Posted on 10/27/2008 6:55:28 AM PDT by PhatHead
Government computers in Ohio may been used to illegally access personal information about Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, otherwise known as "Joe the Plumber," according to the Columbus Dispatch.
During their October 15 debate, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain referred to "Joe the Plumber" constantly. In the days following the debate, information on Wurzelbacher's driver's license or his sport-utility vehicle was retrieved from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times, the Dispatch reported. With access to such information limited to legitimate law enforcement and government business, state and local officials are now investigating whether the information was obtained illegally.
The information was retrieved using accounts assigned to the Ohio Attorney General's office, a county child support enforcement agency, and the Toledo Police Department.
An Ohio spokesman for the McCain campaign told the Dispatch that the information breach may have been politically motivated.
"It's outrageous to see how quickly Barack Obama's allies would abuse government power in an attempt to smear a private citizen who dared to ask a legitimate question," Paul Lindsay told the Dispatch.
The Obama campaign refuted those claims.
"Invasions of privacy should not be tolerated," Isaac Baker, an Obama spokesman, told the Dispatch. "If these records were accessed inappropriately, it had nothing to do with our campaign and should be investigated fully."
References to "Joe the Plumber" spurred many to search the Internet for information about Wurzelbacher, a 34-year-old from Holland, Ohio who is, in fact, not a certified plumber.
Both campaigns are attempting to benefit from the interest in the so-called plumber and are paying for ad spots on Google for the search term "Joe the plumber," shown below. The McCain ad leads to a video, in which Wurzelbacher appears, that says Obama is "not truthful on taxes." The Obama ad leads to the "Obama-Biden tax calculator."
The democrat Gestapo operating on the taxpayer’s dime.
I suggest Joe get a lawyer and SUE the State of Ohio.
He has a great case.
A suit will reveal WHO released his info, and keep a public eye on this.
And being cynical - he will make some $$ of it also
JOE JOE JOE! SAVE US
Talk openly and everywhere about GOVERNMENT computers being used to hack your normal midle class life.
Then HOLD UP A COPY OF YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE, tell the press you are saving the Obama camp the time and trouble of using GOVT COMPUTERS to obtain it- and then CHALLENGE The ONE to do the SAME!
This needs to be a red flag to every person in this nation. There are some in the government who will not hesitate to ruin the dissenter. Remember this the next time someone wants to make a list (i.e. gun registry).
The establishment doesn’t seem to understand that we conservatives can hate his ideaology without hating his skin color!
Joe should get himself a good aggressive lawyer, and then he will never have to worry about having the money to buy that plumbing business.
Oops, replied to the wrong thread!
I’m sure the Ohio government employees who accessed Joe’s data were just checking for tell-tale signs of racism.
If the ACLU were truly a civil liberties organization, and not a political organ, then they would be taking this case on Joe’s behalf & ripping the State of Ohio a new one.
In Obama’s America we will need a conservative legal organization that will fight for privacy rights, among other things.
“who is, in fact, not a certified plumber.”
And, neither is Al Gore a “certified carbon credit trader”.
“And being cynical - he will make some $$ of it also”
And, to send the perfect message, ask for damages in the mount of
$249, 999.99
It's happened before - under Nixon - but Joe is the first of what could (in the worst case if the voters make a major error in eight days) be a huge trend. I will be at the Inaugeration on January 20, 2009. I'll be cheering if it is a patriotic American. I'll be giving the traditional salute if the candidate being sworn in is a national socialist or any other type of socialist. 
Gee, wasn’t Nixon impeached for stuff like this?
"MAY" have been politically motivated?!?!
It was a great line, nonetheless!
FOX just reported that access to Joe’s info was traced to a computer in the Child Welfare office. The computer has been taken. No names mentioned yet.
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