I ~ICHAELL. GRACE PO BOX 5263 s. s. PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA 92263- 7_- - I, November 13,2006 Jeff S. Jordan, Esq. I Supervisory Attorney Complaints Examination and Legal Administration Federal Election Commission 999 E. Street W. I Washinton, D.C. 20463 Dear Mr. Jordan: . Re: MUR 5853 As you requested, I have attached my responses to the very time-consuming complaint filed by Congresswoman Mary Bono regarding demanding the Federal Election Commission shut down a blogsite called Maw Bono #2 Conmssional Hottie where the maximum hits per day was less than 40 visits. That anyone could doubt that the shut down independent blogsite was not a sardonic lampoon is incredulous; considering there was a video of Bono in “drag” on the site and still can be seen at www.thedesertpun.com, or youtube. I feel Bono’s complaint over a secondary blog seen by very few people and claiming I was David Roth’s “agent” is retaliation by Bono for my refusal to sell her the website: www.marybono.net. Bono’s campaign office also threatened to use personal information handled by her congressional office to dissuade me fiom any opposition to her re-election. These efforts coupled with her contacting Google Inc., in an invasion of my privacy is very disturbing to me. I wonder if there could be possible criminal violations in Bono securing personal information with the cooperation of Google and their employees. I have contacted Miriam Rivera, the Deputy General Counsel at Google Inc., sending her Bono’s complaint, asking her to clariQ whether Google authorized releasing personal information about me through the Google employee Bono identifies as “Jamie.” Please feel heto contact me should you need additional information. Very truly yours wqb%J--dMichael L. Grace Enc. Cc: The Hon. Howard Berman The Hon. Mary Bono Kathryn Tschopik, Esq. Gregory Keever, Esq. Miriam Rivera, Esq. Kerry W. Kircher, Esq. 1 c I Congresswoman Mary Bono states she secured cooperation fbm a Google employee identified as “Jamie”. This so-called employee is never identified but is used repeatedly in the complaint as if there was dialogue between Bono and “Jamie.” Bono sought personal infomation about me and invaded my privacy. It is my understanding the law prevents government entities fiom requiring disclosures fiom a provider without proper procedure. I have contacted the Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Google Inc., to see if they cooperated with Bono. The Department of Justice this year was rebuked by Google in attempts to invade user’s privacy and it is astonishing Bono was able to accomplish this with the full cooperation of a Google employee. (#A) During the past year I did establish commentaries and websites satirizing both Democrats and Republicans along the lines of such blogs as the www.whitehouse.org during the past year. They are obvious lampoons. (#B) Bono believes her constituents would mistake the marginally visited sites on myspace (shutdown by Bono) and blogger (shut down on Nov 3) or a local blog called 11 1% .i hc‘~Ic~wt rnii ti. CWTI (which Bono wanted to shut down) as statements authorized by her influencing the election. It is absurd “her public” would believe these blogs are not a sat&cd site. A video youtube segment with Bono in “drag” appeared on the site regularly and can still be seen on ; 5 . i ’1 ti!! 1.‘ 1’‘ fl:I 1 I I 1 ! : or youtube. On the site were narratives with such blogs as GOV.Schwarzenegger looking “fat in a bikini” - Bono outfitted as a playboy items concerning Bono’s relationships with Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Connie Mack, Duke November 9,2006 Page 2 Cunningham, etc., are seen in the blog. Would anyone think Bono would call herself the “Congessional#2 Hottie”? The average daily visit were under 40 hits and it is ludicrous to believe this any effect on the election besides a lampoon seen by a very very limited audience? (#C) As for David Roth, Bono’s opposing Democratic challenger in the recent election, I was not acting as an agent for him or having a “relationship” with him regarding his campaign. I did contribute to Roth’s campaign, met him briefly two times at a large fund-raiser, never met his campaign manager or staff, never did any volunteer work or attended any rallies or other events. Bono bases “my relationship” with Roth on my including Mr. Roth in a second copy of an email sent to the publisher and editor of the Desert Sun. If I was Mr. Roth’s “agent” or had a “relationship” would I have included him in an email which was also sent to members of Bono’s campaign, various media people, along with members of the local city council in Palm Springs along with both Republican and Democratic players here? The referenced email in the complaint hmMr. Roth to the Desert Sun was sent to me as an attachment. Bono faiis to mention I hve another blog: SA $1 \\ ijwILW I t ,?:in corn. This causes me to be on dozens of political email lists regarding that site. I received the Roth’s original email as an attachment or it was forwarded on to me by some other constituent. I receive ernails like this all the time. For example, 1 received a copy of an email Bono sent to a local conservative radio talk show host. This w-m an attachment and in this email she indicates how Wyshe thought it was the host called an area of her November 9,2006 Page 3 Mexican-herkan constituency a “third world toilet.” I obviously don’t have a “relationship” with Ms. Bono or am not her “agent” but possession of this email would indicate I could have received this email as a blind second copy hmher. Emails fly around the internet with endless numbers of pple second copied similar to junk mail. (#D) Bono also shared persod information regarding a mattex handled by her congressional office with her campaign office. Her campaign office then used these matters as a possible threat to curtail my efforts against her re-election and, in other words, buy my vote. (#E) Bono lost control of her website w 11 .mii7 t~ono.n~tand attempted to buy the site hm me. I received an email hma “Daphne” wanting to buy the site immediately because she was going to give the “marybono” site to her girlfiiend. It seems the girlfiiend named “B.J” was having a baby and was going to name her “Mary.” Why she would want a website called A u 11 .ni ,I n 13 I t 11 J I 1 c t is beyond comprehension? This was an obvious attempt by Bono to buy the site back after her office failed to do so and one of the major reasons for the complaint as retaliation when I wouldn’t sell it. The site has never been activated. (#F) I would certainly have appreciated my blogsites having more impact on the election. I thought there were more visits than there were. It seems I read the accumulative report incorrectly. Over 150,000 people voted in the election and the average daily visits to the “Mary Bono number 2 hottie” was less than 50. The sitemeter does not exclude my visits which were many. (#G) November 9,2006 Page 4 I would hardly call myself a “party regular” or an “agent” or having a “relationship” with any Democrat. I am a gay man My entire purpose in campaigning against Bono was based on my First Amendment rights as an independent agent and lampooning the hypocrisy of political candidates including Democrats and Republicans. Bono has done everything possible to curtail my First Amendment rights in constructive retaliation with this complaint including gaining access to personal infomation with the Cooperation of Google, Inc., regardm very insignificant satirical websites averaging 40 bits a day. This was nothing but blatant harassment by Bono for: (1) my not selling Bono marybono.net; (2) my refusing to kmove the satirical blogs; (3) threatening to use personal idormation handled by her constituent office shared with her campaign office to be used as pressure for curtailing my protests against her re-election; (4) rehing, as a gay man, to be lumped in with what was seen as endorsement of Bono by the totally double-faced Log Cabin run Hurnan Rights Campaign. Please contact me if you want additional information or have any questions. Michael L. Grace MICHAEL L. GRACE PO BOX 5263 PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA 92263 By Federal Express (signature recluired) November 8,2006 , Miriam Rivera, Esq. Vice President & Deputy General Counsel Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043 Dear MS.Rivera: re: Google’s Involvement in Rep. Mary Bono’s Complaint Attached is a complaint filed on October 18”, 2006 with the Federal Election Commission by Congressional Rep. Mary Bono of Palm SpMgs, California. Is it correct Google, Inc., provided employee assistance to the Bono campaign in what. would appear privacy issues and fiunishing idormation 8s indicated in their complaint attachments? Bono has identified this Google employee as “Jamie” which would indicate Google was hiding the identity of this worker. I would appreciate your assistance in this matter to clari@ Google’s involvement in this complaint filed by Mary Bono and if your employee “Jamie” was involved? I wonder if there could be possible criminal violations in Bono securing personal information with the cooperation of Google and their employees. Many thanks for your cooperation. Very truly yours, Michael L. Grace Enc. Cc: The Hon. Howard Berman The Hon.