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Can Obama give up his BlackBerry?
Megan Lynch
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: Commentary
Every American is well aware of President-elect Barack Obama's plans for change, including economic plans, healthcare and his BlackBerry. Each of these pressing issues will greatly affect our nation's future, right? So what's the big issue with the president's choice of phone, and why are we even talking about this when we're in the middle of an economic crisis and a war?
The New York Times reported how precious Obama's BlackBerry is to his everyday life and how this may change when he is inaugurated. With e-mail continuing to grow as a source of communication, Obama wishes to help drag the White House into the 21st century. It's starting to look like the only way Washington will follow him is kicking and screaming, and America should hope it stays this way.
The main reason to confiscate the use of Obama's BlackBerry is for national security. E-mails can easily be hacked into and as the president he would be putting the U.S. at risk. In addition, according the Presidential Records Act, any correspondence is put on the official record and open to public review. Washington's plan to take away Obama's BlackBerry privileges is for the good of the nation and also for his own privacy. While Obama may feel comfortable having his conversations aired to the general population, the people he is talking to may not. The fact still remains that e-mails can be hacked regardless of how heavy the firewall around them may be.
Try to imagine how many times you look at your cell phone per day, or even in one class. Multiply that by all of Obama's endorsements and it should be about equal to his number of quick phone peeks. During the last stages of the campaign, BlackBerrys were to be banned from important meetings. All officials, including Obama, were forced to place their lifelines in the middle of the table to avoid distractions, and for good reason. Most people with cell phones, especially BlackBerrys, fiddle with them constantly. It may be in class, at work, on the bus, etc., but it is easy to admit how distracting phones are. As president, Obama needs to put America over the importance of his e-mails to make sure the nation is running properly.
The New York Times reported how precious Obama's BlackBerry is to his everyday life and how this may change when he is inaugurated. With e-mail continuing to grow as a source of communication, Obama wishes to help drag the White House into the 21st century. It's starting to look like the only way Washington will follow him is kicking and screaming, and America should hope it stays this way.
The main reason to confiscate the use of Obama's BlackBerry is for national security. E-mails can easily be hacked into and as the president he would be putting the U.S. at risk. In addition, according the Presidential Records Act, any correspondence is put on the official record and open to public review. Washington's plan to take away Obama's BlackBerry privileges is for the good of the nation and also for his own privacy. While Obama may feel comfortable having his conversations aired to the general population, the people he is talking to may not. The fact still remains that e-mails can be hacked regardless of how heavy the firewall around them may be.
Try to imagine how many times you look at your cell phone per day, or even in one class. Multiply that by all of Obama's endorsements and it should be about equal to his number of quick phone peeks. During the last stages of the campaign, BlackBerrys were to be banned from important meetings. All officials, including Obama, were forced to place their lifelines in the middle of the table to avoid distractions, and for good reason. Most people with cell phones, especially BlackBerrys, fiddle with them constantly. It may be in class, at work, on the bus, etc., but it is easy to admit how distracting phones are. As president, Obama needs to put America over the importance of his e-mails to make sure the nation is running properly.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Kate
posted 11/17/08 @ 10:01 AM EST
This was an article in the NY Times a few days ago. Get something original.
zenboy
posted 11/17/08 @ 5:06 PM EST
I hear Barack not only has to give up his Blackberry, but he has to remove all mentions of himself from the internet entirely. Read more here: http://is. (Continued…)
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