Obama Sneers at the First Amendment
The Obama White House and the Democratic Party are upset about Americans protesting en masse against Obamacare.  They say that the protests are nothing more than rowdy disruptions organized by far right-wing ideologues and lobbyists, and not a legitimate means of expression or a valid measure of popular sentiment. They are wrong on several counts.
First of all, protests during which hard questions are asked of our elected representatives — and where opinions are expressed in a blunt, direct manner — are not disruptions meant to silence the opposition.  It is the Left that is good at shouting down those with whom they disagree rather than engaging in a spirited debate on the issues. Just witness the shenaninigans of groups like Code Pink , ACORN or the typical radical student groups that prevent those with whom they disagree from speaking, if you wish to understand how real disruptions are carried out.
The protests against Obamacare, on the other hand, are meant to advance frank discussion of the issues by removing the filters of the biased liberal media and permitting ordinary people affected by Obamacare to say their piece. One of those questions, by the way, is an embarrassing one for many Congressmen: did you read the bill?
Why shouldn’t our elected representatives be exposed to real debate — even if noisy at times — rather than what they are used to hearing in the echo chamber of the Shadow Party-dominated U.S. Congress?
Secondly, a key facet of organizing a protest is how you publicize and get your supporters to the event to exercise their First Amendment right to “peaceably … assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Has former constitutional law professor Obama forgotten about this fundamental right? Apparently he was mindful of this when his campaign used the Internet to organize massive rallies to advance him toward the presidency. Why the sudden bout of amnesia?
Thirdly, polls clearly show that the American people are not happy with key elements of Obamacare, particularly the government-run insurance program, higher taxes to fund the program, extension of benefits to fund abortions and the care of illegal aliens, rationed care, the invasion of privacy by collecting inormation on our medical treatment in a government database, and entrusting Washington bureaucrats to advise our doctors on how best to treat us. A Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters released just yesterday shows voters disapproving 52 percent to 39 percent of how President Obama is handling healthcare.  Are 52% of registered voters right-wing zealots?
Instead of addressing public uneasiness in a frank manner, the Obama administration is putting out a “don’t worry, be happy” message while asking its supporters to send the White House any e-mails or “something on the Web about health insurance reform that seems fishy.” “Fishy” is the code word for any opinion that debunks the misrepresentations of the Obamacare propagandists. As Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said: “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.”
President Obama, go back and re-read the First Amendment, and call off your dogs who are trying to chill free speech.
These thugs are not the average adversary. They seem to be most unappreciative of the fact that Saul Alinsky can be used by them against our alleged oppressive system, or against them for their thuggish ways. Americans must never tolerate Obama’s boot on our neck, because once he puts it there, he will never remove it.
Heard about this?
Sen. Cornyn Sends Letter To President Obama About “Fishy” Activities Program At White House
Sen. Cornyn appeared on Fox News today to discuss his letter to President Obama regarding the collection of emails and other communications opposing the President’s health care policies. Click here to watch the interview.
In a letter to President Obama, Sen. Cornyn expressed serious concern about the White House’s new program requesting Americans to forward email chains and other communications opposing the President’s health care policies. Sen. Cornyn is seeking assurances that the program is being carried out in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and America’s tradition of free speech and public discourse.
Sen. Cornyn’s letter also inquires about the collection of names, email addresses, IP addresses, and private speech of U.S. citizens that will be reported, which raises the specter of a data collection program.
“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.”
–The full text of Sen. Cornyn’s letter is below–
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
The main problem with the threat of Obamacare is not Socialist robot Obama and any disregard for free speech, IMO, but the vast number of US citizens who evidently don’t know the Constitution and its history. More specifically, given that the federal Constitution is silent about public healthcare, the 10th A. automatically reserves government power to regulate and lay taxes for healthcare to the states, not the Oval Office and Congress. But citizens have evidently not been teaching the Constitution and its history to their children for many generations. So as a consequence of their shameful ignorance of their own Constitution, particularly where state sovereignty is concerned, US citizens arguably DESERVE for misguided Obama to usurp state powers by forcing illegal federal Obamacare on them.
The following link is an analysis as to how citizens have foolishly shot themselves in the foot with big federal government tyranny.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=199792
The one question I want answered is this..If this government enforced healthcare is so good for the rest of us, why doesn’t it cover all citizens? All the people, from the president right down to the lowest federal employee should also have to be enrolled. I have excellent health care coverage that I paid for with hard earned dollars and I want to keep it. Surely our elected officials have enough intelligence among them to fashion a plan that covers the uninsured without wrecking the system for the rest of us.
What we are watching is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
This request of ratting on “fishy” emails reminds me of children being stimulated to rat on
their parent displeasure on the regime and perhaps in the USSR as well…
In regards to the meetings, this government “suggestion” to its Congress people to allow into the meeting halls only known loyalists, as well as “suggesting” to its loyal unioninsts to disrupt protestors and protests, sample of which we have already seen happening, smacks of Hitler’s SA in the good old days when he was scaling the walls of power…
People of America :
I knew damned well about the ‘CHANGE” this demagogue was promising…
It was the same CHANGE Fidel Castro promised the Cuban people and the same CHANGE Chavez promised the Venezuelan people and it surprises me how many of you swallowed it
line, hook and sinker…
So now, having made your bed, if you know what is good for you, either sleep on it or coming elections, kick out as many DEMOCRAP senators and representives as possible and stop the
White House OBAMINATION Jugegernaut from burying deeper this country…
2010 is an election year for 1/3 of the senate and all of the house of
representatives. It would be nice if congress got the message; the voting
taxpayers are in charge now.
LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON “PEOPLE POWER” AND THE POWER OF
THE INTERNET. *PLEASE* FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS.
IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU ARE* REPUBLICAN* OR* DEMOCRAT*!* KEEP IT GOING!!!!*
START A BILL TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOCIAL SECURITY****
SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)**
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years..**
Our Senators and Congresswomen** **do not** pay into Social Security
and, of course, they do not collect from it.**
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for **persons of
their rare elevation in society**. They* felt they should have a* special
plan* for themselves So, many years ago they voted in their *own* *benefit plan.**
In more recent years, no congress person has felt the need to change it.
After all, it is a great plan.**
For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
**Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments.**
**For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect
to draw $7, 800,000.00 (that’s Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand
Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000..00 during the last years of
their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two
Dignitaries.**
Younger Dignitaries** who retire at an early age, will receive much more
during the rest of their lives.**
Their cost for this excellent plan is** $0.00**. NADA**!!**! ZILCH**!!!****
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them.** You and I
pick up the tab for this plan**. The funds for this fine retirement plan
come directly from the General Funds;
**”OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK”!**
From our own Social Security Plan,** which you and I pay (or have paid)
into, every payday until we retire** (which amount is matched by** **our
employer), **We can expect to get an average of
**$1,000 per month** **after retirement.**
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly
benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley’s benefits!**
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.**
That change would be to**
Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and
Congressmen. . Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us*
***
Then sit back…..
**And see how fast they would fix it!
**If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted
and maybe good changes will evolve.**
If they really wanted to save money this would be a great idea of where to start
CALL YOUR REPRESENATIVE
TO THE ATTENTION OF: B.Johnson
Greetings my fellow American. I have read
your POST and found it highly compelling,
without being anything less than an honest
and genuine expression of your position on
the issue at hand.
Your commentary on the U.S. Constitution
particularly caught my attention, and I
wish to thank you for addressing a very
timely subject. It cannot be stressed
enough at this point in the history
of our great nation.
I feel like we adults share a common goal,
and in a public disagreement, that ended
in a vicious beating by four thugs vs. a
man at a Town Hall Meeting, ending in an
innocent American citizen sustaining some
egregious injuries for expressing his 1st.
Amendment right to speak his conservative
viewpoint, only to be silenced by liberal,
progressive, Union “enforcers.” Why it’s
like a ‘walk down memory lane’…WOW! The
picture is so vivid – there they are….
Hitler’s Gestapo kicking the crap out of
some individual for not speaking the Nazi
Party’s version of National Healthcare
Reform. F.Y.I. ~ Eugenics belonged to
the United States first; that S.O.B.
stole it from us. That is “chutzpa!”
I can accept a despot, tyrant, or even a
‘full on’ clinically diagnosed narcissist
and homicidal psychopath. Afterall, when
you look around, they do seem to have a
popular niche that they have carved out
for themselves, but I digress…I will
never forgive Hitler for being a “big
copy-cat.” Oh well, you never know,
maybe down the road of reform, we
will get a second chance.
I would like to leave you with a quote from
one of my favorite American Patriots:
“Information is the currency of a nation.”
— Thomas Jefferson, 1783
Keep up the good work, remain vigilante,
and this too shall pass.
Regards,
Wile E.
Well said,Wile. The Democratic party has used intimidation to gain power throughout the past fifty years and that’s well documented.
Calling your representative may connect you with a foreign answering service, Carole.