn around and support Specter over Toomey or do other McCain-like acts of political treason.

He seems like a good man overall. I just wish he’d be more predictably conservative.

[al_c]

That’s my senator! Go get him, Cornyn!

[surelyclintonsbaddream]

Excellent, thanks for the info, wonder why more of Congress are not doing the same

Does this remind anyone else of Nazi Germany, when neighbors and families would turn in each other.

Scary where this country has gone in just 6 months. We will not recognize it in another 3 1/2 years.

[gidget7]

Go Cornyn!!

[PhilDragoo]

[SueRae]

YES! Call them at every turn. Stop them immediately when they try their thug tactics. About time our elected ones stood up to these bullies. Cuz if they don’t, we WILL.

[clamper1797]

This administration is really starting to stink of ‘1984’.

More like 1930's Germany or Stalinist Russia

[SE Mom]

This letter should be widely distributed.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

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.”

I will be sending that on, every hour, to flag@whitehouse.gov

[Piranha]

I think this is very significant. I also think sen. Cornyn’s response is dead-on and I hope it gets noticed (and that he does, too).

[MarMema]

How do you intend to notify citizens who have been reported for “fishy” speech? · What action do you intend to take against citizens who have been reported for engaging in “fishy” speech?

Where do you think they will build the gulags?

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

Somewhere between a high crime and a misdemeanor, dontcha think?

[MarMema]

You are a rock star.

[mkcc30]

We are a country WITHOUT a President, what we have instead is a wannabe dictator.

[Yaelle]

Beautiful.