So now I am receiving multiple posts from well meaning friends with this link:

For those who want to know what the bill actually states, here it is http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr347enr/pdf/BILLS-112hr347enr.pdf .

Yes, it is absolutely true that President Obama signed this bill.  I am unsure about the allegation that he signed it ‘in secret’, since neither I nor any of these other commentators were with him at the moment he signed it.  ‘In secret’ brings to my mind things done in stealth, under cover of darkness, behind closed doors, to be hidden away from prying eyes.  The same day Obama signed this bill (which passed 399-3 with little to no comment by either party), his press secretary put out a press release to the public http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/08/statement-press-secretary-hr-347 .  The bill was also listed on the white house site as an upcoming bill prior to the President signing it.  That doesn’t seem very stealthy to me.

While it is true that this bill clearly has the potential for abuse, that is by no means a unique situation.  Almost any law can be abused or twisted by those in power.  Sad but true fact.  This is not the first law I have seen that concerned me, and it will not be the last.

What interests me about the current flap is not so much what HR 347 may  or may not be used for, but the make-up of the loudest detractors, Faux News and the Republicans.  Here we are, heading into an election, and whaddya’ know?  Scandal, rabble rousing, and vilification by the same folks who supported it without demur.  When I see them attacking their own with equal fervor I will give them a little more attention.

*Note, The initial vote in the House was 399-3, the bill was amended slightly in the Senate, passed unanimously, was sent back through the House due to its amended state and passed again, this time 388-3.