From the White House blog:
Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, "facts are stubborn things."
Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to "uncover" the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions.
In this video, Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White House’s Health Reform Office, addresses one example that makes it look like the President intends to "eliminate" private coverage, when the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
[video omitted because it's just more White House blather]For the record, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor, or both, you will be able to keep them. He has even proposed eight consumer protections relating specifically to the health insurance industry.
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. 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'll just let that stand as it is written. I'll also let the email I sent to the White House snitch email speak for itself as well:
Subject: "site" that is rife with "misinformation" about health care "reform"
As you have conveniently provided an email address with which to send emails and websites who attempt to fight health care "reform" I thought I would take the opportunity to point you to my blog, Sane Political Discourse (http://patrickmspeaks.blogspot.com).
I have already commented much on the insanity of government-run health care (love that phrase), and i will continue to spread as much "misinformation" as I possibly can. So please, add my site to your list of disloyal sites to watch.
And if you could pass along my desire to your cohorts in the Capitol to be found in contempt of Congress, I would appreciate it.
Thank you,
Patrick M
4 comments:
Patrick,
Duh. The Internet IS full of misinformation and disinformation about this topic, just like it's still full of stories about Obama being a Muslim and 753 aliens living underground at Roswell. People en masse are stupid. They pick up on whatever tidbit they hear that falls in line with their preconceived notions, and run with it regardless of whether it's true or false. The lies and twists get spread over and over and over, multiplied and expanded, until what people believe has no relationship to the actual truth, and moreover, they have no desire to actually dig up the truth.
Like remember when the 'democrats were protecting pedophiles'? Because no one had actually bothered to see what the hell the laws actually said?
Now, if you want to get all Montana Milita paranoid and shit, you go on with it, but in the real world, you can't fight misinformation unless you know what it is. You can't combat a rumour you don't know about. And how else are you going to find out about shit?
When I get a weird email from 'Paypal' telling me my account's been cancelled and I have to go sign in, I forward it to Paypal to find out whether it came from them (it never does). In other words, I take my doubt to the source.
That's basically what this is, no matter how you'd like to demonize it.
I'm sorry. I'm sure you can find something else to freak out about in no time, but this really isn't it.
Tinfoil so does not become you.
Saty: This is not about getting misinformation and correcting it, because there's an easy way to do that. My preference is Google, of course. Not that hard.
This is about cataloging sites and activity. It's about making a lot of Obamacare supporters do the hunting for every little "enemy" they can find.
I just thought I'd oblige them.
And if you (and every other blogger that visits this site) would be okay to send a link to my site to flag@whitehouse.gov, I'd appreciate it.
BTW, if my site goes down, then I'm really proven right (a long shot, but...).
Toad: What does your rant have to do with the post?
Thought so. When I get to talking about Fox news, I'll let you know.
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