MEMORANDUM

To: Jasper County, IA Supervisor Doug Cupples
Jasper County Courthouse
101 1st Street N, Room 203
Newton, IA 50208

Subj: IOWA OPEN RECORDS REQUEST – JASPER COUNTY, IA – #011 – ELIMINATION OF THE FOG OF WAR – #03

Ref: 1. Iowa Code Title I State Sovereignty and Management, Chapter 22 Examination of Public Records (Open Records)
2. Iowa Code Title I State Sovereignty and Management, Chapter 23 Public Access to Government Information (Iowa Public Information Board Act) – Section 23.7 – Filing of complaints with the board.

Enc: (1.) IOWA OPEN RECORDS REQUEST – JASPER COUNTY, IA – #004 – 17 AUG 2022
(2.) Memorandum – JASPER COUNTY, IA – ALLEGED VIOLATION OF IOWA CODE CHAPTER 22 – 06 SEP 2022
(3.) Iowa Public Information Board – Case: 22FC:0091 – Dismissal Order – 20 OCT 2022
(4.) Electronic Mail – Scott Nicholson – 08 NOV 2022
(5.) Electronic Mail – Michael J. Merritt – 09 NOV 2022
(6.) Electronic Mail – Margaret Johnson – 09 NOV 2022
(7.) Electronic Mail – Scott Nicholson – 09 NOV 2022
(8.) Iowa Public Information Board – Case: 22FC:0091 – Revised Dismissal Order – 17 NOV 2022
(9.) Electronic Mail – Ryan Eaton – 03 MAR 2023
(10.) Memorandum – Matthew Brick – Brick Gentry P.C. – 14 DEC 2022
(11.) Facebook Page – Jasper County, IA – Facebook Block Evidence – (Elected Offices)
(12.) Facebook Page – Jasper County, IA Supervisor Doug Cupples – Facebook Block Evidence – (Elected Office)
(13.) Facebook Page – Jasper County, IA Supervisor Brandon Talsma – (Elected Office)
(14.) Facebook Page – Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Department – Facebook Block Evidence – (Elected Office)
(15.) Facebook Page – Jasper County, IA Health Department – (Appointed Office)
(16.) Facebook Page – Jasper County, IA Recorder – (Elected Office)

1. Introduction

Enclosure (1.) shows Jasper County, IA, was requested to provide, “the list of citizens currently blocked from accessing and viewing social media assets managed by this government body.” Enclosure (4.) shows Jasper County, IA’s response to Enclosure (1.) during Iowa Public Information Board Case 22FC:0091 including one public record including the name Michael J. Merritt. Margaret Johnson communicated in Enclosure (6.), “Mr. Nicholson, please let me know if this included all the noted Facebook pages.” Jasper County, IA, Attorney Nicholson communicated in Enclosure (7.), “Yes. It included all noted Facebook pages.” Ryan Eaton communicated in Enclosure (9.), “The “county social media pages” are used only for information only and not for or by political parties. The county’s general Facebook page and Sheriff’s Facebook page can be viewed on the county’s website by anyone with or without a Facebook account. (Facebook Feeds). You have been provided a screen shot of who is blocked from those 2 pages on the Facebook platform.” Ryan Eaton also communicated in Enclosure (9.) while contradicting Jasper County, IA Attorney Nicholson’s testimony to the Iowa Public Information Board in case 22FC:0091 shown in Enclosure (7.), “I will clarify that only political candidates have access to their own political sites or social media. It would be a violation of Iowa Code for an “employee” to use county time or equipment to do so.”

Evidence supporting the conclusion that the Facebook Page identified in Paragraph (2.) is not political is determined by the Facebook Page being identified as belonging to a Jasper County, IA, Supervisor. The Jasper County, IA Supervisor is a position elected by the people not owned or belonging to Mr. Cupples. The Jasper County, IA Supervisor position is an elected position belonging to Jasper County, IA. Mr. Cupples was elected to fill this position by the people of Jasper County, IA. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude any social media asset, including a government position or the title of an elected, appointed, government office, or body in its name or web address (URL), belongs to the government body that produced the necessity for the position being advertised on the social media page.

Evidence supporting the fact both Jasper County, IA Attorney Nicholson, and Ryan Eaton have misrepresented the document provided on 08 NOV 2022 in Enclosure (4.) as a Facebook Block list for multiple Facebook Page profiles (IPIB 22FC:0091) is as simple as identifying the fact that every Facebook Profile/Page has its own block list and account settings.

Enclosure (10.) has been included to provide evidence that every Facebook Page has an independent block list providing evidence that both Jasper County, IA Attorney Nicholson, and Ryan Eaton misrepresented what they provided in Enclosure (8.) during Iowa Public Information Board case 22FC:0091 as Jasper County, IA Attorney Nicholson articulated in Enclosure (9.).

An example of the difference between a politician’s page and a public office page belonging to a government body is shown below.

Facebook Page – Kim Reynolds – Politicians’ Page – Facebook Blue Check is visible on this page confirming the identity of the owner of this Facebook Page is Kim Reynolds

Facebook Page – Governor Kim Reynolds – Facebook Blue Check is visible on this page confirming the identity of the owner of this Facebook Page, the Governor of Iowa.

Evidence supporting Ryan Eaton’s statement, “The county’s general Facebook page and Sheriff’s Facebook page can be viewed on the county’s website by anyone with or without a Facebook account.” is false is confirmed by the public record provided by Jasper County, IA Attorney Nicholson in Enclosure (4.). Enclosure (4.) provides evidence that Jasper County, IA’s elected leaders block citizens’ voices on social media that conflict with their political ideologies from being indexed with government body social media assets managed by Jasper County, IA. At the same time, Jasper County, IA, produces evidence of prohibiting, abridging, and minimizing the visibility of undesirable speech being viewed by other voters on social media while these elected leaders maintain their unethical grip on political power. This act is a paradigm similar to a politician unplugging a public address system of a public speaker at a political rally during the years before the adoption of social media by the people, their elected leaders, and the government bodies of this state and republic.

2. Requested Information

(a.) Facebook and Facebook Messenger Block lists (April 2023 Update) for Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/dougcupplesjaspercountysupervisor

3. Conclusion

Ultimately the originator of this request and Complainant in Iowa Public Information Board case 22FC:0091 will acquire Facebook Page and social media block lists for all elected positions, appointed positions, and government body social media assets evidence indicates belong to Jasper County, IA. The only remaining question is how much evidence of quivering and squirming in the shadows these gun-toting political cowboys will produce before releasing documents the Iowa Public Information Board determined are public records in case: 22FC:0091.