Has anyone else received this email? I'm a bit suspicious of it.

[amerikat]

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[RoyGBiv]

1. Suspicious how?

If you suspect it is a SPAMming operation, you'd be right. It's a legitimate company, with varying mailing addresses FWIW, but what it does is sell e-mail lists to pretty much anyone wanting to target registered voters. IOW, if Wal-Mart wants to start SPAMming registered voters, they could buy a list from these people.

This is how I understand it anyway. This company came up in a discussion I was having with someone before the election.

That e-mail, btw, is an opt-out e-mail. If you don't opt-out, you'll continue to be on their list. There's no guarantee you'll be taken off their lists if you do opt-out, of course, but my understanding is that they're trying to keep up appearances at the moment.

[Mabus]

2. Here's what I found out (be very suspicious)

Ran a search on the street address came up with this:
http://www.voteremailing.com/privacy/ Looks very similar, then I looked up the registrant and got this:
Registrant:

Max Fose

535 W. Georgia

Phoenix, Arizona 85013

United States



Registered through: GoDaddy.com

Domain Name: VOTEREMAILING.COM

Created on: 11-Sep-03

Expires on: 11-Sep-05

Last Updated on: 11-Sep-04



Administrative Contact:

Fose, Max [e-mail]

535 W. Georgia

Phoenix, Arizona 85013

United States

2022858885 Fax --

Technical Contact:

Fose, Max [e-mail]

535 W. Georgia

Phoenix, Arizona 85013

United States

2022858885 Fax --



Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.WEBCONTROLCENTER.COM

NS2.WEBCONTROLCENTER.COM


So I looked up Max Fose and found this:
http://www.iwsnow.com/ where it says:
Integrated Web Strategy is an Internet consulting and development company. We specialize in building email lists, raising money online, building grassroots coalitions, lobbying using the Internet and interactively communicating using your Web site and email.

IWS has raised millions of dollars online and built email lists in the hundreds of thousands. A few of our most recent campaign successes include John McCain for U.S. Senate, Kit Bond for U.S. Senate, John Shadegg for Congress, Rick Renzi for Congress, Joe Arpaio for Sheriff, and the Keep it Clean Campaign.

During the 2000 election cycle, the IWS partners were responsible for raising more than $6.4 million online for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign and building a nationwide grassroots email coalition. This unique experience has guided IWS in developing successful Internet strategies for corporate America, non-profit associations, and political campaigns.

(I know Bond and McCain are pugs, don't know about the rest.)

[punpirate]

5. Renzi, Shadegg and Arpaio...

... are all `pugs.

Renzi faced allegations of coming in from out-of-state and buying his way into office. Most of his money came from his own pocket, Phoenix or Washington, DC, even though his is Flagstaff. Shadegg is very conservative and from the moneyed parts of Phoenix. Arpaio is the idiot sheriff for Maricopa County....

[Mabus]

6. Thanks for the confirmation

Amazing, simply amazing. Not surprising though. We had a spate of suspicious push-polling and I was asking about information on that company here in Kansas. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=153x810

[ryan_cats]

17. In other words...

In other words, you could trust an email from a Nigerian before one from these guys?

[punpirate]

19. Yeah...

... or from the RNC. :P

[amerikat]

11. That's what I was afraid of.......only getting mail from the right

I may sign up anyway. I could let them know I am more concerned about affordable health care than spongebob or whatever the latest crusade is.

[Mabus]

12. Or better yet

encourage them to go after SpongeBob and feed them disinfo. Ask them about the radical cleric Dobson. You know, screw with them.

[amerikat]

13. It is my nature to be creative and tolerant.

I am not sure I can even begin to learn to be deceitful and tactical. But I'll try because of what is at stake.

[Mabus]

14. Okay, here's how you do it

You take off your "Thinking Cap" and put on the "Dunce Hat" and *poof* you're thinking like a pug.

[amerikat]

15. my thinking cap has grown into the flesh of my noggin and can't be removed

without surgery.

[Mabus]

16. LOL.

Same here.

[amerikat]

18. my thinking cap is solar powered

I'll have 9 billion thoughts while haliburton misplaces 9 billion dollars

[punpirate]

3. Here is the privacy statement...

... of the organization, and it's shot full of holes:

http://www.voteremailing.com/privacy/

Note the very small print under the ribbon in the logo: "A Partnership of Corporations."

You'd probably get promotions and lots and lots of statements about how such-and-such a politician is great (only to discover that the candidate is very friendly to the corporations supporting the emailing operation).

Cheers.

[Mabus]

4. Fose = REPUBLICAN Internet strategist

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec03/internetpolitics_8-5.html

MAX FOSE, Republican Internet Strategist:

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

7. That looks like SPAM to me...

... why not use http://www.spamcop.com/ to report them? I don't know what other facilities exist in the U.S. for you to report junk like this (is using a list of registered voters legal?). Perhaps http://www.cauce.org/ has some info.

[kcass1954]

10. I forward all my spam to

[e-mail]. Even if they don't do anything about it, I'm doing my part to let them know just how much crap is out there.

[AndrewJacksonFaction]

8. Not me. (fingers crossed)

[Just Me]

9. Report it to your AG, your representatives and your network.

This is RW spamming.