Could I or fellow blogger brethren be in their sights? Right on the heels of yesterday's post on stimulus dollars not reaching the worse off states and areas, we have news that the White House may be on to this simple fact. Their answer to stimulus-spending critics? Shut 'em up. According to Norman Eisen, the Special Council to the President on Ethics and Government Reform, the White House is geared to unleash Gestapo-like tactics to confront nay-sayers head-on.
Taken from Whitehouse.gov here, Mr Eisen in his own words -"Following OMB’s review, the Administration has decided to make a number of changes to the rules that we think make them even tougher on special interests and more focused on merits-based decision making.
First, we will expand the restriction on oral communications to cover all persons, not just federally registered lobbyists. For the first time, we will reach contacts not only by registered lobbyists but also by unregistered ones, as well as anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program."
First, we will expand the restriction on oral communications to cover all persons, not just federally registered lobbyists. For the first time, we will reach contacts not only by registered lobbyists but also by unregistered ones, as well as anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program."
I am suspecting the same spirtit of Gestapo, strong arm tactics that I outlined being used by Barney Frank and Maxine Waters et. al. this week regarding the letter from the Committee on Financial Services to William Frey of Greenwich Financial here. The same action by the White House is not far-fetched in my opinion, they are simply following a successful template. Note the terms - "we will reach contacts not only by registered lobbyists but also by unregistered ones, as well as anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program."
Necessary to deny 1st amendment rights under 'unique circumstances of the stimulus program'? And they are brazen enough to even put this up on the White House website? This stinks to high-heaven. Where is the ACLU on stuff like this? Liberal civil libertarians that decried similar Bush administration antics? What is going on behind the scenes that we don't even have a chance to read about? Will the press even follow this? Read the Whitehouse.gov link while you can, before the White House cronies take it off.









14 comments:
Commenting here is a privilege, not a right. Comments that contain cursing or insults and those failing to add to the discussion will be summarily deleted.