Among the items included in the initial form survey is an option requiring senders to indicate whether the sender supports or opposes White House policy. In addition, once having completed the survey and submitted the message, the writer must wait for an automated response at the return address included in the message requiring the addressee to confirm that he or she intended to send the message. The message is delivered to the White House only after receipt of the confirmation.
Noting that the President receives over 14,000 messages a day, White House spokesman, Jimmy Orr observed that the new system is "likely to frighten off all but the most determined nut jobs."
"Look," Mr Orr continued, "the President doesn't have time to read his monthly threat assessments, what are the chances he's going to be reading constituent e-mails in the first place."
In addition Mr Orr indicated that the new system is expected to greatly streamline identification and prosecution of dissenters contacting the White House via e-mail.
"In the past," Mr Orr observed, "if someone used a HotMail or Yahoo account, we had to go the trouble of finding the dissenter's IP number the message header and then tracing their identity through a sealed subpoena to his or her service provider. This was both needlessly expensive and time consuming."
Mr Orr explained that the confirmation process would also serve to limit defenses in the case of a subsequent prosecution.
"Once the confirmation process has been completed, it is all but impossible for the sender to claim that the address and/or IP number were 'spoofed' by an unrelated third party," Mr Orr elaborated in a jargon filled sentence. "It will make for a very short trial -- should choose to hold one."
While acknowledging that "the First Amendment allows people to disagree with the President", Mr Orr observed that "September 11th has given us much greater leeway in terms of the 'kind of stuff' we can go after."
Asked whether the President actually views any of the mail sent to him, Mr Orr indicated that the President is fond of "redneck jokes" and links to photographs of actress, Denise Richards-Sheen.
Mr Orr described the photos of Ms Richards-Sheen as tasteful and fully clothed. He further denied that it was in any way appropriate to describe the actress as the President's 'fictional daughter-in-law'
