Posts Tagged ‘White House’

flag@whitehouse.gov delivery status notification

The Politico is reporting that the White House has disabled flag@whitehouse.com:

“Following 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 email 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.” ” Source: White House disables e-tip box – Mike Allen – POLITICO.com

When the White House first launched this email address 2 weeks ago and began urging the American people to report on each other, it launched an open and widespread email rebellion akin to the Boston Tea Party. American citizens responded by spamming the address, “self-reporting” (writing letters to White House reporting themselves as guilty of spreading “fishy” emails or videos or of standing in opposition to Obamacare), and most amusingly, sending fish or fishing-related articles to the White House email address.

The email address was plagued by controversy from the very beginning, raising real privacy and Constitutional concerns. As ABC reported on August 5th:

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is sending a letter to the White House today asking the president to “cease this program immediately” — or to explain how Americans’ privacy will be protected if e-mails are forwarded to the White House as requested.

“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,” Cornyn writes” Source: GOP Senator: White House Encroaching on First Amendment – Rick Klein – ABCNews.com

It also created some serious legal issues:

“The White House is in bit of a conundrum because of this privacy statute that prohibits the White House from collecting data and storing it on people who disagree with it,” Judge Andrew Napolitano, a FOX News analyst, said Friday.

“There’s also a statute that requires the White House to retain all communications that it receives. It can’t try to rewrite history by pretending it didn’t receive anything,” he said.

“If the White House deletes anything, it violates one statute. If the White House collects data on the free speech, it violates another statute.” Source: White House Move to Collect ‘Fishy’ Info May Be Illegal, Critics Say – FoxNews.com

The White House has failed repeatedly to answer questions about what it intended to do with the information it received.

This piece by Michelle Malkin today is brilliant, and uses humor to illustrate the hypocrisy of the Obama administration in dealing with the surge of protests over the health care debate.

“The White House press office is now Miss Manners’ office. President Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs took to the television airwaves this week to criticize congressional town hall protesters for “yelling.” Gibbs’ underling, Bill Barton, chastised voters not to “disrupt” and “scream.” Instead, he advised America to engage in a “spirited debate about health care, a real vigorous conversation about it.”

What constitutes “spirited?” How do they define “vigorous?” When does forceful dissent become intolerable disruption? Herewith, the Obama Etiquette Czar’s Official Rules for Patriotic Protest. Keep this guide with you at all times to avoid being flagged by the Democrat politeness monitors.” Source: Michelle Malkin » The Etiquette Czar’s Rules for Patriotic Protest

Malkin advises:

“*No shouting. Congressional representatives cannot sell Obamacare with mobs of unruly senior citizens and small business owners interrupting to press them on specific sections of the bill. Limit your objections to a library whisper (30dB or less) and only challenge your lawmakers with hushed, dulcet tones. Otherwise, you will scare them and they will be forced to hide behind teleconference calls, sick children at hospitals, or union bosses.”

Read the rest of Malkin’s guide to avoid being flagged if you plan to speak out in opposition to HR3200. It’s hysterical, but the reality it illustrates is frightening.

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In one amazing move, President Obama offends gays, social, and fiscal conservatives…

“President Barack Obama’s announcement Wednesday offering limited benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees failed to quell growing anger in the gay community that gay rights issues were getting short shrift at the White House.

In fact, Obama’s promise to offer ancillary employee benefits – such as long-term-care insurance and the right to use sick leave to care for domestic partners – while still denying more valuable benefits, such as health insurance and retirement funds, may have further agitated gay and lesbian activists who were already fuming over other perceived snubs.

Obama said he also favors extending health and retirement benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees but that such a move is currently prohibited by the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which passed in 1996.

“Are they kidding us? Domestic partnership benefits WITHOUT health insurance because of DOMA?” gay fundraiser and activist David Mixner told POLITICO in an e-mail. “It is like rubbing salt in the wound.”" Source: President Obama fails to quell gay uproar | Reuters

Go to the source for more…

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Apparently His Imperial Majesty Barack Obama must have a private bathroom regardless of the cost…

“8:36 AM — So exactly just how much trouble did the Green Bay School District go to, to meet the demands of the White House in accomodating President Obama’s visit to Green Bay Southwest High School last Thursday? Milwaukee talk show host Mark Belling reported on Friday that:

(1) Obama requested that the floor of Southwest High School’s hardwood basketball floor be covered — in a rug. Southwest administrators were able to find a carpet from another high school.

(2) Southwest High School painted the gym prior to Obama’s visit. Administrators claim that the gym was going to be painted anyway.

(3) Obama requested and was granted a private bathroom at the High School for the purpose of his visit. Southwest administrators apparently renovated a storage room that had at one time been a bathroom solely for Obama’s visit.

I spoke with Green Bay School Superintendent Greg Maass let Saturday afternoon and asked him about each. His answers:

(1) Yes, The White House requested a tarp (not a carpet says Maass) and one was borrowed from the Oconto Falls School District.

(2) One portion of one wall was painted approximately 8 feet up from the floor. Maass says yes this was done at the request of the White House, but contends the wall was due to be painted this summer (Really? a certain portion of the wall was due to be painted a certain color???)

(3) The most explosive contention was one Maass said he knew the least about; that the White House requested a private bathroom for President Obama and that a storage room that previously served as a bathroom was renovated into a private bathroom for the President. Maass said his understanding was the room was “simply cleaned up a bit” but said he really did not know the extent of the work done. Maass said he would work to get all of this information and appear on my show tomorrow morning at 10 am.

I’m going to request to see any paperwork pertaining to this project and request to view the room, take pictures and post them on the web. Much is being made of the cost of this to the school district. It might not be much. I think more interesting is this question: Does President Obama request a private bathroom at every venue he visits? And ditto on the interior decorating requests. I realize all presidential visits are highly choreographed, but Obama seems to send this nonsense to new heights.” Source: AM 1360 WTAQ | wtaq.com

Seriously, folks — it looks like our ‘man of the people’ is really Marie Antoinette reincarnated. First food tasters, now private bathrooms at the expense of a school district that’s bleeding money. Maybe he’s got a serious case of stage fright [men, you KNOW what I mean] or just needed a private place to have a smoke before talking about nationalized healthcare? In any case it looks like the president firmly believes that socialism is good enough for everybody else — President Obama is just another limousine liberal…

The “Barie Obaminette” picture was done by the goddess of political Photoshop, Carol of ‘No Sheeples Here‘…

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You really know how to hurt a guy, Mr. President! MSNBC on today’s event in Green Bay…

A dispute over Obama’s desire to create a new government-sponsored health plan to compete with private insurers is forming a major obstacle to bipartisan consensus on health reform. So the president, undertaking a new and aggressive push to see legislation enacted this year, worked sell his ideas on health reform directly to Americans.

He described his critics as naysayers.

“I know there are some who believe that reform is too expensive, but I can assure you that doing nothing will cost us far more in the coming years,” Obama said at a town-hall style meeting at a high school here. “Our deficits will be higher. Our premiums will go up. Our wages will be lower, our jobs will be fewer, and our businesses will suffer.”

The president’s warnings come as reservations have been expressed by health care providers, Congress — led by Obama’s fellow Democrats — and the public. The brief ride from the airport to a town hall-style meeting featured a rare sight for the new president: a large gathering of protesters.

Signs held among the several hundred demonstrators lining his route said “NObama” and “No to Socialism.” Source: Obama declares that it’s time to fix health care – White House- msnbc.com

Jerry Bader personally counted over 1,000 protesters and that was from our group alone. MSNBC also missed hundreds of signs and banners reading ‘The Party of Know’…

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…from the White House website…

“Thank you for your interest in attending a Town Hall with President Barack Obama in Green Bay, WI on Thursday June 11th at 12:00 PM.

Due to limited space at the event we will only be able to fulfill a limited number of requests for tickets. Please note that filling out this form DOES NOT guarantee a ticket to this event.

Filling out this form qualifies you to be selected for a ticket.

Doors for the event will open at 9:00 AM. The event location and further details will be given to those individuals who are selected to pick-up tickets.

At 12:00 PM on Tuesday, June 9th when the online sign-up has expired, a limited number of individuals will be selected and contacted regarding ticket pick-up information. Each individual selected will have the opportunity to pick up a maximum of TWO tickets.

Please note that the White House will not be able to respond to all requests for tickets. You will only receive a call if you are selected to pick up a ticket.

Because of space limitations we will not be able to accommodate all interested parties. This form will be available until 12:00 PM Central Time, Tuesday, June 9th.” Source: Green Bay Town Hall

You have until noon today if you’re interested in trying…

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President Obama’s plans for his Green Bay town-hall meeting have been announced:

Noon to 2 PM Thursday at Green Bay Southwest High School. We are urging you to peacefully present the message of “The Party of Know” to President Obama and the mainstream network media who will be there. It’s expected the White House will make 1,000 tickets available via lottery.

If you want the nation to hear the message of the Party of Know, it’ll take 4 to 5 times that number of people bearing signs.

PLEASE check this site OFTEN between now and Thursday! We’ll be updating with specific information such as meeting place, sign availability, etc. a LOT between now and then. And of course, listen to the Jerry Bader show for updates, 1360 AM in Green Bay, 1330 AM in Sheboygan or online at WTAQ.com, 8:30 AM to 11 AM. And SPREAD THE WORD!

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