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Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
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Plundering the Plumber's Records

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If Joe the Plumber were Jawad the Suspected Terrorist, civil liberties activists would stampede the halls of Congress on his behalf. Liberal columnists would hyperventilate over the outrageous invasions of his privacy by Ohio state and local employees. The ACLU would demand the Big Brother snoopers' heads. And Democratic leaders would convene immediate hearings and parade him around the Beltway as the new poster boy/victim of unlawful domestic spying.

But because peaceful American citizen Joe Wurzelbacher is an outspoken enemy of socialism, rather than an enemy of America, the defenders of privacy have responded to his plight with an impenetrable cone of silence.

After the last presidential debate, during which John McCain invoked Joe the Plumber's anti-socialism shot heard 'round the world, several taxpayer-subsidized employees in Ohio immediately rifled through government databases in search of damning information. The Columbus Dispatch identified Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, as one of the dirt-diggers. She also happens to support Barack Obama and contributed the maximum amount to his presidential campaign.

On Wednesday, Jones-Kelley admitted that the records checks on Wurzelbacher that she approved were far more extensive than she first acknowledged. In addition to pawing through his child-support papers, the agency "also checked Wurzelbacher in its computer systems to determine whether he was receiving welfare assistance or owed unemployment compensation taxes."

Jones-Kelley argued that plumbing the plumber's information was no big deal because the agency always checks up on citizens who come into public light. Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland quickly pooh-poohed the civil liberties infringements and denied any nefarious political motives.

If that doesn't send a chill up your spine, you don't have a spine.

In addition to Jones-Kelley, investigators have uncovered at least three additional suspicious uses of state computer systems to access Wurzelbacher's data.

Toledo police records clerk Julie McConnell has been charged with gross misconduct for accessing the Law Enforcement Automated Data System to retrieve Wurzelbacher's address. She reportedly did it as a favor to a reporter. Authorities also say the Cuyahoga County social services office was compromised and an outside contractor with access to the state attorney general's test account similarly searched Wurzelbacher's data. Moreover, his driver's-license and vehicle-registration information were obtained from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

I contacted the ACLU twice this week for comment about this rampant plundering of Joe the Plumber's records. Like the Genesis song goes: No reply at all. (That was the same reply the ACLU gave me two months ago when I asked if they had any reaction to the Chicago gangland tactics of a MoveOn spin-off group that announced it was trolling campaign finance databases and targeting conservative donors with warning letters in a thuggish attempt to depress Republican fundraising.)

For the last seven years, these left-wing privacy champs have lobbied on behalf of foreign enemy combatants. The ACLU fought unsuccessfully to kill the Bush administration's post-9/11 effort to monitor terrorist communications in the United States. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and USA Today went ballistic over the government's bank surveillance program to trace terrorist financing.

Those same papers fumed earlier this year when State Department contractors illegally sifted through the passport files of Obama (and Hillary Clinton and John McCain). Obama mouthpiece Bill Burton intoned after the passport scandal: "Our government's duty is to protect the private information of the American people, not use it for political purposes."

But when freelance members of the Obama Goon Squad take it upon themselves to do opposition research on The One's citizen critics and rummage through government databases, where are all the privocrats? And how safe will your state tax and IRS records be if Dear Leader is elected?

Welcome to Obama's America.

Michelle Malkin is author of "Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild." Her e-mail address is malkinblog@gmail.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.


Comments

6 Comments | Post Comment
Every point you make Michelle, in every article you write, is very good. Kudos to you! The American majority has clearly demonstrated they have absolutely no intent in seeing any of your points and the people are desperate. Sadly, their desperation has come from, and shall only get more intense by, policies made from the Oval Office. I have a strong feeling, if the anointed one gets the nod, the 100 day time frame will be excused as “over coming” the bungling policies and results of eight years of GWB and Co, and in truth, I can only wonder if “we the people” will see anything of progress. As the expression goes; follow the money! In this case I suspect it will be right out of the country. I lived thru the 60s and saw the struggle against oppression of people everywhere and I felt those things needed to be corrected. Unfortunately, it seemed only by acting out one could garner attention and gain positive results. The results I saw were the Watts fires, the looting, the vandalism, and the racially motivated personal and physical attacks. From both sides! People who subscribe to the notion we can all just get along have no vision to real history while reminding us all of the GWB policy failures. I find Bo and his flock rather short-sighted and somewhat selective in their vision and, while it may benefit him, in this case they do so at their own peril. But it is true that when you have nothing or you want more (greed anyone?) you simply live for the fight. To quote my mother; its all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out! Well, I understand not many kids got their eye poked out and we continued to play, but America is not playing a game and the eye poking may very well have come on GWB's watch. Timing is everything! The prevention of Socialism in the USA, IMHO, was a GWB success in spite of many changing events on the world stage, yet as a corner-stone touted as a failure by Bo, it is one failure Bo will never mention by name. Bo is obviously charismatic, likeable, an accomplished orator, holds lofty ideals, but he is also like putty to an artist, malleable, teachable, and moldable. You can go tell it on the mountain, and you can know it hears, but you can't make any person listen. I am but one tiny clump of dirt which makes up that mountain, the president of the United States, the strongest, wealthiest, most productive nation on this planet, is not. He/she does not have that luxury, nor should he/she.
Comment: #1
Posted by: bill s
Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:35 AM
I would like to share a youtube video, Hillary Clinton Supporter voting for John McCain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzK2ndwrFYI
Comment: #2
Posted by: Alessandro Machi
Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:04 PM
Re: bill s;... So... You think we cannot all get along??? Because I think, if we seek consensus we will find it, and if we get the wealth thing out of our way, that is, if it is put in perspective, that it is only good for America if it is really good for all people; then I think we can get along... You do not seem to grasp the ideas you want to juggle... You should give them some thought... For example: what is law, and what is socialism, and what is democracy, and what is America, and what is wealth, and what is everything??? The answer is simple, and even obvious... All things are forms, and that is English for Ideas, or notions, or concepts... Now; these ideas have a certain practical use as ideas... We form an idea of an object to create it, like a car, or a house... But all these things are also forms of relationship. We relate to each other through our forms.. Do you think a form like law, or like property can exist without the relationship??? I don't... I think property exists as a form of relationship so long as it has general support... You say it is yours... What is it, if I say it is not??? If we agree on the law, or on property or on the form of government then it works or else we would not agree.. If we seem to not agree on property, or taxes, or on the government, then we have forms only, with little of relationship... And we have to want the relationship for it to work, and some people here do not, and the form has got to work to feed the relationship, and many of our forms do not... ..So yes, I think we can get along, but the best first step is to be able to see through our ideals, and not just see our ideals or see others in the light of our ideals... One thing is always going to affect our relationships, and it is our vew of self and self interest. We have to remember that individualism too, is a form of relationship... And finally, socialism is a form, and a form of relationship... It may also be the only form of economy entirely tried by humanity, since we have all come out of socialism, and are surrounded by many remnants because there is no other way to manage the affairs of society effectively except socially.. You would not want to pay for your own road, and your own sewer.. You can abuse socialism only because socialism allows you the luxury... But in a sense, it is the socialism of the poor that supports the wealth of the rich. But that socialism needs some investment too, and by that I mean health care and infrastructure, and education... If it breaks down, people will suffer, the larger relationships in society will suffer, and the forms of government and economy will be judged, and challenged... So, before you judge all socialism on the failed forms we have seen in near history, look beyond them to the many examples in prehistory... Remember that every republic is a commonwealth, Which is to say held in common, and remember that private property and wealth of all kinds must prove a public good, and if it does not, it undercuts its own value... Property exists, and never without obligation to pay taxes, but only with our consent, because when we protect another person's property we are protecting our own, and ditto with rights in general... But we all have to get something out of it, and the more wealth ends up in private hands the less common support it will have... If you look at your Declaration of Independence, you will see that Jefferson gave a short hand lesson on forms.. He was talking of forms of government; but the fact is that humanity has no means by which to progress except by changing forms... When we discard forms that no longer work, and design forms to work, we progress... Much as we judge the imperfections of others in the light of our forms, -our ideals, people are what they are, and never perfect... We cannot change people, and we can hardly change ourselves... But we can change our forms of relationship, and if both sides are served by the change, the differences between them usually seem insignificant... So, Yes, I do think we can get along, and we could get along better..... Thanks... Sweeney
Comment: #3
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:03 PM
Oh, Malkin, the American majority... Praise be to them when your herding techniques work, and damn them when the cursed beasts just won't go for the bait. That's democracy. It tolerates some of the basest behavior for the sake of unpredictable freedom, and thanks to our First Amendment, even your pathetic paranoid ravings get to be published in the less editorially regulated corners of the media. Some advice for you: Go with the flow. Save yourself a modicum (look it up in the dictionary, babe, you can do it) of self respect. Up to now you have been an utterly unprincipled contender (perhaps you get a pass on that depending on your exact diagnosis-we'll have to check with the DSM IV), but there's still time to forego being a sore loser.
Comment: #4
Posted by: Masako
Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:12 PM
Ma'am; the interests and investigation into old Joe do not phase me a bit... I express myself on philosophy, and on politics; and with that, I have to expect that people know who I am, and where I live, along with what I think... Participation in the political process at any level demands a certain amount of courage... Now, My father served in the Navy in WWII, and Mr. Mccain's Grandfather had a lot to do with running the fleet through a typhoon that killed my father's old ship mates... My father had the good fortune to have screwed up, and get transferred off the Hall, and onto the Pittsburg, a heavy cruiser... They lost about 90 feet of their bow in a storm that sunk several ships. Do I think he was brave??? Not any more than myself, and yet I speak out knowing full well that the nonsense and hate spewed by the right has every potential of resulting in violence, and I think it is irresponsible, and uncivil, perhaps even illegal.. Now; ma'am, One of mine also fought in the revolutionary war, but I am not all so certain he was not a Hessain fighting for England... He must have had the sense to recognize a good thing when he saw it.... And one of mine was on little round top, though he was perhaps only doing ambulance duty... The point I would have you get is this... We can no more trust our neighbors than the government... With the plums of political power so inviting we have to recognize the common desire to have them, even if honor does not justify having them... But this was a land formed out of courage, and taken from king, and right out of the guts of the natives... We must all be brave to get through this period of madness, and yes, I blame you and yours, and you can be certain that if I did not have some courage, and a whole lot of nothing to lose, I wouldn't dare open my mouth... I know what my people fought for.. I know what many people died for, and we are not getting it... Either we fought for a myth, or a mistake, or we were misled into fighting for something we shall never have: Liberty and Justice for all... Each generation must secure Freedom for the next generation... If Joe hasn't the nads for it; tell him to get out.. This is still the land of the brave, and my life is an open book, and my door is open if you want to talk with me, and I will not run in fear no matter how much reason you give... So spread your fear, and spread your hate to all who will listen... You all the sooner make yourself irrelevant... Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #5
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:43 PM
Compare what they did to Joe the Plumber to how they are handling the "leak" of Obama's aunt:


By EILEEN SULLIVAN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON November 2, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press
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The government is investigating whether any laws were broken in the disclosure that Barack Obama's aunt was living in the country illegally.

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses for a moment as he speaks at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008.
(Jae C. Hong/AP Photo )Obama's half aunt, who is from Kenya, was ordered to leave the United States years ago after an immigration judge denied her request for asylum, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press late Friday. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss the case.

The woman, Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), is living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's late father.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked its inspector general and the Office of Professional Responsibility on Saturday to investigate whether any policies were violated when information about Onyango's case was publicly disclosed, ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. The Homeland Security Department, which oversees ICE, cannot disclose details about an individual's immigration status.

Obama Says He Didn't Know Aunt's Illegal StatusThe Note: Does Campaign Hold One Last Surprise?Stephanopoulos: Election Night PredictionsInformation about Onyango's case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one a federal law enforcement official. The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release, just five days before the presidential election. Obama's campaign strategist David Axelrod said people are suspicious about stories that surface so close to an election.


In an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric on Sunday, Obama said: "If she is violating laws those laws have to be obeyed. We're a nation of laws. Obviously that doesn't lessen my concern for her, I haven't been able to be in touch with her. But I'm a strong believer you have to obey the law."

The campaign said it was returning $260 that Onyango had contributed in small increments to Obama's presidential bid over several months. Federal election law prohibits foreigners from making political donations. Onyango listed her employer as the Boston Housing Authority and last gave $5 on Sept. 19.

Comment: #6
Posted by: nodem2008
Mon Nov 3, 2008 2:28 PM
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