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Want a preview of the exact text the White House will use to not comment? https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-comment-chris-williams https://

by comex 13y ago

Want a preview of the exact text the White House will use to not comment? https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-comment-chris-williams https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-commen... https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-comment-leonard-peltier https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-commen... https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-can’t-comment-marc-emery https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-can’t-comme... Though maybe we'll get extra lucky and get a non-form non-response, like Bradley Manning's: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-comment-bradley-manning https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/why-we-cant-commen...

drawkbox 13y ago
This is a defeatist attitude. But you are voicing your disapproval if it makes it. They know if they are doing wrong if you tell them. Of course it will be like that. But it is the principle of it. They'll probably raise signatures to 250k if it passes, and we should take it past that as well. I am of the ideal that you should never let freedoms go away easily, voice your disapproval. If it is legal, made by executive orders only via Patriot Act proxies, then we aren't really in a free society anymore. Make a public congressional vote if it is legal, until then is it really legal? What precedent does this set for 1-2 decades from now, not just if it is ok now?
jwise0 13y ago
Of course, we may not get a response at all, as in the case of one of the many Aaron Swartz petitions -- https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-united-states-district-attorney-carmen-ortiz-office-overreach-case-aaron-swartz/RQNrG1Ck https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-united-stat... (Note that at the time, the threshold for petition responses was 25,000 signatures.) So, perhaps it'd be better not to hold your breath at all.
fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
It doesn't matter. Even if you take a cynical attitude about petitions (as I usually do), this one in particular has value as a news item as does the fact that it will receive its 100k signatures rather quickly.

by comex 13y ago

drawkbox 13y ago

This is a defeatist attitude. But you are voicing your disapproval if it makes it. They know if they are doing wrong if you tell them. Of course it will be like that. But it is the principle of it. They'll probably raise signatures to 250k if it passes, and we should take it past that as well. I am of the ideal that you should never let freedoms go away easily, voice your disapproval. If it is legal, made by executive orders only via Patriot Act proxies, then we aren't really in a free society anymore. Make a public congressional vote if it is legal, until then is it really legal? What precedent does this set for 1-2 decades from now, not just if it is ok now?

jwise0 13y ago

Of course, we may not get a response at all, as in the case of one of the many Aaron Swartz petitions -- https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-united-states-district-attorney-carmen-ortiz-office-overreach-case-aaron-swartz/RQNrG1Ck https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-united-stat... (Note that at the time, the threshold for petition responses was 25,000 signatures.) So, perhaps it'd be better not to hold your breath at all.

fnordfnordfnord 13y ago

It doesn't matter. Even if you take a cynical attitude about petitions (as I usually do), this one in particular has value as a news item as does the fact that it will receive its 100k signatures rather quickly.