Snitch Central has been closed down...

Like they say, sunshine is the strongest disinfectant.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The White House has quietly disabled the email address it promoted for backers of the pro-abortion health care bills pending in Congress to tattle on opponents of the legislation. Without fanfare, the White House has disabled the email address and is asking people to visit the main web site instead. (Does this completely eliminate the "snitch" option or does it just make public any complaints against particular individuals? If the latter I'd think public exposure of the complainant would alone serve as a deterrent for idiots trying to curry favor with Big Brother.)

Following a huge negative public outcry, Obama administration officials have apparently taken down the flag@whitehouse.gov email address meant for "fishy" claims about the president's health care proposal. (Yet still nothing from B.O. or his cronies in defense of this. Interesting.)

“The e-mail 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," the White House says now in any emails responding to notes sent to the address.

The web site is the new Obama factsheet that was noted for appearing to admit that the government-run health care plan includes abortion funding. (Wow, what a shock.)

The Obama administration introduced the flag email address on August 4, saying, “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." ("casual conversation", so be careful of what you say at the water cooler.)

"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," it added. ("Fishy" was never clearly defined. This administration is becoming notorious for vague and sloppy memos, legislation, etc. Part of the problem with the healthcare legislation is the sloppy terminology and lack of precise, concise phrasing.)

Though the email address no longer functions, the above request still appears on the White House web site.

Jill Stanek, a pro-life blogger, also noticed the email address is not functioning. She said what is more fishy is that no Obama officials made an announcement about it being taken down, which she says shows the attitude of the administration. (Amen.)

"First, this is how the Obama corrects things, on the sly. He just can't admit when he's wrong," Stanek writes. (Proving his lack of experience in the political big leagues.)

"Second, who in the world thought this was a good idea to begin with? Here was an example of almost unfathomable ineptitude and inexperience. The wrongness was so basically clear. Hard to believe the White House did this," Stanek added. (Arrogance will blind folks.)

Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, had asked Obama to get his administration to stop the effort, saying that free expression on the health care bills could be "chilled." (Actually it seemed to energize a lot of bloggers to get defiant. At least the small number I've sampled.)

"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 right," he wrote in a letter to Obama.

"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 went on to say. (If I recall my history correctly, Wilson did something along these lines. Wilson is also known as a fan of socialism, go figure.)

"I can only imagine the level of justifiable outrage had your predecessor asked Americans to forward e-mails critical of his policies to the White House," Cornyn wrote. (It would be off the charts!)

In his letter, Cornyn asked that the information effort cease immediately and that no lists or sources of information or opponents be compiled.

The email address controversy is reminding some of an incident earlier this year, that saw the Department of Homeland Security produce a report saying "opponents of abortion" are likely to engage in extremism or terrorism. (Ya think? Tell me there wouldn't be a tie-in somewhere.)

In the new document, the Department of Homeland Security warned law officials about a supposed rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the poor economy and presence of a black president could spark problems. (Why do Democrats stay so focused on race? Every time I've heard it brought up, it was a Democratic liberal doing it.)

A footnote attached to the nine-page report from the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis said the activities of pro-life advocates is included in "rightwing extremism in the United States.” (Yeah, those middle-aged churchgoers are fanatics at heart. Sheesh!)

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning said.

The Obama administration sent the document to police and sheriff's departments across the country on April 7 under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." (Then they promptly disowned it when the furor rose.)

Has anyone else noticed how instrumental the use of the Internet has become in affairs like this one? Sounds like a good topic for another post!