“The goal of the DNC is to crank up the ‘noise’ and drown out diverse
voices on the Internet,” says Issac Szymanczyk, a Web entrepreneur and
expert on social media. “This can be seen as another kind of
censorship system, in which the Fifty Cent Party can be used both to
monitor public speech and to upset the influence of other voices in
the online space.”


The Heat is On: Congressman’s Office Says Constituent Calls Are
‘Harassment’
by Capitol Confidential

"Yesterday, I decided to call Rep. John Garamendi’s (CA-10) office in
Washington, D.C. He’s my representative and I wanted to voice my
opposition to the Senate Health Care Bill. I spoke with a female
staffer and politely told her that, while I support health care
reform, I oppose the Senate Bill because it wasn’t true “reform.” She
said the Congressman thinks it’s a good bill and that he campaigned on
health care reform. I told her I knew that. I also mentioned that I
voted for him. When I tried to give her specific reasons why the
Senate Bill would harm our system rather than reform it, she refused
to listen. She said she was very busy and hung up on me. Being the
persistent person that I am, I kept calling back. Each time I tried to
finish my point, she hung up.

"I called one more time. This time she said, “If you call one more
time, we will notify Capital Police.” I asked why my conduct warranted
involving federal law enforcement agents. She said I was “harassing”
her. I tried to explain that trying to convince a representative to
change his or her vote didn’t constitute “harassment.” Before I could
fully explain, she hung up again.

"I called back. This time, I asked to speak to her supervisor in order
to report her repeated hanging up as well as the threat she made. I
was placed on hold. Thinking I was holding for her supervisor, I was
shocked when a Federal Agent with the Capital Police picked-up the
telephone.

"At first, the Agent was curt with me. He claimed I was harassing Mr.
Garamendi’s staff by continually calling after being told to stop
calling. I asked him when it became a federal crime to lobby a
congressman. He said that it wasn’t but it was a crime to “harass”
congressional members and staff pursuant to 47 U.S.C. 223. I told him
I was an attorney (which I am) and that I would research the statute
he had cited.

"After researching 47 U.S.C. 223, I called Mr. Garamendi’s office
again and asked to be transferred back to the Capital Police Agent.
The Agent picked up the phone and I explained to him that the statute
he cited was not controlling since it only prohibits people from
calling with the specific intent to harass. I further explained that I
was simply trying to voice my concerns with the intent of getting Mr.
Garamendi to change his mind, not to harass his staff. The Agent
eventually agreed with my position and said he would call Mr.
Garamendi’s office and instruct his staff that I was within my rights
to call my congressman and voice my concerns.

"After I hung up, I realized that this story should be told. Besides
being an attorney, I’ve also had the privilege of serving this great
country in the United States Marine Corps. Having seen the ugly
legislative process the Senate Bill had been through, I saw this as
not just another tactic to pass the Senate Bill at all costs, but also
as an affront to our liberties.

"While I’m fortunate enough to be able to legally challenge what
happened today, others aren’t. The sad part is the democrats know
this. They know that Americans unfamiliar with federal jurisprudence
can easily be silenced when threats to involve federal agents are
made. They know that most Americans don’t want trouble and they’ll go
away rather than face the possibility of having to explain themselves
to federal agents. That’s why I found this tactic appalling, as a
Marine, as an attorney and as a proud American.

"During my final contact with Mr. Garamendi’s staff, it was confirmed
to me that he would vote for the Senate Bill no matter what. I was
told that I was wasting my time by calling. Mr. Garamendi is a junior
member of the House of Representatives. He was just elected via a
special election last November. He has made it clear that he is
willing to forsake his constituents in order to please the Speaker of
the House.

"Speaker Pelosi has said that she will stop at nothing to get the
Senate Bill passed. She publicly stated that she would “pole vault
over a wall” if barriers stood in her way. While that may be an
amusing spectacle, it is indicative of what happened to me today.
Apparently, threatening Americans with federal crimes to silence them
is the latest tool in Speaker Pelosi’s dirty bag of tricks.

"In the coming days, I’m sure more stories will develop illustrating
the “win at all costs” tactics being employed by democrats. It’s these
tactics that have appalled a majority of Americans to the point that
the Senate Bill has overwhelmingly been rejected by the American
people. When we try to explain that to Speaker Pelosi’s Caucus, we are
threatened with criminal sanctions. We are told to shut up or face
federal agents. Such treatment may be acceptable in the former Soviet
Union, but it’s repulsive in the country I love and served. Is this
hope and change? [It's Rope and Chains.]

http://biggovernment.com/capitolconf...re-harassment/

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