Obamagrams - Open Letters to the U.S. President

Obamagram

When the Obama administration launched its version of Whitehouse.gov, it promised unprecedented openness. But the site's contact page restricted letters to 500 characters. Is that enough to argue complex ideas effectively? After being criticized for the limit, it was expanded. Even so, the Whitehouse.gov feedback form is not really 'open' at all. The Obamagram responds to this uncertainty about how democracy should be formatted in an age of networking and digital media. An 'open letter' is a letter, often critical, addressed to a person or group but intended for publication. The Obamagram puts a new twist on the open letter by making it anonymous and giving it a rigid form. The orginal, round, arbitrary number 500 is restored as an exact 500 character requirement. Read more.

Compose your Obamagram

Tips to Compact a Message

Avoid old-fashioned formalities
Dear Mr. President,

Sincerely, Your Name Here
Choose shorter idioms
Whoever said "X" didn't know anything about Y
vs
Z's ignorant
Abbreviate
government and Internal Revenue Service
vs
gov't & IRS
Avoid nuance
Although I appreciate your desire to get new legislation passed, I really feel that Bush and Cheney should be prosecuted for their crimes
vs
W&Dick r war criminals
Write without spaces like medieval monk
What were you thinking appointing Ray LaHood as Transportation Secretary?
vs
WutWereUThinkinMakinRayLaHoodTranspSec'y?

Tips to Confine a Thought

Watch lots of TV
Read only when necessary
Avoid "serious" matters
Never ask questions
Have faith in authority figures

May 5, 2009

K

i

l

c

u

l

l

e

n

s

a

i

d

"

S

i

n

c

e

2

0

0

6

,

w

e

'

v

e

k

i

l

l

e

d

1

4

s

e

n

i

o

r

A

l

Q

a

e

d

a

l

e

a

d

e

r

s

u

s

i

n

g

d

r

o

n

e

s

t

r

i

k

e

s

;

i

n

t

h

e

s

a

m

e

t

i

m

e

p

e

r

i

o

d

,

w

e

'

v

e

k

i

l

l

e

d

7

0

0

P

a

k

i

s

t

a

n

i

c

i

v

i

l

i

a

n

s

i

n

t

h

e

s

a

m

e

a

r

e

a

.

T

h

e

d

r

o

n

e

s

t

r

i

k

e

s

a

r

e

h

i

g

h

l

y

u

n

p

o

p

u

l

a

r

.

T

h

e

y

a

r

e

d

e

e

p

l

y

a

g

g

r

a

v

a

t

i

n

g

t

o

t

h

e

p

o

p

u

l

a

t

i

o

n

.

A

n

d

t

h

e

y

'

v

e

g

i

v

e

n

r

i

s

e

t

o

a

f

e

e

l

i

n

g

o

f

a

n

g

e

r

t

h

a

t

c

o

a

l

e

s

c

e

s

t

h

e

p

o

p

u

l

a

t

i

o

n

a

r

o

u

n

d

t

h

e

e

x

t

r

e

m

i

s

t

s

a

n

d

l

e

a

d

s

t

o

s

p

i

k

e

s

o

f

e

x

t

r

e

m

i

s

m

.

.

.

.

T

h

e

c

u

r

r

e

n

t

p

a

t

h

t

h

a

t

w

e

a

r

e

o

n

i

s

l

e

a

d

i

n

g

u

s

t

o

l

o

s

s

o

f

P

a

k

i

s

t

a

n

i

g

o

v

e

r

n

m

e

n

t

c

o

n

t

r

o

l

o

v

e

r

i

t

s

o

w

n

p

o

p

u

l

a

t

i

o

n

.

"

Apr 8, 2016

C

o

n

f

r

o

n

t

e

d

w

i

t

h

n

e

w

s

o

f

t

h

e

P

a

n

a

m

a

P

a

p

e

r

s

,

M

r

.

P

r

e

s

i

d

e

n

t

,

y

o

u

s

p

o

k

e

a

b

o

u

t

h

o

w

l

a

w

s

a

r

e

f

a

i

l

i

n

g

t

o

r

e

g

u

l

a

t

e

t

h

e

u

s

e

o

f

s

h

e

l

l

c

o

r

p

o

r

a

t

i

o

n

s

t

o

e

v

a

d

e

t

a

x

e

s

.

Y

e

t

i

t

w

a

s

y

o

u

w

h

o

p

u

s

h

e

d

t

h

r

o

u

g

h

t

h

e

P

a

n

a

m

a

T

r

a

d

e

P

r

o

m

o

t

i

o

n

A

g

r

e

e

m

e

n

t

,

w

h

i

c

h

l

i

k

e

"

f

r

e

e

t

r

a

d

e

"

a

g

r

e

e

m

e

n

t

s

b

e

f

o

r

e

i

t

,

i

s

l

a

c

e

d

w

i

t

h

p

r

o

v

i

s

i

o

n

s

g

h

o

s

t

w

r

i

t

t

e

n

b

y

l

o

b

b

y

i

s

t

s

.

I

n

s

t

e

a

d

o

f

o

u

t

l

a

w

i

n

g

u

n

a

c

c

o

u

n

t

a

b

l

e

s

h

e

l

l

c

o

r

p

o

r

a

t

i

o

n

s

,

y

o

u

r

t

r

a

d

e

a

g

r

e

e

m

e

n

t

m

a

d

e

i

t

a

l

m

o

s

t

i

m

p

o

s

s

i

b

l

e

t

o

p

r

o

s

e

c

u

t

e

t

a

x

c

h

e

a

t

s

.

I

t

w

a

s

y

o

u

t

h

a

t

m

a

d

e

t

h

e

l

a

w

t

h

a

t

i

s

f

a

i

l

i

n

g

u

s

!

!

Oct 4, 2015

O

n

e

D

a

y

A

f

t

e

r

W

a

r

n

i

n

g

R

u

s

s

i

a

o

f

C

i

v

i

l

i

a

n

C

a

s

u

a

l

t

i

e

s

,

t

h

e

U

.

S

.

B

o

m

b

s

a

H

o

s

p

i

t

a

l

i

n

A

f

g

h

a

n

i

s

t

a

n

.

T

h

i

s

c

o

m

e

s

o

n

l

y

d

a

y

s

a

f

t

e

r

y

o

u

c

o

n

d

e

m

n

e

d

t

h

e

w

a

y

t

h

e

U

n

i

t

e

d

S

t

a

t

e

s

i

g

n

o

r

e

s

g

u

n

c

o

n

t

r

o

l

&

a

l

l

o

w

s

m

a

s

s

s

h

o

o

t

i

n

g

s

e

v

e

r

y

f

e

w

m

o

n

t

h

s

.

Y

o

u

m

a

y

h

o

l

d

a

N

o

b

e

l

P

r

i

z

e

,

s

i

r

,

b

u

t

y

o

u

a

r

e

a

h

y

p

o

c

r

i

t

e

.

I

t

i

s

u

n

d

e

r

y

o

u

r

l

e

a

d

e

r

s

h

i

p

t

h

a

t

c

i

v

i

l

i

a

n

s

a

r

e

s

l

a

u

g

h

t

e

r

e

d

b

y

d

r

o

n

e

a

n

d

b

y

h

i

g

h

t

e

c

h

w

e

a

p

o

n

r

y

.

Y

o

u

c

r

o

w

a

b

o

u

t

e

n

d

i

n

g

w

a

r

s

&

y

e

t

y

o

u

c

o

n

t

i

n

u

e

t

o

b

o

m

b

i

n

b

o

t

h

A

f

g

h

a

n

i

s

t

a

n

a

n

d

i

n

I

r

a

q

.

Y

o

u

r

a

c

t

i

o

n

s

s

p

e

a

k

l

o

u

d

e

r

t

h

a

n

w

o

r

d

s

Jan 21, 2014

M

r

O

b

a

m

a

w

o

u

l

d

h

a

v

e

A

m

e

r

i

c

a

n

s

b

e

l

i

e

v

e

t

h

a

t

h

e

w

a

n

t

s

t

o

r

e

f

o

r

m

t

h

e

c

o

v

e

r

t

s

p

y

i

n

g

p

r

o

g

r

a

m

s

u

n

c

o

v

e

r

e

d

b

y

E

d

w

a

r

d

S

n

o

w

d

e

n

,

c

a

l

l

i

n

g

p

r

e

s

s

c

o

n

f

e

r

e

n

c

e

s

t

o

m

a

k

e

a

s

h

o

w

o

f

s

u

p

p

o

s

e

d

r

e

f

o

r

m

.

B

u

t

j

u

s

t

a

s

T

o

t

a

l

I

n

f

o

r

m

a

t

i

o

n

A

w

a

r

e

n

e

s

s

m

o

r

p

h

e

d

i

n

t

o

s

e

c

r

e

t

N

S

A

p

r

o

g

r

a

m

s

,

t

h

e

t

r

u

t

h

i

s

t

h

a

t

t

h

e

a

d

m

i

n

i

s

t

r

a

t

i

o

n

i

s

r

e

a

r

r

a

n

g

i

n

g

t

h

e

d

e

c

k

c

h

a

i

r

s

w

h

i

l

e

m

a

i

n

t

a

i

n

i

n

g

t

h

e

s

t

a

t

u

s

q

u

o

.

A

s

N

S

A

c

h

i

e

f

C

l

a

p

p

e

r

h

a

s

s

a

i

d

,

t

h

e

n

a

t

i

o

n

a

l

'

d

i

s

c

u

s

s

i

o

n

'

p

r

o

m

p

t

e

d

b

y

S

n

o

w

d

e

n

'

s

r

e

v

e

l

a

t

i

o

n

s

n

e

e

d

e

d

t

o

h

a

p

p

e

n

.

S

o

h

o

w

c

a

n

h

e

r

e

m

a

i

n

a

p

u

b

l

i

c

e

n

e

m

y

?