Posted on 08/25/2009 6:49:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
How much public privacy do presidential families deserve? Not as much as Barack Obama wants.
Earlier this month, according to the New York Post, Secret Service agents demanded that customers temporarily hand over cell phones in D.C.’s “Good Stuff Eatery,” where Michelle, Malia and Sasha were eating cheeseburgers, onion rings and fries. Why? To prevent diners from snapping cell phone pictures of the first daughters.
Now on Martha’s Vineyard, Obama has issued strong media directives about photographing the girls when he’s not with them. No word on whether regular Joes and Janes will again have to hand over cell phones - or digital cameras - should the Obama children turn up beside theirs on the Flying Horse Carousel.
First, nobody should be confiscating anyone’s cell phone or camera. Second, there’s no evidence that paparazzi and/or TV and newspaper photographers stalk the Obama children. If so, there’d have been a zillion pictures of them since the inauguration. In fact, we’ve seen very few. And most of those they posed for.
Third, were some lucky lens(wo)man to get word of an unescorted Obama girls visit, say, to Martha’s Vineyard’s Giordano’s pizza, the picture would be taken, discreetly, with a long lens from a long distance. There wouldn’t be 50 cameras 2 feet away, flashbulbs pop, pop, popping. And no one’s even thinking - a la Tom Brady [stats] and Gisele - of stashing photogs in bushes to spy on the children inside their vacation home.
Obama just can’t have it both ways. He exposed his kids when it suited him. Recall last summer’s campaign interview with “Access Hollywood.” The Obama girls answered Maria Menounos’ very pleasant questions, such as, how much fun would it be to live in the White House? America was charmed.
Then Obama went on “Good Morning America,” claiming to regret the whole thing, “It’s something that we’ll be avoiding in the future.”
Maybe he did regret it. Maybe not. Maybe he’d have preferred a more rarefied venue. In any case, a big reason why many terrific candidates - for mayor, governor, never mind president - do not run is to protect their own and their family’s privacy.
Obviously, Obama wanted the White House more than privacy. And since the press has behaved itself regarding his kids, it’s annoying to hear him on his high horse now.
I understand. Malia and Sasha are only 11 and 8. I know. They didn’t ask to be the first kids. But their father made that decision for them. And their mother agreed.
I think if a secret service agent ‘demanded’ my cell phone I would tell them to get lost
Only the liberals can get away with the vaugeness and opaqueness of transparancy.
Obama is an idiot, the sooner he is out of the peoples house the better.
no ‘thinking’ about it for me. that request better come with a warrant
Me too, Mr. K, as much as I appreciate them.
That's the standard protocol for all these staged photo-op things.
Now, why do the Obama's want the number of photos of their kids minimized? Well, you know that photomontage someone has where they superimpose Web Hubbell on Chelsea's face? (You know, the one that looks exactly like him/her).
The Obama's don't want you doing that with their kids for some reason ~ do they look like someone else? Do they not look like the mommy and daddy?
The mind boggles at the several questions that could be asked here.
So far they've been pretty successful in minimizing photo ops ~ even at the Inaugural Balls.
Now if I were President, you'd be required to photograph my kids, particularly the eldest when he was about 18 months old ~ we had old ladies following us around in grocery stores trying to hug him ~ it was horrid ~ and then when he's selling stuff, the babes line up ~ someday I'll tell you about the time he went to a Republican rally and these girls were going nuts to get close to him and literally turning their backs on John Warner, George Allen, etc.
Yeah, we may run him for office some day.
I almost WISH a Secret Service agent would ‘demand’ my cell phone. I’d DEMAND they read the 4th amendment.
hmmmm interesting, maybe you would then wind up being interrogated by the newly formed Executive interrogation czar, maybe you and your family would then be moved to an undisclosed “FEMA” Camp to help you undertand the importance of obeying Obama.
They wouldn't bother separating you from your cell phone. They'd simply carry you and your phone out as one piece.
I would have left the restaurant without paying my bill, if the restaurant management didn’t intervene and tell the Secret Service agents they couldn’t do this. I understand the Obama’s want to protect their young daughters from ending up on the cover up tabloids chewing with their mouths open etc, but “please” goes a long way, and strategic placement of Secret Service agents between the girls and restaurant patrons who don’t seem to be complying with a polite request not to snap photos, should go the rest of the way.
The o s market their kids. If they don’t make money off them, you ain’t seeing them.
Heaven forbid the Obama kids get the Palin-family treatment.
Yes. Yes they do.
I’d be interested to know if anyone actually put up any resistance. Or if the way the story is told here is leaving out some key details, e.g. perhaps that the Secret Service agents were there well in advance, and that entering patrons were advised that they would have to check cell phones at the door for security reasons, or come back after _:00 when the Obamas had left.
The use of cell phones in terrorist bombings is well-documented, and it’s reasonable to prohibit cell phones within a small space while the President and/or his immediate family are there for a brief period. But if they were demanding patrons who were already seated and eating give up phones, with no prior notice, and/or were making the request primarily for reasons of “privacy” rather than security, they were way out of line.
Same goes for the guy walking around with an AR-15 or whatever... just because you can do something doesn't mean you "should' do something.
I would refuse to hand over my cell phone and I’d toss in this comment, “Please tell the President he’s flattering himself. I have zero interest in what his daughters order for dessert.”
There’s another possible angle here, namely that the restaurant was eager to have the Obamas dine there, for marketing purposes, and agreed in advance that the Secret Service would be allowed to collect cell phones from patrons. As long as patrons were advised of this when they first entered the restaurant, then technically speaking there shouldn’t be an issue here, since the restaurant is private property and the business owner should be allowed to run the business however s/he pleases. Ironically though, since the Obamas are leftists, they support laws that prohibit private business owners (particularly of the “public accommodations” sort, like restaurants and hotels) from operating their businesses however they choose.
Clear thinking does not happen in the minds of totalitarians.
Remember this, the next time a “Republican” holds the White House also.
I would make them get the phone.
Absolutley no way.
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