A New Day at Justice.gov [Announcing Obama's new DOJ Blog Squad]
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Posted on 10/11/2009 3:24:19 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Welcome to the new Justice.gov. If you’re a regular visitor to our site, you’ll notice some changes today. If you are joining us for the first time, welcome.
The Department of Justice launches Justice.gov today in an effort to increase openness and transparency in government. Utilizing a variety of online tools, we will be able to share news and information, not just on our own web site, but through popular social networks Twitter, YouTube and MySpace and Facebook. The Justice presence on these social networks will allow Americans to interact with the Department in entirely new ways.
The new Justice.gov has incorporated more multimedia than ever before. You’ll find a photo gallery and video library that will be regularly updated with new content from across the Department of Justice. And of course, The Justice Blog will be a hub of information for the Department.
We are all excited by these new opportunities. Today’s launch is just the first step towards creating the most open, accessible and transparent Justice Department possible. We welcome your feedback about the new site and your ideas for the future.
POSTED IN: Office of Public Affairs
Of Russo’s duties, The Muffled Oar says:
Not only is the Department of Justice Blog Squad going to reach out to nontraditional media like TPM Muckraker or the Muffled Oar, but they are also tasked with fostering anonymous comments at conservative leaning blogs such as the Free Republic. They are also tasked with fostering anonymous comments, or comments under pseudonyms, at newspaper websites with stories critical of the Department of Justice, Holder and President Obama.
http://rightwingnews.com/2009/10/the-obama-justice-departments-secret-blogging-team-is-it-illegal/
Typed in “truth squad” and a couple of the articles came up from 9/08 from Post Dispatch and Hotair. You know.....the only way free speech can be eliminated is if we stop talking/informing. That might sound simplistic to some but for me, it boils down to that. I’m not easily intimidated and get the impression that many on here are the same.
Maybe, we can look @ page view source to find out. It happens, a lot of people don’t know about that.
You’re right..they want people to stop talking, sharing and discussing.
Here’s a link that’ll help.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=free+republic+missouri+truth+squad
Back in August I posted a few videos of Rep. John Dingell's Town Hall on Health Care. Over the next few days I wasn't surprised to see a few visits from House.gov and Senate.gov on my web site. As you can see, near the bottom of my blog is a counter that tracks visits to this site. I can't tell who visited, but I can see what I.P. address they were using. Imagine my surprise that a few weeks later I see that someone from DOJ.gov logged onto my site. That's right: The Department of Justice. Why would they be looking at my blog, a blog that was getting at that time an average of 50 visitors a day? Sure, I have been critical of the Obama Administration, but there has been nothing on this site that broke any laws in anyway.
Well, I may have found my answer.
The New Republic Online posted this story on October 6th:
" Is the Department of Justice engaging in fraud, or is it simply trying to hide its propaganda? Those of you wondering how DOJ uses your tax dollars to enforce our nation’s laws might be interested to learn that Eric Holder has apparently hired former Democratic campaign bloggers to work at the department in what appears to be a secret propaganda unit.
According to a story at The Muffled Oar website, the bloggers are housed in the Office of Public Affairs (the press office). Their job is to place “anonymous comments, or comments under pseudonyms, at newspaper websites with stories critical of the Department of Justice, Holder and President Obama.” One of the bloggers is former DNC and John Edwards staffer Tracy Russo, whose name was featured prominently on the department’s introduction of its new website on October 1."
Matthew Miller Director of Public Affair at the Justice Department told the Washington Times:
""There is no 'blog squad'. There is Tracy [Russo] who handles online media. It’s the policy of the office of public affairs to not post anonymous comments. We have not seen any evidence that anyone does post comments, and if we did have evidence of that, people would no longer work here.""
Mr. Miller countered accusations of the existence of a "blog squad" pointing to what he says is lack of evidence.
Except for the fact that the DOJ.gov was on my site back in August. Now maybe I gained a fan from someone in Attorney General Holder's office, but considering it was a one time visit, I figure they were looking for something.
Are we seeing a trend develop in the Obama Administration? First we read about employees working out of the White House to get artists to work with the National Endowment for the Arts to create propaganda that will "push" the President's agenda on health care. Now we may have the Department of Justice scanning web sites for dissent against the policies of the White House.
Free Republic is not a blog, you bozo.
A New Day at Justice.gov [Announcing Obama's new DOJ Blog Squad]
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The Department of Justice launches Justice.gov today in an effort to increase openness and transparency in government.
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They won the election by using 1000’s of paid and volunteer bloggers. They want to keep the momentum going. The DOJ doing this with our tax dollars paying for it is illegal. Period!
Are you sure?
I'd never read or contribute to a blog.
Pretty sure.
Idiots On Parade
You know why do I have to put up with this crap? I am just sitting here minding my own business and the government just continues to recruit people, as snitches, with their own agenda.
I second that, Jim.
It doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s a site that people can post on and it’s a conservative site. I can assure you FR is tops on their watch list.
What I call it? No, that doesn't matter.
What it IS is a forum, not a blog. Blogs suck.
Actual definitions mean things. Free Republic is NOT a blog.
Blogs are, in the main, written by one greasy loser to another.
Written by, read by and reported on by lonely greasy losers.
The missouri truthsquad was real, until the public outcry forced them to backtrack. They probably thought they’d have more support than not. There is no doubt in my mind that the same concept is behind this doj thing, but without the worth “truth” in it. It’s like lipstick on a pig. The doj bloggers could possibly be subtle unless they are fired acorn workers which would be obvious viking kitty zot bait.
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