Media Bias And The Death Of Intellectual Honesty, Doubling Down

from the keep-digging dept

Yesterday we wrote about the bizarre story of Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald completely overselling his story about Trump repeating some misinformation that was printed by a Russian news site. I won’t replay the whole thing, but the short version: WikiLeaks released a cache of Clinton campaign boss John Podesta’s emails. In them was an email from Clinton friend Sidney Blumenthal, with a link and text of an Eichenwald piece. Some people — first on Twitter, apparently, and then in an article on the Russian site Sputnik News — misrepresented the email in two ways. First, they took a single sentence of the long article out of context and second, they attributed that one sentence to Blumenthal instead of Eichenwald. Then, Donald Trump, at a rally, repeated the false claim that Blumenthal had said this. Again, there is a story here: Trump is willing to repeat false information from sketchy sources (whether Twitter or a Russian news organization). That’s interesting (though, perhaps not a new revelation).

But Eichenwald massively oversold the piece, with a massive tweetstorm repeatedly suggesting that it proved a connection between Russia and the Trump campaign — even falsely claiming that “only” the Russians and Trump had the same info, despite it being public on WikiLeaks. He also kept claiming that this showed the email was “manipulated.” Except it wasn’t. It was just misrepresented, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps just being oversold by those in search of a good story — just like Eichenwald did. Eichenwald had also suggested that this proved WikiLeaks was connected to the Russians as well, though it appears he’s since deleted those tweets.


Eichenwald is not backing down on this story. In fact he’s doubled down, with an “update” that only seems to again show himself overselling the story. First, he “updated” his post with claims from anonymous “intel sources” basically saying the Russians engage in disinformation, and quotes from a classified letter that was sent to the intelligence committees in Congress from the Director of National Intelligence.

?Moscow appears to use monetary support in combination with other tools of Russian statecraft, including propaganda in local media, direct lobbying by the Russian Government, economic pressure, and military intimidation,?? the letter says. ?Russian trolls and other cyber actors post comments on the Internet, maintain blogs, challenge ?pro-Western? journalists and media narratives, and spread pro-Russian information on social media.?

Because of its important role in the Russian effort, Sputnik does not simply publish whatever it chooses, the government official tells Newsweek. Articles pertaining to politics in the United States and Europe require high-level review. It is not clear if Russian authorities conduct that review, the official says, but no article directly related to American politics would just be sloppily thrown into public view without careful consideration. (The article in question disappeared from the website shortly after Newsweek attempted to contact Sputnik about it.)

Well, duh? Of course, Russia uses misinformation. But that doesn’t mean anything with respect to what Eichenwald originally claimed about Trump and the Russians coordinating. Eichenwald continues:

?The process has begun and stage has been set for the introduction of false information,?? the national security experts wrote. ?Altering stolen documents and introducing them to the public is not the stuff of spy movies. It is a proven tactic of Russian intelligence, and we expect it will happen here.?

Other altered documents have already been the basis of articles on Sputnik, the government official with knowledge of the intelligence agencies? inquiries tells Newsweek. However, the Blumenthal email appears to be the first manipulated record to be publicly identified.

Except that the Blumenthal email was not manipulated. It was just misrepresented — this is a big difference — just as Eichenwald is now misrepresenting what Sputnik did.

Eichenwald doubles down even further, arguing after a bunch of reporters pointed to a tweet that went out way before the Sputnik article, making the same claim (and which may have been the source for both the Sputnik article and the Trump statement), that this is fine because he’s sure that the Tweet may be a Russian ploy too.

After Newsweek first published its article on Sputnik and the Blumenthal email, some reporters suggested that a tweet from an anonymous account may have been the source of the Russian article or Trump?s statement. An image attached to the tweet showed the sentences in question, but provided no indication that it came from an email. Based on the information from the government official with knowledge of the intelligence inquiries, Sputnik would never base a story it portrayed as the ?October surprise? in the American election on a tweet with which it had no connection. The account in question is also quite unusual: It has put out an average of 285 tweets a day about American politics since it was created in February. (The account deleted the Blumenthal tweet on Monday.) The image from the tweet could have been anonymous propaganda by someone who searched through thousands of words to find sentences to attribute to Blumenthal. More troubling, it could have been distributed over social media as a step in the Russian effort to quote an altered email in Sputnik; that would match the tactics described by the government official who spoke to Newsweek.

Again, this is pure conjecture and not evidence. And a lot of it is based on what some random unnamed “government official” claimed. Yes, it’s entirely possible that the Russians were behind the hack, the tweet and the Sputnik article. But merely saying so without proof is not good journalism. It’s really bad journalism. Especially when Eichenwald keeps insisting that the email was “manipulated.”

And, of course, Eichenwald went back to overselling his “update” too. I’m posting screenshots in case Eichenwald starts magically deleting tweets again:








Again, there is a real story here: it’s Trump falling for false information. It’s entirely possible that Russia is pushing propaganda here. Or it’s possible that Russians misread something and accidentally misrepresented it. Eichenwald can’t say. But he pretends he’s able to claim it on authority that it’s happening, without providing any of the proof. And, on top of that, he’s still insisting that the document was “manipulated.” It was not. He’s misrepresenting just as much as Sputnik misrepresented things.

And, I mean, given how quickly Eichenwald is willing to connect the dots to a big Russian propaganda campaign, it seems worth pointing out that his own publication, Newsweek, has similarly been accused of some sketchy connections via its ownership. But, of course, Eichenwald would insist that’s totally unconnected to his reporting. Yet he refuses to give the same benefit of the doubt to others. Odd.

And here’s the real problem with all of this: in misrepresenting the story and over-claiming what it’s about, Eichenwald discredits the actual story. It’s easy for people to dismiss the entire story because Eichenwald is overselling the Russian involvement here. He has no proof, and because of that, the thing he does have proof of — that Trump stupidly relies on badly sourced information — gets missed. He’s so focused on “the Russian connection” that it kills what would otherwise be an interesting story.

But he can’t let go. Meanwhile, other publications are pointing out that the claims that WikiLeaks is connected to the Russians is not actually supported by the evidence and other “intelligence sources” don’t believe it’s true. Now why should we believe those other sources more than Eichenwald’s “sources”? We shouldn’t. But at least the second one admits a lack of evidence. Eichenwald’s takes a “this is how Russians have been known to act” and turns it into “proof” that they’re “manipulating” info and getting it into Trump’s hands.

Meanwhile, on his Twitter feed, Eichenwald has defaulted to two separate defenses: first, the old “just asking questions” defense, and second (falsely) denying that he ever was concerned about WikiLeaks, despite the now deleted tweets that we show above. Separately, he’s also angrily threatening to “wreck” and “destroy” the lives of people he claims are “going after” his wife and kids (and he’s right that if people are doing that, that’s despicable and uncalled for — though his discussions about how he “wrecks people lives for fun” and lawsuit threats are pretty ridiculous).


Again, there’s a marginally interesting story in here, but it’s not about Russian disinformation — at least without more actual proof. You’d think that an accomplished reporter like Eichenwald would get that. But he seems too invested in the story to recognize that it doesn’t hold up, and his overselling of it actually undermines the stuff that’s actually interesting.

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Comments on “Media Bias And The Death Of Intellectual Honesty, Doubling Down”

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62 Comments
Roger Strong (profile) says:

> Trump is willing to repeat false information from sketchy sources (whether Twitter or a Russian news organization).

Before Techdirt is again accused of a left-wing bias, I’d just like to point out that maybe Trump was simply trying to inspire his followers. You know, inject a little enthusiasm into an otherwise placid and contemplative group of people.

kallethen says:

My cynicism has reached a point that I feel us current adults need to apologize in advance to the future generations of how much we are fucking up things today… And I feel that way no matter who wins in this presidential race.

And things like this just reinforce that cynicism.

So, anybody in the future reading this, please accept my apology on behalf of the rest of us for fucking things up.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re:

My cynicism has reached a point that I feel us current adults need to apologize in advance to the future generations of how much we are fucking up things today

Just as soon as all of the adults from the past do it too!

The problems we have today were not born today. Remember, the #1 problem with humanity is one of the 10 commandments which seems like the least innocuous but is actually the MOST problematic of all.

That shalt not covet.

This has such an insidious and subtle ripple effect that is leads to pretty much all other sins. Take a rich person like Zuckerberg… operates a platform that has suckered people into sacrificing their privacy for, turns around to use those gains to buy up surrounding land to increase his own privacy. Zuckerberg covets privacy so much that he does what he does.

Because of this, everyone misses the boat, never realizing that the construct of government was the first mistake we made, and the second mistake was thinking that once created, it would serve us!

We serve the Government, if you believe otherwise, skip a few taxes and see how well that works out? You are a slave one way or another.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re: Trump using intel

Maybe it’s because Liberal journalists outnumber Conservative journalist 4 to 1:

http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2014/05/2013-american-journalist-key-findings.pdf

Just about everyone who works in mainstream entertainment is forced to identify as liberal or keep quite out of fear of being blacklisted:

http://eaglerising.com/31042/liberals-hate-blacklists-unless-its-conservatives-being-blacklisted/

Techdirt obviously has a liberal bias if they’re more concerned by the words of one candidate rather than the years of criminal activity of another which is so incredibly evident by their consistent bashing of Trump.

Wendy Cockcroft (profile) says:

Re: Re: Re:2 Trump using intel

You know how I’m always going on about the Powell Memorandum and what happens when you encourage special interest groups to flood the media, etc., with their own propaganda? You know how I’m always saying, “Be careful who you give that kind of power to?”

This is why.

Mike leans libertarian/classical liberal and has communitarian sympathies, i.e. he cares about the public interest. The evidence for this is in his posts in which he extols the virtue of the free market, calls for protection of freedom of speech for all, and where he expounds upon the limits placed by the Constitution on monopolies.

Bashing Trump =/= liberal, leftist, or anything like that. Trump is an ignorant narcissist, that’s why we bash him.

Hillary’s a neocon war hawk, that’s why we bash her.

Johnson hasn’t found out what a Leppo is yet and Stein thinks “president” = “monarch” — she forgets she’d have to stuff both Houses with Green reps to implement her pipe dream policies. I think that Prohibition party chap is still running, but “prohibition” says it all, really, so I can’t be bothered to insult him.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re:3 Trump using intel

“Bashing Trump =/= liberal, leftist, or anything like that. Trump is an ignorant narcissist, that’s why we bash him.”

I don’t know if I’d call him a narcissist. He certainty doesn’t meet the criteria to considered one. If anything he’s an air/meat head that’s akin to women who compete in Miss American pageants…Read any of his transcripts. It’s all a mess of incoherency.

I think most people in their right mind are voting for him since they believe he’s the proverable sledge hammer to the establishment and that he won’t get anything done while in office.

“Hillary’s a neocon war hawk, that’s why we bash her.”

Neh, she’s a pseudoliberal crony which so evident by the hundreds of millions she and Bill has generated as public servants…

I think most who are against her are voting for trump since they know if she takes office, she will get shit done, and none of it will be in the public interest as she has demonstrated time and time again throughout the years.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re:3 Trump using intel

I agree for the most part…

However, there’s a few discrepenices in your character definitions of the candidates:

Trump = Overprivileged Meat head Jock.
Hillary = Pseudoliberal Crony.
Johnson = Confused Moderate.

They’re all terrible choices and I really wish Ron Paul never retired, he really could have done a lot of good.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Trump using intel

I totally agree.

However, I don’t think ‘objective journalism’ is impossible to achieve. If we didn’t live in an age of click bait, it may have been possible like back in the early days of American journalism where it was the norm for journalists to have zero political bias and to only report on the facts and let the public decide for themselves.

David (profile) says:

I remember good old Ronnie The Raygun.

He stated in a speech that 57% of welfare recipients were fraudulent. Turns out that 57% was true – for one very small program in a city that didn’t do proper verification.

But Ronnie ran with it. When told the truth his reaction was no reaction. Let it stand.

So Trump is following in the greatest Republican (of the modern era). Alleged.

Anonymous Coward says:

There is no conservative or liberal media bias.

Just media bias against reason.

At some point you have to consider, that separating people from their ability to make an informed decision, is not distinguishable from separating them from their vote.

The current environment is coordinated, premeditated, and entirely domestic. It is a denial of service attack against the first amendment. I will support those who endeavor to mitigate that attack, and I will fight those who perpetuate it.

It isn’t about “who”, it is about “what”. The fact that everyone is talking about “who” is an indicator that dialog has completely broken down, and that the right to redress grievances is utterly obliterated.

John Mayor says:

TRUMP IS A JOKE

To cut to the chase… and, the long and the short of it is!… the CONSCIONABLE don’t need another Trump related story here on Techdirt! And, inasmuch, as Trump isn’t winning anything! And so, I– and the CONSCIONABLE!– could care less about what he has read, reads, or will read! In fact, I view discussing him!… and his “politics”!… an insult to common decency, and rational discourse!
.
Please!… no emails!

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: TRUMP IS A JOKE

the CONSCIONABLE don’t.. NEED to WRITE their… statements LIKE a mMAnNn WiTh ScHizOphRenIA.. IN CLUD ING RandOM CAPitalIZATIoNS… and… EllipSES

I’d accuse you of being a CTR shill, but you actually seem to be trying to make Trump opposers look bad with your imbecilic rambling…

John Mayor says:

Re: Re: TRUMP IS A JOKE

Hey!… just because you’re illiterate!… and, unstable!… doesn’t negate the EFFICIENCY and EFFECTIVENESS of my L-U-C-I-D RESPONSES to Techdirt blogs! And to suggest that those who possess true Schizophrenia invariably text/ communicate in the manner of your “depiction (and exaggeration!)” of MY Comment Logs, is to MARGINALIZE those suffering with such a condition! And thus!… and quite frankly!… I view your “depiction”, and MARGINALIZATION, as reprehensible!
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And lastly, I… N-O-R A-N-Y O-F T-H-E H-U-N-D-R-E-D-S O-F M-I-L-L-I-O-N-S O-F O-B-S-E-R-V-E-R-S O-F T-H-I-S U-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E U.S. P-R-E-S-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N!… needn’t do a d*mn thing to make the “G_roping O_range P_erv” look bad!… he’s doing “QUITE FINE” on his own!

Wendy Cockcroft (profile) says:

Re: Re: TRUMP IS A JOKE

Just mark it as spam and move on. I do, I find his rants illegible since he knows less about proper punctuation than Gary Johnson knows about leppos.

When he formats sentences properly I’ll read his posts, but not before. It’s not worth the E-F-F-O-R-T!

Please… use proper punctuation!

John Mayor says:

Re: Re: Re: TRUMP IS A JOKE

Me thinks thou “protesteth too much”!… as you’ve made the “E-F-F-O-R-T (however disdainfully!)” at expressing the efficiency and effectiveness of my grammatic style!
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As for my material being SPAM… I’ll have you note the following…
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One of the frontline tactics that the Alt-Right has used to gain control of the “Internet discussion” on what’s REALLY IMPORTANT to Americans in this U.S. election!… BUT YEA, IN MANY OTHER AREAS OF NETIZONIA’S NETIZONIAN’S LIVES, GENERALLY!… is to scream SPAM whenever a Comment made on a Conservative Site becomes TOO HOT to handle; and thus, “flags” the Comment accordingly, and ends the “HEAT”! And so!… I thought it appropriate to offer up the following, on the “ALT-NET (the Alt-Net, being the Alt-Right’s “vision”, and manipulation, of the present and future course of the Internet!)”!…
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A GLOBAL DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS MANIFESTO: A WORK IN PROGRESS (1ST EDITION, SATURDAY, SEP 03, 2016 – 01:14 PM EDT)
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If I may!… today, I would like to bring a more concerted focus, on the Alt-Net’s Corporate Media buzzword… SPAM!… as it’s not what it appears to be…
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What?… dear reader!… is YOUR definition of SPAM? To YOU!… dear reader!… and for example– and as some site owners believe!… are COMMENT LOGS (CLOGS!) on site blogs/ articles/ stories that/ which contain LINKS to yet other sites, facilitating SPAM?… i.e., by mere virtue of the simple fact, that a link has been introduced by the Clog?
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Although many sites encourage links, many others do not!… and thereby, such “denying sites”, have denied– and are denying!– one fundamental means of communicating important information (and in contrast to the view of the said inventor of the Blog, Jorn Barger!… how diabolical!)!
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LINKING to another site, is a common– and functional!– feature, of most websites!… or the ability to link, would be abandoned as a tool of Operating Systems!
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Linking provides the reader with a clearer understanding of the subject one is trying to convey in a story (and why, Wikipedia– for example!– LINKS FOR EVERY ITEM IT DEALS WITH!)!… and!… provides a reader with a heads up on issues!… and regardless of a cited story! And re the latter!… it’s like someone on a street yelling to a pedestrian, “Watch out for that pole!”… to save the pedestrian from walking into it!; or yelling (or simply saying!) “Have a good day!”… to bring a smile to some stranger! And if one is broadcasting a message to a pedestrian on the street through a hand-held device (e.g., a megaphone!… or a portable radio!)… i.e., LINKING!… is the message no less a warning?… or comforting?… because the message incorporates an “electronic mediating device”? THAT’S RIDICULOUS! And thus!… LINKING, IS NOT SPAMMING!
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But!… what linking CLEARLY has become for “CERTAIN INTERESTS (i.e., ‘ELITE INTERESTS’, and conservative websites– and, otherwise!… AND D*MN OUR CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED ‘DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS’!– MANY OF THESE WILL ADD!)”, is a THREAT to the “S-A-N-C-T-I-T-Y” of “SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION”/ SEO based site and Netizen manipulation, and the “SANCTITY” of other such “DYS-I-C TECHNOMAE (i.e., BAD INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOMAE!)” underpinning “A-N-T-I NET NEUTRALITY” and “A-N-T-I SEARCH NEUTRALITY” “O-L-I-G-A-R-C-H-O-C-Y-B-E-R-S-O-C-I-O-P-S-Y-C-H-O-P-A-T-H-Y”! And!… MOST NOTABLY!… a THREAT to the D-E-S-P-A-R-A-T-E N-E-E-D on the part of these interests, TO DOMINATE THE PRESENT, AND FUTURE COURSE OF THE INTERNET! But!… and for the present!… let us continue our reflection on the notion of “SPAM”!
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“SPAM (the canned “Shoulder Pork and hAM”/ “SPiced hAM” luncheon meat!… as introduced by Geo. A. Hormel & Co.)”, was originally registered as a trademark in 1937… being a conflation of “SPiced hAM (which was the original name)”! The name “SPAM” was chosen from entries in a naming contest at Hormel! The name was suggested by Kenneth Daigneau (who was the brother of a then Hormel Vice president!)! He was given one hundred dollars as a prize for winning the naming contest (so much for the appearance of impartiality!… let alone, ACTUAL IMPARTIALITY!)!
.
According to the official Hormel trademark guidelines, “SPAM (the food product!)”, should be spelled with all capital letters! And a stipulation of the trademark, was that it should always be used as an adjective!… as in “SPAM meat”!
.
Hormel was able to successfully defend their trademark of “SPAM”, by limiting it to this capitalized version; and thus, the usage, and spelling (“spam”, and “Spam”!) doesn’t conflict with their trademark! The “principals” of Hormel unsuccessfully defended the variant, “Spam”, as an extended use of their trademark!… and resorted, to “SPAM (i.e., the use, in capital letters only!)”!
.
However!… much to the chagrin of Hormel Foods, the term “SPAM” has, today, come to mean– FOOLISHLY!– NETWORK ABUSE (i.e., by sundry post-SPAM pejorative accounts of the term!… and, in deference to a 1970s TV spiel that implicated Shoulder Pork and hAM/ SPiced hAM… in a can!… as– somehow!– FAKE MEAT!)!… and, in particular, “junk E-mail”, and massive “junk postings”! And the TV spiel in question, is a Monty Python Flying Circus skit, on SPAM (the meat!)!
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In this skit, menu items in a restaurant devolve into “SPAM”! And when a waitress in a restaurant repeats the word “SPAM” to two customers (though, to one, specifically!), a group of Vikings in the corner of the restaurant– eventually!– begin singing, “SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM… lovely SPAM!… Wonderful SPAM!”…and drowning out the objections by one of two customers, to being offered “SPAM” by the waitress (like “SPAM- OBJECTING” netizens do, when these shout NO to “SPAM” at– and about!– other netizens’ Net communications!)!… until the Vikings are finally told to, “…shut up!”, by the unwitting waitress (the waitress, being a metaphoric anology of a “clog facilitator”/ “site gatekeeper”!)!
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While some have suggested that this hatred for “SPAM” was because “SPAM (as in the Hormel meat product!)” is sometimes satirized as “fake meat (and thus, by analogy, ‘SPAM messages’ are– supposedly!– ‘FAKE MESSAGES’!)”, this allegation– while plausible enough on the surface!– turns out to be not correct!… AT ALL!
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Exactly where this skit first translated to INTERNET MESSAGES (of varying type… such as chat messages, newsgroups, etc.!), isn’t entirely clear!… as it sort of happened (i.e., the labeling of internet messages as “SPAM”!) all over the Net! And!… in a very short span of years! It is, however, well documented, that “CERTAIN” “SPAM- OBJECTING NETIZENS”… and, in each of these just cited “SPAM” categories!… have chosen the word “SPAM (consciously, or unconsciously!… knowingly, or unwittingly!… directly, and/ or indirectly!… by commission, and/ or omission!)”, to refer to the 1970’s Monty Python sketch! And wherein, “SPAM” is depicted as undesirable by ONE customer!… and yet!… the love of same, is drowning out… through singing by Vikings!… the conversation between the waitress, and the ONE objecting customer! And!… just like some CONSCIONABLE “viking netizens” have done– and are doing!– to “SPAM- OBJECTING NETIZENS (the SPAM- OBJECTING NETIZENS, having us believe, that ‘L-E-G-I-T C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-T-I-O-N-S’ between ‘T-R-U-E N-E-T-I-Z-E-N-S’– i.e., SPAM- OBJECTING NETIZENS!– are being ‘drowned out’ by ‘Spammers’!)”! And!… and just like the skit, though “SPAM” was unwanted by ONE customer– in particular (and… was– nevertheless!– popping up as a menu choice by way of the offerings of the waitress!)!– R-I-G-H-T-F-U-L C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N-S (e.g., Comment Logs/ Clogs… and, including links!), are, NONETHELESS, “popping up” all over the Net through the offerings of countless “democratic servers”, and “viking netizens'”/ comment loggers’/ cloggers’ clogs! And!… and just like the canned meat!… the “electronic product” is still edible!– i.e., “nutritious food”!
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Some examples of these cited categories of “unsolicited/ unwanted messages” being referred to as SPAM, include:
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◾The first ever spam email, on May 3, 1978. Gary Thuerk, a marketer for the Digital Equipment Corporation, blasted out a message to nearly 400 of the 2600 people on ARPAnet (the DARPA-funded “first Internet”– so-called!)! Naturally… he was selling something (computers!… or, more specifically, information about open houses!… where people could check out the computers!)! He… as a result… annoyed a lot of people! But… he also had some success with a few recipients!… who were interested, in what he was pushing! And thus… the “electronic version” of SPAM, was born!
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Here’s the text of that glorious– first-ever– message (and as it was… in all caps!):…
_____

“DIGITAL WILL BE GIVING A PRODUCT PRESENTATION OF THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE DECSYSTEM-20 FAMILY; THE DECSYSTEM-2020, 2020T, 2060, AND 2060T. THE DECSYSTEM-20 FAMILY OF COMPUTERS HAS EVOLVED FROM THE TENEX OPERATING SYSTEM AND THE DECSYSTEM-10 COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE. BOTH THE DECSYSTEM-2060T AND 2020T OFFER FULL ARPANET SUPPORT UNDER THE TOPS-20 OPERATING SYSTEM.
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THE DECSYSTEM-2060 IS AN UPWARD EXTENSION OF THE CURRENT DECSYSTEM 2040 AND 2050 FAMILY. THE DECSYSTEM-2020 IS A NEW LOW END MEMBER OF THE DECSYSTEM-20 FAMILY AND FULLY SOFTWARE COMPATIBLE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER DECSYSTEM-20 MODELS.
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WE INVITE YOU TO COME SEE THE 2020 AND HEAR ABOUT THE DECSYSTEM-20 FAMILY AT THE TWO PRODUCT PRESENTATIONS WE WILL BE GIVING IN CALIFORNIA THIS MONTH. THE LOCATIONS WILL BE:
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TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1978 – 2 PM
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HYATT HOUSE (NEAR THE L.A. AIRPORT)
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LOS ANGELES, CA
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THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1978 – 2 PM
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DUNFEY’S ROYAL COACH
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SAN MATEO, CA
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(4 MILES SOUTH OF S.F. AIRPORT AT BAYSHORE, RT 101 AND RT 92)
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A 2020 WILL BE THERE FOR YOU TO VIEW. ALSO TERMINALS ON-LINE TO OTHER DECSYSTEM-20 SYSTEMS THROUGH THE ARPANET. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE NEAREST DEC OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXCITING DECSYSTEM-20 FAMILY.
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Being on ARPAnet, that first “SPAM MESSAGE” provoked a swift crackdown from the governing authorities!… and inspired much contemplation among the tiny community on the Net, at the time! Richard Stallman is quoted as stating… and I quote him!… “Nobody should be allowed to send a message with a header that long… no matter what it is about.” Well… with all due respect to Richard Stallman… AND I DO RESPECT HIM (AND PRAY FOR HIS SOUL!)!… the CAPS notwithstanding, it is– virtually!– a simple message! What appears disconcerting!… TO SOME!… is that it is a “BATCH MESSAGE (i.e., a message sent to a number of people at once!)”!… and… that it smacks of a SALES PITCH! As if to suggest, that BATCH MESSAGES!… and with the hint of a SALES PITCH (like “flyers” in one’s physical mailbox!)!… are not to be accepted on the Net! Well!… says who? We’ve all sent out physical– and/ or electronic!– batch messages!… and!… have tried to “pitch” some notion (like mailing out christmas cards!… or valentines greetings!)!… though, some of which, may not have been appreciated, or desired! And… if we’ve been informed by a recipient– or two, or three!– that a given batch message (like a Christmas card!… or valentine’s greeting!) is unapprciated!… undesired!… then we have– responsibly!– discontinued sending such messages, to the affected party, or parties! But!… that doesn’t mean we must be forever banned from sending out batch messages to people (e.g., visa vie, the post office!), if a soul– or two, or three!– has/ have expressed some disinterest in our spin/ pitch! And although a SALES PITCH may be delivered to people that the salesperson doesn’t know (i.e., the “pitched party” may not be familially related to!… or friends with!… the “salesperson”!), a salesperson has EVERY RIGHT to PITCH a product/ service (commercial, or otherwise!)! The problem arises– however!– when the salesperson won’t receive NO for an answer!… and!… when the product/ service is of little use to anyone (or to the environment!)! And!… when the salesperson could care less to target the right audience (even if the product/ service is deemed sound!)! But!… denying a salesperson the Right– UNDER RATIONAL CONDITIONS!– to PITCH one’s goods/ services, is to deny a person a DEMOCRATIC RIGHT to various CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS!… and!… to deny to people products/ services that (and apart from any proprietary concerns!) may– indeed!– be useful to individuals!… to society!… and, to the environment!
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◾A documented case among Usenet users, of March 31, 1993! This case is often– incorrectly!– stated to be the first usage of the term “SPAM” as referring to “SPAM messages”! This first Usenet case came when Richard Depew… who had been playing with some moderation software… accidentally ended up posting around 200 duplicate messages in a row, to the news.admin.policy newsgroup! Subsequently, the SAID first person to call this “SPAM”, is thought to be Joel Furr, on March 31, 1993! Depew, himself… when he apologized!… referred to his messages, as “SPAM”! Given the time frame– at least!– for Joel Furr’s use of this expression, and Depew’s ready acknowledgement of the tag offered up by Furr, it’s safe to conclude that both Furr and Depew were consciously and/ or unconsciously equating the electronic messages sent out as “SPAM messages”, with the 1970s Monty Python skit!… and!… the skit’s incorporation of Hormel Food’s luncheon meat (although, Furr– specifically!– had made the initial conscious and/ or unconscious erroneous informal pejorative colloquial/ slang interpolative ascription of Hormel’s luncheon meat, as bad, fake, or “popping up” meat!… or a combination of these skit associations!)!
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◾A further “first use” of the word “SPAM” referring to certain electronic messages, comes from MUDs (for… Multi-User-Dungeons!)! This was a sort of real-time multi-person shared environment; a somewhat primitive version of The Sims Online, or Second Life!… and the like! In it, users could chat and interact with other people, locations, and objects, as well as create objects, and share them with the community! Basically, a really advanced chat room! The name MUD, comes from the fact that it reminded people of certain aspects of Dungeons and Dragons! In any event, “SPAMMING” was used here to refer to a few different things!… including: flooding the computer with random data (and not to be confused with batch communications!); “SPAM the database” by flooding it with new objects; and flooding a chat session with a ton of unwanted text (and… again!… not to be confused with batch communications!)!; and– to extrapolate further!– anything that had to do with filling other members’ accounts with unwanted (but… to be sure!… HARMFUL!) electronic junk (and… once again!… not to be confused with batch communications!)! One of the earliest DOCUMENTED USES of the word “SPAM” from MUDders, arrived in 1990 (and so… predating the SAID “FIRST USE” tag, given to Joel Furr!)… when they were– ironically enough!– discussing the origins of the word “SPAM” as referring to electronic junk messages (and so… bringing the “origins issue” of the association of “SPAM MEAT” with electronic junk messages, even farther back than 1990!)! Undocumented sources, say, that the term “SPAM” had been around quite a bit before its use among MUDders (a rational deduction!)… and evidenced, by the content of the documented message!
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◾Others say that the term originated on Bitnet’s Relay (a very early chat system in the 1980s!)! Anecdotally!… users would occasionally come on and annoy other users with unwanted text!… including, the actual “SPAM SONG” from the 1970 Monty Python skit! And so… bringing the junk electronic communications association with “SPAM MEAT”, to the doorstep of the 1970s Monty Python skit!
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◾Another similar chat system (TRS-80) also reported the same phenomenon!… and also called it “SPAM”! Both of these latter two chat system origins, are not documented!… but, numerous former users of these systems have stated, that they remember this term being used commonly among users of these systems! And so… if one is to believe the “anecdotal evidence” provided by the users of the TRS-80 chat system, we have further (and I suggest “rational”!) proofs, for the Monty Python association!
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◾In the early days of the internet, “SPAM” was significantly more annoying than it is today! Not just because of the lack of “filters” back then, but because of the extremely slow internet connections! Even sending ASCII Art was considered “SPAM”!… as a picture sent a few times in a row, could take an enormous amount of time to download! And, with– often!– no real way for the end user to get around this!… except, to wait it out!… or disconnect! And so!… how is sending ASCII Art… AND COMPOUNDED BY WAY OF THE EARLY PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS OF THE NET!… to be made SYNONYMOUS with D-E-L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E H-A-R-M to our early netizen civilization?
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Yes!… people were frustrated!… were upset!… but, truth be told, the frustration, and upset, was– more often, than not!– misplaced! For!… the ASCII Art wasn’t to blame!… wasn’t “SPAM”!… it was the L-I-M-I-T-A-T-I-O-N-S that ALL early netizens were forced to face!
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◾In the early days of chat rooms, it was a common tactic among chatters to use large blocks of meaningless text to annoy other groups! For instance, Star Trek chatters would invade a Star Wars chat room, and post large amounts of random text!… making it impossible for the Star Wars people to talk! A veritable, NERD-FIGHT! But!… these were outright malicious attacks between dissenting Nerd Groups!… and should not be made SYNONYMOUS with batch communicating (in the sense as aforementioned!)!… i.e., made SYNONYMOUS with an attempt to communicate some holiday greeting, or some pitch of a product/ service!
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◾Around the same time, the term “SPAM” became popular among Usenet groups!… and also came to be referred to as “EMAIL SPAM”! And which quickly dominated the world of “SPAM”!… and still does, to this day! Early “SPAM BOTS” simply harvested emails from Usenet newsgroup messages, which gave them extremely large email lists to work from!
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◾IRC (Internet Relay Chat) was named after Bitnet’s Relay, and– no doubt!– the members of which, were also familiar with the then emerging electronic communications buzzwords!
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◾The earliest documented “COMMERCIAL SPAM MESSAGE” is often– incorrectly!– cited as the 1994 “Green Card Spam incident”! However, the ACTUAL first documented “COMMERCIAL MESSAGE”– as indicated earlier!– was for a new model of Digital Equipment Corporation computers!… and was sent– as stated– on ARPANET, by Gary Thuerk, in 1978!
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◾The famed “Green Card Spam incident”, was sent, April 12, 1994, by a husband and wife team of lawyers!… Laurence Canter, and Martha Siegal! They bulk posted (i.e., batch communicated!)… on Usenet newsgroups!… advertisements for immigration law services! The two would eventually defend their actions (post criticisms against same!), citing the Right to Free Speech! They also later wrote a book, titled, “How to Make a Fortune on the Information Superhighway“!… which encouraged, and demonstrated to people how to quickly, and freely reach over 30 million users on the Internet, by “Spamming”! Nevertheless!… and despite their unfortunate use of the term “Spamming (and– no doubt!– IN REACTION to the label that was imposed on them, and their work from others!)” within their subsequent publication, their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to make a living, and to express themselves (and in a batch manner!), IS NOT DISALLOWED BY VIRTUE OF THEIR NASCENT NAIVETY ABOUT THE THEN EMERGING COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS, OF THE NET… AND– MOST NOTABLY!… THE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS THAT THE NET, AND PERSONAL COMPUTING, WERE HAMSTRUNG BY! And maybe!… hindsight being 20 20!… this sad history of failed Net communications suggests our need for a new type of email technoma! One that demarcates between, and accommodates, businesses, NGO+NPOs, and bureaucracies! A “tri-email mechanism (if you will!)”!… whereby, businesses, NGO+NPOs and bureaucracies can have their own “slot” for communication!… COUPLED WITH SEVERE PENALTIES– BOTH CIVIL/ TORTIOUS, AND CRIMINAL!– FOR DELIBERATELY EMAILING TO THE WRONG WINDOW (AND, UNSOLICITED!)! And… maybe!… a “fourth” email slot, for family, friends– and otherwise permitted souls!– to communicate (and!… with the same failsafeguard checks, as that to be met by members of any, or all, of the previously mentioned three Primary Sectors!)! (Sectors!… incidentally!… into which the sum communities on planet earth, are grouped!)!
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◾Before it was called “Spamming (i.e., unsolicited messages in a chat, or forum… or the like!)”, the terms used– generally!– for these actions, were “flooding”, and “trashing”! And suggesting!… that the early concerns involved MALICIOUS ATTACKS against “community members”!… and not about batch processing, and spin/ pitch (e.g., the “CONTENT” referred to, in the story about Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel!)!
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◾Various attempts have been made– and are being made!– to release numbers for the origins of “SPAM” by country! However… it remains to be seen how much these stats reflect MALICIOUS ATTACKS!… versus attempts by sundry, to “batch communicate” SOUND CONTENT (e.g., to pitch some SOUND notion, or product!)!
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◾Of all “EMAIL SPAM”, about 73%– IT’S SAID!– is attempting to steal the user’s identity in some way (through “phishing”)!… including possible bank information, or gaining enough information to open new credit accounts from the user! But!… to include the aforementioned classes of “SPAM” with that associated with the historic reasons for “phishing”, is to bend– to the point of breaking!– the traditional definition of the notion of “phishing (and… however unfortunate this traditional definition of the notion actually was!)”… and!… of what constitutes the– I suggest!– “pejorative description”, of “SPAM”/ “Spam”!
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◾Of the 90 trillion emails sent in 2009 (for example!), 81%– IT’S SAID!– is “SPAM”! That amounts to about– for example!– 200 billion “SPAM EMAILS” sent every day, in 2009! But!… again!… there is no clear indication of what this stat means!… and what these “SPAM EMAILS” are composed/ comprised of! And this is no less the case, today!
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◾Though not called “SPAM”!… at least, when the ensuing mention, emerged!… Telegraphic messages were extremely common in the 19th century… and, in the United States, in particular! Western Union allowed Telegraphic messages on its network to be sent to multiple destinations… and thus, wealthy American residents tended to get numerous messages through Telegrams… presenting unsolicited investment offers (and, the like!)! This wasn’t nearly as much of a problem in Europe!… due to the fact, that telegraphy was regulated by European post offices!
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◾”SPAM (i.e., ‘electronic messages’!)”, was first added to a major English dictionary (in the New Oxford Dictionary of English), in 1998! It defined “SPAM” as “Irrelevant, or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of newsgroups, or users.” And so… by 1998, the notion of “SPAM” had shifted from being nigh purely about batch communicating RATIONAL CONTENT, and the length/ size, and repetition of electronic messages, to being about ascribed, “MALICIOUS CONTENT (i.e., in reference to the terms, irrelevant, and inappropriate!)”!
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Well!… W-H-O is to D-E-F-I-N-E what constitutes “I-R-R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T”?… and/ or, “I-N-A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E”?… and W-H-O is to determine whether PERSONAL BATCH COMMUNICATIONS should be subsumed as “irrelevant” and/ or “inappropriate” Net communications; AND THEREBY, DENYING INDIVIDUALS THEIR RESPECTIVE DEMOCRATIC, AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO FREELY EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN A RESPONSIBLE BATCH MANNER OF THEIR CHOOSING; TO COMMUNICATE MATTERS THAT MAY GO BEYOND THEIR RESPECTIVE IMMEDIATE PERSONAL CONCERNS (E.G., BATCH COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE YOU ARE NOW READING!); AND, AT ONCE, AFFORDING ONLY “ELITE INTERESTS” WITHIN BUSINESSES, BUREAUCRACIES, AND EVEN CERTAIN NGO+NPOS, THE SOLE/ EXCLUSIVE RESERVE TO COMMUNICATE IN A BATCH MANNER (AND, AS THESE PRIMARY SECTORS HAVE DONE, FOR GENERATIONS!)? The question to be asked concerning “SPAM/ Spam (so-called!)”, is: “Are ‘ELITE INTERESTS’ now using this buzzword to ‘D-E-L-I-M-I-T’ the FREE EXPRESSION of netizens generally, in the G-U-I-S-E of protecting the public good from ‘U-N-D-E-S-I-R-A-B-L-E C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N-S (e.g., ascribing the message you are now reading, as ‘undesirable’, based on some ‘CORPORATE ASCRIPTION’!)’?”
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◾The general term “spam (with all small letters!)”… today!… has taken another slight shift in meaning! It is now becoming common for people to refer to A-N-Y unsolicited/ unwanted advertisements, messages, or telemarketer calls, as “SPAM”/ “Spam”!… and!… even if– and when!– the means of communication, may not even be electronically based! A code, for… if we (whoever we is!) don’t like your FREE EXPRESSION, we’ll label it SPAM, Spam, or spam!… AND E-N-D, YOUR “FREE EXPRESSSION (and, in particular, your BATCH COMMUNICATION!)”!
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The CORPORATELY FOSTERED “public debate” over how to deal with “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” ignores the “CYBER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM”!: CENSORSHIP ON THE INTERNET IS ALREADY AN ACCEPTED AND PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED POLICY!… A-N-D M-O-S-T P-E-O-P-L-E D-O-N-‘-T R-E-A-L-I-Z-E T-H-A-T!
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Not to long ago, America On Line announced its intention to start charging people a “license fee” to send bulk email to AOL subscribers!
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The resulting shiver traveling up the spines of mailing list managers, and Internet providers all over the world, quickly morphed into an A-L-L T-O-O R-A-R-E “quasi-collective outcry”, that actually forced AOL into a “half-step” backwards! Upon reconsideration, the Internet giant announced it would CONTINUE to offer the “license”!… but, for those who don’t want the “license”, it would also CONTINUE to treat bulk email as it had up to that point!
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Whatever sighs of relief one might have discerned, are– in reflection!– the sounds of an Internet community THREATENED with a deadly “kick to the head”!… and relieved that it only had to cope with a “boot on its throat”!… AND!… W-I-T-H N-O L-E-G-A-L J-U-S-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N F-O-R I-T-S A-C-T-I-O-N-S (A-N-D, I-N P-A-R-T-I-C-U-L-A-R, N-O C-O-N-S-T-U-T-I-O-N-A-L J-U-S-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N!)!
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In fact, the entire “pseudo public debate” over the potential harm in AOL’s once “plan”, overshadows the fact that large commercial providers’ responses to the problem of “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” A-L-R-E-A-D-Y R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S A D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S A-N-D P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L-L-Y C-R-I-P-P-L-I-N-G A-T-T-A-C-K O-N T-H-E C-U-L-T-U-R-E A-N-D F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N-I-N-G O-F T-H-E I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T A-S A V-E-H-I-C-L-E O-F F-R-E-E S-P-E-E-C-H!
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Now let’s be clear: email is in crisis because of the huge amount of unwanted bulk email people receive!… and like– as I’ve expressed!– the physical letters received at our respective front doors!
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The issue, here, isn’t that the large providers have finally RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM!… and are trying to deal with “IT”! Trying to DEHUMIDIFY the house when it’s already FLOODED, shows a lack of vision!… to say the least! And!… when one notes, that the “FLOOD” has– in part!– been instigated by “CORPORATE DAMNBUSTERS”!
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The problem, is their RESPONSE! And!… at its root (and always a good place to start!)… it comes down to their D-E-F-I-N-I-T-I-O-N (IF S-U-C-H, SHOULD BE ALLOWED THE LUXURY!) of “SPAM”/ Spam”/ “spam”!… AND (AND R-E-G-A-R-D-L-E-S-S O-F T-H-E-I-R D-E-F-I-N-I-T-I-O-N!)!… WHETHER “NON-CORPORATE BATCH COMMUNICATIONS” SHOULD BE “CAUGHT” WITHIN T-H-E-I-R “FILTER OF JUSTICE”!
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Most people have a pretty simple definition of the latest “electronic SPAM” variant, “spam”: it’s bulk communication, we don’t want!
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And we then go back to a similar “popular definition” that flows from the “unwanted bulk email” definition: “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam”, is bulk email sent without a reasonable expectation that the people receiving it, would be interested in it!
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And that corollary definition developed, because most of the “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” one receives is sent by people who have simply acquired, or purchased, huge lists of email addresses!… and, with no reasonable expectation– as I’ve stated!– that the people on these respective lists WOULD WANT TO READ WHAT THEY’VE BEEN SENT IN THE WAY OF A “BATCH COMMUNICATION”! It’s “shotgun marketing”!… in its crudest form! So!… the recipient’s “REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF INTEREST”, is a pretty important component!
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BUT!… the “COMMERCIAL INTERNET” ignores that! INSTEAD!… the LARGE PROVIDERS (groups that we’re A-L-L supposed to allow to do their thing!) define “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” as A-N-Y “unsolicited bulk communication”: e.g., email sent to more than a small handful of people (and S-O-M-E of whom– of course!– may not want it!)! And such smaller bulk emailers might do that, because they have no idea of what one might want!… or be interested in! And!… such bulk email distributors, and senders of such bulk emailings, have– yet!– to develop a method of figuring that out!
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And so… the “COMMERCIAL INTERNET (and, its ‘ELITE INTERESTS’!)” has declared a W-A-R against almost all bulk email/ communications!… making the terms “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” useless (i.e., redundant!)!… and making EMAIL/ CENSORSHIP (in particular!) an “O-B-L-I-G-A-T-O-R-Y P-U-B-L-I-C C-Y-B-E-R V-A-C-C-I-N-A-T-I-O-N P-O-L-I-C-Y”! In other words, do as T-H-E-Y SAY!… BUT!… NOT AS THEY D-O!
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THESE, have “TAGGED” A-N-Y bulk email the moment “someone” complains (AND MAYBE!… FROM AN ELITE CORPORATE BOARDROOM!… OR OTHER, “TACTICAL BUNKER”!)! And!… THESE make it S-O-O-O E-A-S-Y to complain!… that people can just push the “COMPLAINT BUTTON (AND WITHOUT KNOWING THE DIGITAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS RAMIFICATIONS OF THEIR ‘PUSH’!)”! If there are a number of “complaints”!… and usually three, or four, are good enough!… THESE (AND THEIR AGENTS!) will block the issuer, of that email! THEY (AND THEIR AGENTS!) monitor “emailers” who are sending the SAME EMAIL to more than a handful of people!… and “list” “SPAMMERS/ Spammers/ spammers” who have had “CONVENIENT AND TACTICAL” “complaints” lodged against them (like those depicted in Ray Bradbury’s book… and eventual film!… Fahrenheit 451!)!… so those with a “complaint history”, can be MORE QUICKLY blocked! And!… this has now extended to the Copying and Pasting by such “TARGETED INDIVIDUALS”, of “R-O-G-U-E”, bulk comment logs/ clogs on multiple website blog stories (and!… even without one’s use of a “personal” Email App, and/ or “personal” email address!… e.g., using the email address of an agreeing third party, to enable/ facilitate acceptance of a clog, in a given site!)!
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What’s M-O-S-T D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S, is that THEY keep records of the “TARGETED’S” IP address!… and the numeric address of the server the “TARGETED” uses (e.g., through the efforts of groups covertly and overtly “ALGORITHMICALLY EMBEDDED” within websites, such as the group at, http://projecthoneypot.org/!… and bodies such as SPAMHAUS, and STOPFORUMSPAM!… and… through the implementation of “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” plugins, such as WP-SpamShield Anti-Spam!)!
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Project Honey Pot is a web-based “honeypot network”, which uses software embedded in websites (IF YOU CAN IMAGINE CONSCIONABLE WEBSITES ALLOWING THIS!) to collect information about IP addresses used when harvesting e-mail addresses for “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam (but now!… also including those who have avoided ‘personal’ ’email App/ address deployment’!)”, or other similar purposes, such as bulk mailing and “email fraud”! The “project” also solicits the “donation” of unused “MX entries” from domain owners!
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In 2007 the “Project” began a number of NEW INITIATIVES!… including a “QuickLinks program” that makes it easier for more people to “p-a-r-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-e”!… as well as a system to track COMMENT LOG/ CLOG “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam”! The Project has also launched a free new service called http:BL, which leverages the data to allow website administrators to keep “malicious web robots” off their sites! CODE, for!… let’s keep any “PRYING EYES” from getting a “HANDLE” of what we’re R-E-A-L-L-Y D-O-I-N-G!… AND!… HOW “P-O-L-I-T-I-C-A-L-L-Y A-N-D S-O-C-I-A-L-L-Y S-T-A-N-K-Y, OUR S-T-U-F-F ACTUALLY S-T-I-N-K-S! In other words!… don’t tell Ralph Nader and Naomi Klein what we’re up to!… OR ANY OTHER JEW WITH A CONSCIENCE!
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In addition to collecting information which is made available on a “top 25 list” at periodic intervals, the project organizers also “help” various “l-a-w e-n-f-o-r-c-e-m-e-n-t” agencies combat private and commercial unsolicited “BULK EMAILING O-F-F-E-N-C-E-S”! And!… overall!… work to “help” reduce the amount of “SPAM”/ Spam”/ “spam” being sent and received on the Internet (POOR NETIZENS!)! The information collected is also used in “research and development” of NEWER VERSIONS of the software, to further “I-M-P-R-O-V-E” the efforts of the group as a whole! But!… and in my view!… this is all just CODE, for… THE ELITE WILL CONTROL THE FLOW OF INFORMATION ON THE NET, AND “WE (THESE S-T-A-N-K P-O-W-E-R-S THAT BE!)” WILL PROMULGATE THE INSTIGATION OF CRYS AGAINST “SPAM”/ Spam”/ “spam (AND IF NEED BE!… FROM THEIR VERY BOARDROOMS, AND OTHER TACTICAL BUNKERS!– BEFORE LUNCH!)”, AND WILL PROMOTE THE MANIPULATION OF IP ADDRESSES (AND!… ANYTHING ELSE THESE CAN MANIPULATE!– TO “WIN THE DAY”! AND!… DAMN ANYONE, THAT GETS IN THEIR WAY!)!
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Project Honey Pot was founded, and is managed by Unspam Technologies, Inc…. and in addition to “working” with various “law enforcement” agencies (A SAD JEST!… TO SAY THE LEAST!), the group “affiliates” with the “Internet Law Group”, and ViaWest!
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I– personally!– have a different rationale for wanting to block (AND NOT JUST MERELY BLOCK!) a website, when a website communicates “HAZARDOUS CONTENT (e.g., malicious cookies!)”!… i.e., when a website den(ys) my access to ITS COMMENTS CONTENT by stealing (through ITS EMBEDDED SUBVERSIVE CONTENT!) my IP address, and then uses this to BLACKLIST me! Then!… I want to be able to BLACKLIST such a site from ITS USE of the Net!… AND NOT JUST FROM “MY” PC! And if “I” shouldn’t be allowed to use such a measure/ technoma, THEN I DEMAND THAT SUCH A MEASURE BE INVOKED BY A DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS SUPPORTING GROUP M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D TO DO SO!… AND THAT THE ICON FOR SUCH A GROUP, BE AFFIXED ON MY– AND EVERYONE ELSE’S!– RESPECTIVE PC’S TASKBAR (BUT YEA, ICT DEVICE!)!
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NO WEBSITE OWNER… NOR TECHNOMA IN THE CONTROL OF A SITE OWNER!… SHOULD BE ABLE TO CAPTURE AN IP ADDRESS OF A USER!… LET ALONE, TO USE SAME, TO BLOCK A USER FROM ACCESSING ONE’S SITE! AND USERS SHOULD BE MADE I-M-M-E-D-I-A-T-E-L-Y A-W-A-R-E OF WHO AND/ OR WHAT HAS MADE OFF WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE IP ADDRESS, THROUGH AN A-U-T-O-M-A-T-I-C, A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D (I.E., A M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D!) T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-T, R-E-A-L T-I-M-E, R-E-M-O-T-E, D-I-G-I-T-A-L H-U-M-A-N R-I-G-H-T-S S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-R-Y “WEBSITE INTERFACE TECHNOMA”! AND!… AFTERUPON A USER’S CONFIRMATION OF WHO, AND/ OR WHAT HAS ABSCONDED WITH ONE’S IP ADDRESS, SUCH A NETIZEN SHOULD BE AFFORDED AN A-U-T-O-M-A-T-I-C, A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D (I.E., A M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D!) T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-T, R-E-A-L T-I-M-E, R-E-M-O-T-E, D-I-G-I-T-A-L H-U-M-A-N R-I-G-H-T-S S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-R-Y TECHNOMA/ MECHANISM, TO INTERVENE IN THE MITIGATION/ END OF A-N-Y A-N-D A-L-L R-E-A-L AND I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T THREATS TO A USER’S RESPECTIVE SITE ACCESS!… AND RESULTANTLY, TO A NETIZEN’S DIGITAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS! FOR!… TO LEAVE THE ACTUAL INTERVENTION RE A SITE OWNER’S BREACHES IN THE HANDS OF RESPECTIVE NETIZENS WHO ARE POTENTIALLY ILL-EQUIPPED TO TACKLE THE TECHNOMA WITH WHICH USERS MAY BE CONFRONTED, IS TO–BY DEFAULT!– ENABLE THOSE MORE EQUIPPED, AND SKILLED, TO UNDERMINE THE WEBSITE ACCESS OF NETIZENS!… AND, THEIR RESPECTIVE DIGITAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS! FOR!… SOME OF THE BREACHES AGAINST USERS CURRENTLY IN PLAY, ARE BY WAY OF “P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N-A-L I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T G-A-T-E-K-E-E-P-E-R-S/ P-L-A-Y-E-R-S”, P-O-S-S-E-S-S-I-N-G S-O-P-H-I-S-T-I-C-A-T-E-D, A-N-D I-N-C-O-M-P-R-E-H-E-S-I-B-L-E A-L-G-O-R-I-T-H-M-S!
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However!… if a holder of an IP address poses an I-L-L-E-G-A-L software/ hardware threat to a site, then the most appropriate security measure for a website owner, is to invoke an A-U-T-O-M-A-T-I-C, A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D (I.E., A M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D!) T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-T, R-E-A-L T-I-M-E, R-E-M-O-T-E, D-I-G-I-T-A-L H-U-M-A-N R-I-G-H-T-S S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-R-Y MECHANISM, TO INTERVENE IN THE MITIGATION/ CESSATION OF A-N-Y A-N-D A-L-L R-E-A-L A-N-D I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T T-H-R-E-A-T-S TO ONE’S RESPECTIVE “USER- ACCESSED” SITE!… AND!… TO ONE’S DIGITAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS! AND OWNERS SHOULD BE MADE I-M-M-E-D-I-A-T-E-L-Y A-W-A-R-E OF WHO AND/ OR WHAT HAS I-L-L-E-G-A-L-L-Y POSED A SOFTWARE/ HARDWARE THREAT TO ONE’S SITE, THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE REMOTE DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS INTERMEDIARY’S WEBSITE INTERFACE TECHNOMA! FOR!… TO LEAVE THE INTERVENTION RE USER-BASED BREACHES IN THE HANDS OF RESPECTIVE SITE OWNERS, RATHER THAN AN A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D D-I-G-I-T-A-L H-U-M-A-N R-I-G-H-T-S I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-R-Y, IS TO INVITE THE POTENTIAL A-R-B-I-T-R-A-R-Y D-E-N-I-A-L OF WEBSITE ACCESS TO USERS!… AND THEREBY, TO POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS OF THE DIGITAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF WEBSITE USERS!
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AND SO!… EVERY STATE OF THE ART (S.O.T.A.) SECURITY MEASURE AVAILABLE MUST BE INVOKED, THAT WOULD PREVENT A USER’S IP ADDRESS FROM BEING STOLEN!… AND IN ORDER TO UPHOLD A USER’S FREE ACCESS TO PUBLIC SITES, AND TO PROTECT THE DIGITAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS AFFORDED NETIZENS! AND!… CONVERSELY!… EVERY SOTA SECURITY MEASURE AVAILABLE MUST BE INVOKED, THAT WOULD PROTECT AN OWNER’S SITE FROM A USER’S I-L-L-E-G-A-L R-E-A-L A-N-D I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T T-H-R-E-A-T-S TO OWNERS’ SITE OPERATIONS! AND!… IF THERE IS TO BE A-N-Y A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D (I.E., M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D!) T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-T, R-E-A-L T-I-M-E WEBSITE OWNER CONTROLLED, AND SITE-USER CONTROLLED O-F-F-T-H-E-S-H-E-L-F, S-T-A-N-D-A-L-O-N-E TECHNOMAE/ MECHANISMS TO INTERVENE IN THE MITIGATION/ END OF R-E-A-L A-N-D I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T T-H-R-E-A-T-S ON EITHER SIDE OF THE PROVERBIAL FENCE, THEN LET BOTH OWNERS AND USERS BE U-T-T-E-R-L-Y A-W-A-R-E OF THEIR RESPECTIVE (M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D) M-U-T-U-A-L O-B-L-I-G-A-T-I-O-N TO IMPLEMENT ONLY A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D/ M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D TECHNOMAE/ MECHANISMS!… OR, SUCH SUFFER THE CIVIL AND/ OR CRIMINAL REPERCUSSIONS/ CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR USE OF A-N-Y A-N-D A-L-L U-N-A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E-D TECHNOMAE/ MECHANISMS (AND!… REPERCUSSIONS/ CONSEQUENCES, BY WAY OF THE TASKBAR ICON– AND AUTHORITY!– AS AFOREMENTIONED!)!
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And therefore!… the technoma, and practice, discussed at Goog result, “IP address blocking – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”… poses a FUNDAMENTAL THREAT to a user’s Right to Access a given site!… to RESPONSIBLE AND CONSCIONABLE FREE EXPRESSION on a given site (HOWEVER POLITICALLY, AND/ OR SOCIALLY “PROBLEMATIC”!)!… and, thereby, to a user’s Digital Human Rights! And thus!… the information at Goog result, “Block a specific IP address from accessing your website – Media”… should not only be disallowed on the Net!… the site itself, should be S-H-U-T D-O-W-N!– AND, EVERY SITE LIKE IT! For!… the threat possed at this just mentioned site, and similar sites, is as much of a threat to the day-to-day FREE EXPRESSION of netizens, as any Government-based commissions and/ or omissions (directly, and/ or indirectly evidenced!)!
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In fact!… my recent “CYBEREPHIPHANY”, and “CYBEREURIKA MOMENT”, re a method for RESPONSIBLY RANKING Search Engine search results, is as follows…
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IT IS MY POSITION, THAT ALL SEARCH RESULTS (REGARDLESS OF THE SEARCH ENGINE BEING USED!) SHOULD BE “M-A-N-D-A-T-E-D” TO BE W-E-I-G-H-T-E-D I-N F-A-V-O-U-R OF RESULTS THAT ALLOW FOR PUBLIC COMMENTARY (AND THUS, REQUIRING A COMMENTS SECTION TO BE PRESENT WITHIN SITES, IN ORDER FOR A WEBSITE TO BE GIVEN “PREFERENTIAL RANKING” WITHIN A-N-Y SEARCH ENGINE!)! AND THUSLY!… ELIMINATING THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF SEARCH ENGINES, AND/ OR “CERTAIN” THIRD-PARTY “ELITE INTERESTS”, FROM INDIVIDUALLY, OR JOINTLY, “M-A-N-I-P-U-L-A-T-I-N-G” “POLITICALLY CHARGED”, OR “LEANING” COMMENTARY AWAY FROM “TOP BILLING (THROUGH ‘SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION’/ SEO ALGORITHMS!… AND/ OR OTHER ‘A-N-T-I SEARCH NEUTRALITY’ AND ‘A-N-T-I NET NEUTRALITY’ ALGORITHMS!)”!… AND!… SIMPLY BECAUSE, SEARCH ENGINES, AND/ OR “CERTAIN” THIRD-PARTY INTERESTS FEEL, THAT THESE ARE DIRECTLY AND/ OR INDIRECTLY ADVERSELY “POLITICALLY/ SOCIALLY IMPACTED (BY COMMISSION, AND/ OR OMISSION!… DIRECTLY AND/ OR INDIRECTLY EVIDENCED!)” BY THE OTHERWISE A-L-L-O-W-E-D “POSITIONAL RANKING” OF SUCH “POLITICALLY CHARGED”, OR “LEANING” COMMENTARY (E.G., THE MESSAGE YOU ARE NOW READING!)! AND THUSLY!… NO “NEUTRAL WEBSITE (I.E., ONE HAVING N-O C-O-M-M-E-N-T-S S-E-C-T-I-O-N!)” SHOULD BE ALLOWED AT THE TOP OF SEARCH RESULTS RANKINGS! UNLESS!… N-O C-O-M-M-E-N-T-S HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED WITHIN THE SUM NUMBER OF THE “THEN” “COMMENTS FACILITATING SITES” LISTED WITHIN A SEARCH ENGINE’S SEARCH RESULTS (RESPECTIVE OF A GIVEN SEARCH EXPRESSION USED!)!… OR!… THE SITE DOES NOT LEND ITSELF TO PUBLIC COMMENTARY (I.E., THE NATURE OF THE WEBSITE, “LOGICALLY PRECLUDES” FACILITATING PUBLIC DISCUSSION!)! THIS WILL THEN MEAN, THAT F-R-E-E D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-I-C E-X-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N WILL “HOLD SWAY” OVER ANY AND ALL OTHER “RANKING CONSIDERATIONS”, RE THE RANKING OF SEARCH ENGINE SEARCH RESULTS! THE NEXT STEP, WOULD BE TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS INHERE WITHIN THE VERY DESIGN (OR FAILED DESIGN!) OF THE COMMENTS SECTION WITHIN RESPECTIVE WEBSITES!… AND, IN ADDITION, TO PUTTING A STOP TO IP ADDRESS THEFT, AND MANIPULATION!
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For example, how is the nonsense at, https://help.disqus.com/customer/portal/articles/466223-who-deleted-or-removed-my-comment-, allowed to go on anywhere in the free western world?… let alone, in North America!
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No Blog Hosting Service should be allowed to ban a netizen across multiple sites because “I-T” “feels” that a netizen is issuing “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam”! First of all, we’re talking about SEPARATE WEBSITES in the just noted URL!… and second, it’s been traditionally up to a site (although, this is deemed a F-U-N-D-A-M-E-N-T-A-L V-I-O-L-A-T-I-O-N of Digital Human Rights!) to make a “judgement call” re a user’s continued use of a given site! It’s not for a Blog Hosting Service… and based on one or two “complaints” offered up (or not!) re “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam”!… to then deny access to ALL SITES that that Blog Hosting Service services! And with regard to Disqus– specifically!– its site information indicates that it’s NOT INVOLVED in the issues involving CONTENT!… and, that such issues must be addressed by a Site’s “Moderator”, and “Site Community”! But!… even such a determination by “Site Moderators”, and “Site Communities”, is the “slippery slope” to entrenching “CYBER GATED COMMUNITIES”!… AND THEREFORE, SUCH AN EVIL SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED ANYWHERE ON THE NET! And one additional NASTY REVELATION re Disqus!… AND A C-L-E-A-R I-N-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N that attempts are being made to eliminate A-N-Y F-O-R-M of NON-CORPORATE INTERNET BATCH COMMUNICATION (although, in this instance, it’s merely repeating a message at different sites!)!… is a notice I’ve received at various sites afterupon “Sending” a comment, that the sent message was “flagged” as a “Duplicate message” (or words such as, “You’ve Sent This Message Before!)!
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In other words, despite being on an entirely different site!… and, in most instances, never having used the site before!… and!… Disqus is S-A-I-D to be “UNINVOLVED” with the CONTENT on a site!… Disqus is AUTOMATICALLY flagging content that has appeared on another Disqus operated site! And although I have– for now!– technically overcome this A-P-P-A-L-L-Y-I-N-G B-R-E-A-C-H of Digital Human Rights (and!… as well!… their denial of the ability to Copy and Paste larger segments of prepared text in a Clog window!)!… their very ability to even invoke such Digital Human Rights denying technoma, indicates a S-H-O-C-K-I-N-G L-A-C-K on the part of our N-E-T G-A-T-E-K-E-E-P-E-R-S (both L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-T-E, and I-L-L-I-G-I-T-I-M-A-T-E!) to “C-H-E-C-K” this “I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T S-C-O-U-R-G-E/ B-L-I-G-H-T”! And so!… if someone is anxious to “spread the word” regarding a deemed NECESSARY MESSAGE for the PUBLIC GOOD, Disqus (and other such Blog Hosting Services!) will “E-N-S-U-R-E” that that message will be limited to an “originating site”! WELL!… NOT ON MY WATCH! And!… just in case!… hello Ralph, and Naomi!
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Many “INTERNET GATEKEEPERS” have come out over the years claiming that allowing ANONYMITY to flourish on the Net, is a threat to “c-u-s-t-o-m-e-r s-e-c-u-r-i-t-y”!… and should be stopped at all costs! And so, some sites have set up sophisticated hurdles for would-be participants, so that the CLIQUE “CYBER GATED CUSTOMER COMMUNITY CLIENTELE” of the site, can communicate amongst themselves!… minus those annoying/ pesky “ANONYMOUS L-I-B-E-R-A-L C-Y-B-E-R G-A-T-E-C-R-A-S-H-E-R-S”!
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But!… lo!… and behold!… these very same S-E-L-F_A-P-P-O-I-N-T-E-D and hypocritical “INTERNET GATEKEEPERS” have been instrumental in allowing local TV, Radio, and Newspapers to disappear from communities!… and, thereby, allowing corporate, political, and “pseudo-social special interests” to run local communities as these see fit (I.E., I-N T-H-E B-O-O-T-H!… I-N T-H-E B-A-C-K!… I-N T-H-E C-O-R-N-E-R!… I-N T-H-E D-A-R-K!)! And without local TV, Radio, or Newspapers looking over the shoulders of corporate, political, and “pseudo-social special interests”, there’s no telling what these interests are up to! And… for all we know!… such could be up to theft, rape, child abuse!… and even murder! And how would we know otherwise?… who’s holding them to account?
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And so… what’s to be done? How are we to hold corporate, political, and “pseudo-social special interests” to account, when all local corporate media coverage is absent from local communities? While!… all the while!… corporate, political, and “pseudo-social special interests”– AND THEIR SUPPORTERS!– would compel netizens to sign up, sign on, sign in, log in, log on, register, become a member, secure an account, give one’s name, give one’s physical address, give one’s email, and otherwise receive their “BEASTLY MARK”, in order to “SHARE” in their “GATED COMMUNICATION”! A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G!
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The answer, is… obviously!… TO REMOVE CORPORATE, POLITICAL, AND “PSEUDO-SOCIAL SPECIAL INTEREST” CONTROL OVER INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY WORLDWIDE! AND!… TO MANDATE THAT ICT (HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE!) BE MADE W-H-O-L-L-Y D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-I-C!… AND!… THAT N-O I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T WILL BE ALLOWED TO BREACH THE DEMOCRATIC DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS OF NETIZENS (DIRECTLY AND/ OR INDIRECTLY!… BY COMMISSION AND/ OR OMISSION!)!
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These efforts re “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ spam, and IP manipulation, are supported by a mini “industry” of “spam detection companies”!… the “CORPORATE INTERNET’S” version, of the “VIGILANTE (something akin to the Conservative ‘TEAPARTY MOVEMENT’!)”!… who conduct similar “monitoring” tactics as the LARGE PLAYERS invoke!… and publish “BLACKLISTS” of suspected “SPAMMERS”/ “Spammers”/ “spammers”, and hosts of “SPAMMERS”/ “Spammers”/ spammers”!
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So… to return to AOL!… to have your email that’s been sent to a subscriber of these “providers” blocked, you don’t even have to send bulk email!… all you need do is to SHARE A SERVER with people who’ve been “LISTED”!… and almost all of us, share servers! How conveniently UNDEMOCRATIC!… AND A-N-T-I SOCIAL!
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Bringing the D-A-N-G-E-R of all this into relief!… some companies take “short-cuts” that effectively stop communications!– “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam”, or not! AOL routinely blocked, hindered, or delayed emails with the SAME CONTENT sent to more than a threshold number of AOL subscribers! Many Internet workers thought the “threshold” was about 50, to 100! AOL wasn’t saying! But the interference happened!… and it made no difference if these people had signed on to the email list, or not!
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In general… short-cut, or not!… if you were a subscriber of a major commercial provider, there was a good possibility you didn’t receive all of the legitimate email that was sent to you!… including messages from a list to which you’ve subscribed! And the same is true today!… and on sundry platforms!
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You’d never know it, unless you noticed something wrong: they don’t tell you that they’ve HIJACKED your email! The people who send it to you, won’t be informed! They don’t tell the provider either! That I know!… from personal experience! We find out if someone tells us that recipients of their email are mysteriously not receiving it! Then we inquire with the provider of that recipient!… and… to remove the “block”!… we must engage in a “Kafkaesque process” that consumes time, and energy– and, which must often be repeated, periodically!
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While blocking and destroying your email is clearly an attack on the First Amendment in America, the timing and political import shouldn’t be lost on ANYONE! Just at the time when CARING MOVEMENTS are starting to use the Internet effectively, such are faced with measures that could D-R-I-V-E T-H-E-S-E V-O-I-C-E-S I-N-T-O S-I-L-E-N-C-E!
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All of the major, successful Internet campaigns run by progressive activists (from impeachment, to health care, to anti-war, to “Katrina-like events”!) use UNSOLICITED EMAIL! HOW COULD IT BE DONE OTHERWISE? How in the world do you communicate with people to get them information they don’t have, IF YOU ONLY EMAIL TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE TOLD YOU THEY WANT IT! ONE COULD NEVER BUILD A CAMPAIGN!… LET ALONE, EXPAND IT!
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Our traditional tools have always included leaflets in the mail!… flyers handed out!… public speeches, and phone calls! And now!… we have this powerful tool!… the Internet! We’ve been able to use historic tools, because… for a century!… we have fought tooth, and fingernail, to protect and expand our CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT (AND AROUND THE WORLD!) TO PROTECT “F-R-E-E” SPEECH!
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Sure!… and once again!… unwanted email can be a pain! And the same… again!… is true of bulk postal mail, and leaflets!… and also!… with live events shoved in one’s face during a rally!… and when street organizers INSIST in promoting a message that such feel “should require” minutes of one’s valuable time, to listen to!
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But few of us would ask the post office to stop any of our mail, or ask the police to arrest a street organizer (save, for an instance of OVERT ABUSE!)! Most THINKING SOULS understand… that in the end!… these “inconvenient incursions” benefit us all!… and!… sometimes!… give us information, WE NEED! And THINKING SOULS understand, that REPRESSION of these activities, would create FAR GREATER PROBLEMS, than the ones such “democratic activities”– supposedly!– represent!
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And!… there’s NO DOUBT, that our “social need” to communicate will become even greater!… because our movements (and due to the unique benefits of the Net!) are continuously expanding, and we’re emailing to many more people, than ever before! This, though!… then!… as a consequence– AND UNFORTUNATELY!– means greater “ELITE MONITORING”!… higher numbers of UNPROVOKED BLOCKING (whether of emails, or comment logs/ clogs in Comment Sections in websites!… if websites even facilitate the latter!), and further “campaigns of complaints”!
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What’s most painfully ironic about this COMMERCIAL RESPONSE to “SPAM”/ Spam”/ “spam”, is that it punishes CARING MOVEMENTS for something “SOMEONE ELSE” is doing! CARING MOVEMENTS don’t email to large lists these know NOTHING about! Such can’t afford it!… and… these don’t organize in that way! CARING MOVEMENTS’ bulk email is sent to carefully developed lists!… usually shared!… organization to organization!… and based on recipients’ demonstrated interest, in the issue/ s that the CARING have emailed them about!
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That’s not “SPAM”/ Spam”/ “spam”!… by any reasonable definition of the PERVERSE EXPRESSIONS! Although!… and oddly enough!… IT DOES APPLY TO OUR “COMMERCIAL BULK EMAIL PROVIDERS”! How quaint!
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So!… what’s the answer to “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam” to be? Allowing our “ELITE INTERESTS”… with the aid of those THESE have managed to con into “BARRICADING THE CYBER GATES” of the “CYBER CITY”!… to P-R-O-T-E-C-T U-S! I don’t think so! And I don’t think CONSCIONABLE and RESPONSIBLE netizens would want such I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T-S to run the “CYBER SHOW”! After all!… THE NET DOESN’T BELONG TO “T-H-E-M”!
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What netizens should be on guard against, is “CENSORSHIP S.P.A.M. (i.e., CENSORSHIP SOCIO_PSYCHOPATHIC ANTISOCIAL MALWARE!… a.k.a., CENSORSHIP SOCIO_PSYCHOPATHIC ALT-RIGHT MALWARE!)”!
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The “COMMERCIAL INTERNET” is not going to come up with the R-I-G-H-T S-O-L-U-T-I-O-N-S unless the people who use the Internet C-O-M-P-E-L it to do so! And the first step in empowering the “P-E-O-P-L-E”, is for our CONSCIONABLE and RESPONSIBLE CARING MOVEMENTS to enter into the debate over Digital Human Rights!… and to C-O-M-P-E-L the debate, beyond the limited terms, “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam”!… and towards, CENSORSHIP S.P.A.M.! And!… for our CARING to make the C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N-A-L P-R-O-T-E-C-T-I-O-N of our GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, and ORGANIZING, as high of a priority on our SOCIAL AND POLITICAL AGENDAS, A-S A-N-Y B-E-I-N-G B-R-O-U-G-H-T T-O O-U-R A-T-T-E-N-T-I-O-N B-Y E-L-I-T-E I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T-S!
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To sum up… what we need, is a unique Icon on our respective taskbars, that… when tapped!… WILL SUMMON A GLOBAL COALITION OF CYBER ADVOCACY INTERESTS (THE LIKES OF WHICH, HAVE NEVER BEEN AMASSED ON PLANET EARTH TILL NOW!)!… THAT WILL EFFICIENTLY, AND EFFECTIVELY END THE SCURRILOUS SCOURGE OF “ELISTIST PRICKISM”, AND WILL BRING THE WHOLE OF THE NET INTO “GLOBAL CONSTITUTIONALLY COMPLIANT” DIGITAL HUMAN RIGHTS HARMONY! P-E-R-I-O-D!
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And to that end!… I herewith introduce the notion of the CHAIN COMMENT LOG/ CHAIN CLOG, in the needed battle against CENSORSHIP S.P.A.M. (and the difference between a Chain Clog and a historic chain letter being, no email addresses need be communicated in order to promote the Chain Log message!… just Copying, and Pasting!)! Indeed!… AND FOR ANY SITE!… one never need communicate one’s own name, or email address, in order to log a comment (but simply, a non- abusive/ non- abusing/ non-identity-stealing chosen name, and a PUBLIC or SHARED EMAIL ADDRESS!)! And if a website hints at email verification in order to ratify a clog!… and until Digital Human Rights are put in place to outlaw such verification of PUBLIC/ SHARED email addresses!… then one should simply move on! And!… although it is advisable to avoid any site, and Blog Hosting Service, that demands one’s use of a password, it is discretionary as to whether one feels “comfortable” with a site’s handling of a communication of a Chain Clog! All the best!… and happy Chain Clogging! Oh!… and upon running into any updated version of this message, simply dump the older version, in favor of the newer! But!… be wary of any DEMONSTRABLE INCONSISTENCIES! In other words, compare scripts!
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Please!… no emails!
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P.S.: Some trivia concerning “SPAM”/ “Spam”/ “spam (i.e., both the luncheon meat, and electronic communications!)”, is as follows…
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◾Other “backronyms” like “Spam” associated with “SPAM”, are: “Something Posing As Meat”; “Specially Processed Artificial Meat”; “Stuff, Pork and Ham”; “Spare Parts Animal Meat”; and “Special Product of Austin Minnesota”!
.
◾”Backronyms” associated with “INTERNET SPAM/ Spam/ spam” include: “stupid pointless annoying messages”, and “shit posing as mail”! But the ULTIMATE LIST of such “backronyms”– I’m sure!– is longer than netizens have time to read!… and– probably– a tad more convoluted!
.
◾When the US offered the UK citizens affected by WWII, SPAM… while the UK struggled to rebuild their agricultural base!… the British citizens assumed it was an acronym!… and they “backronymed” it to, “Specially Processed American Meats”!
.
◾”SPAM” is a precooked meat product originally made of ham!… but– now!– is made from a variety of available meats! And, similar to “Spam”!… that was once composed of a clearly defined (though unfortunate!) notion of electronic communication!… but!… now!… is composed of a variety of available definitions, by ELITE INTERESTS, AND PSEUDO-SOCIAL SPAM OBJECTING NETIZENS!
.
◾Austin, Minnesota, is known as “SPAM town, USA” (and hence the previously cited “backronym”…”Special Product of Austin Minnesota”!)!… and not for INTERNET SPAM!… but, for the fact, that the town produces all of the food product sold in North America, South America, and Australia! “SPAM” sold in the UK, is produced in Denmark!… by the company, “Tulip”!… with which, Hormel has “farmed out” its product… and production!
.
◾Billions of cans of “SPAM”, have been sold!
.
◾In the United States, Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, eat the most “SPAM” per capita!… with an average of about 16 tins per person, per year!
.
◾Hawaii, Guam, and CNMI, all have McDonald’s restaurants that serve SPAM! Burger Kings in Hawaii also serve SPAM!… since 2007!… to better compete with the McDonalds there! And just like Internet Cafes!… which become the breeding ground, for the electronic counterpart!
.
◾Due to the extreme popularity of “SPAM” in Hawaii, Hawaiians have nicknamed “SPAM”, “The Hawaiian Steak”! And no!… I don’t know whether Barack Obama, and his family, like SPAM (i.e., the “meat”!)!

The Wanderer (profile) says:

Re: Re: Re:4 TRUMP IS A JOKE

I’m sure quite a few people would have said the same thing about many of your posts.

What I just said is, essentially:

* If you include “Please… no emails!” in a post but don’t include an E-mail address, I flag the post.

* If you do your U-N-R-E-A-D-A-B-L-E emphasis in a post, I flag the post.

* If you go on an off-topic rant in a post, I flag the post.

* The fact that you felt it appropriate to make the post to which I was replying means I no longer have any regrets, or feel any guilt, about doing this.

John Mayor says:

Re: Re: Re:5 TRUMP IS A JOKE

I could care less about what a handful of morons think of my Postings!… they’re not meant for morons!
.
An email address is not ESSENTIAL in order to communicate a message/ comment!… and those that think so, are probably violators of Digital Human Rights!… like you!
.
If you feel my Postings are U-N-R-E-A-D-A-B-L-E you’re probably a moron!
.
What Y-O-U and… and a handful of others “thinkers”!… view as “off-topic”, is (and are!) irrelevant! And inasmuch, as you appear to have the sensibilities of a side order of onion rings! And!… you can take your “flag” and shove it in a part of your anatomy where the sun doesn’t shine!
.
The fact that I felt it appropriate to make the Post to which you were replying m-e-a-n-s, that I don’t wish “others” to be adversely impacted by you’re regretable psychobabble!
.
Nighty night!… and don’t the “conscience” bite!
.
Please!… no emails!

nasch (profile) says:

Re: Re: Re:4 TRUMP IS A JOKE

Also, quick tip, your method of emphasizing text doesn’t make the words stand out, it makes them difficult to read, which makes people not want to read your posts. At the very least, ditch the hyphens. Most people still won’t want to read something filled with all caps words but it’s a step in the right direction.

John Mayor says:

Re: Re: Re:5 TRUMP IS A JOKE

TEXTUAL SCREAMING: OR DELUSIONAL BEHAVIOR
.
ATTENTION!:… LARGE LETTERING IN A “PASSIVE TEXTUAL COMMENT” D-O-E-S N-O-T TRANSLATE TO “SCREAMING”! THAT CONCLUSION WOULD BE THE “D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N-A-L SIDE EFFECT/ SEQUELA/ EPIPHENOMENON” OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION, EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL USE, PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS, BRAIN TRAUMA, OR SOME GENETIC-BASED COGNITIVE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC MALFORMATION (POST-CONCEPTION!)! OR!… IT SIMPLY COULD BE ONE TOO MANY ALLIES ROLLING AROUND IN A TIN CAN, IN WHAT MAY BE P-A-S-S-I-N-G (OR, A-T-T-E-M-P-T-I-N-G T-O P-A-S-S!) FOR A F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N-I-N-G B-R-A-I-N!!
.
LARGE LETTERING, IS USED TO E-M-B-O-L-D-E-N T-H-E E-M-P-H-A-S-I-S OF REGULAR/ NORMAL SIZED TEXT (IN A FASHION, SIMILAR TO QUOTATION MARKS!)!… AND!… HAS N-O-T-H-I-N-G T-O D-O WITH “S-O-U-N-D”! HYPHENS!… WHETHER USED BETWEEN REGULAR/ NORMAL SIZED TEXT IN AN EXPRESSION, OR BETWEEN EMBOLDENED/ LARGER SIZED TEXT IN AN EXPRESSION, ARE USED TO EFFECT AN A-R-T-I-C-U-L-A-T-I-O-N OF A GIVEN “T-E-X-T-U-A-L E-X-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N”!… AND!… TO DELIBERATELY “R-E-L-A-X”/ S-L-O-W D-O-W-N THE READING OF AN EXPRESSION, IN ORDER TO BRING “H-E-I-G-H-T-E-N-E-D A-T-T-E-N-T-I-O-N” TO PARTICULAR EXPRESSIONS THAT ARE DEEMED I-N-T-E-G-R-A-L TO A MESSAGE/ CONCEPT BEING COMMUNICATED! AND AGAIN!… THE USE OF HYPHENS H-A-V-E N-O-T-H-I-N-G T-O D-O WITH “S-O-U-N-D”!
.
ELLIPSES!… ARE USED TO EFFECT A DELIBERATE BREAK IN WHAT WOULD, OTHERWISE, BE A “QUICKENED” CONTIGUOUS SENTENCE!… USING “CONVENTIONAL” SENTENCE STRUCTURE, AND PUNCTUATION! THEY ARE USED TO ARTICULATE A SENTENCE, IN THE SAME MANNER A HYPHEN MIGHT BE USED TO A-R-T-I-C-U-L-A-T-E A WORD!… AND TO “R-E-L-A-X”/ S-L-O-W D-O-W-N THE MESSAGE BEING COMMUNICATED, IN WHAT WOULD, OTHERWISE, BE A MORE “HURRIED” CONVENTIONAL SENTENCE STRUCTURE! AND!… IS COMPARABLE– I’LL SUGGEST!– TO S-A-V-O-U-R-I-N-G AN AFFORDABLE FINE WINE!… AS APPOSED, TO “GULPING IT DOWN”!
.
LASTLY!… EXCLAMATION POINTS– FOR ME!– ARE PREFERRED OVER PERIODS, AS I DESIRE “L-U-C-I-D A-T-T-E-N-T-A-T-I-V-E-N-E-S-S” TO THE IDEAS/ NOTIONS/ CONCEPTS BEING COMMUNICATED! AND ONCE AGAIN!… THEIR USE HAS N-O-T-H-I-N-G T-O D-O WITH “S-O-U-N-D”!… N-O-T-H-I-N-G T-O D-O WITH “M-A-N-I-C S-Y-N-T-A-X”!… OR “M-A-N-I-C S-E-L-F E-X-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N”!
.
I DON’T DELIBERATELY CHOOSE TO EXPRESS MYSELF USING “HYPERVERBOSITY”!… OR EVEN VERBOSITY! MY WORDS… AT TIMES!… MAY BE MANY!… BUT, THESE ARE CHOSEN CAREFULLY!… AND ARE MEANT TO EXPRESS– EFFICIENTLY, AND EFFECTIVELY!– WHAT IS E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L FOR T-H-O-U-G-H-T-F-U-L R-E-A-D-E-R-S TO ENTERTAIN/ RECEIVE! AND, UNLIKE “T-R-U-M-P-I-A-N T-H-I-N-K-E-R-S”, I DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY THE “SIZE OF ITS C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-S”!… NOR, A WOMAN BY THE PRESUMED “EASE OF HER GENITAL ACCESS”! AND SO!… IF MY WORDS APPEAR TO BE “I-N-A-C-C-E-S-S-I-B-L-E” TO YOU… TOO BAD! I’M NOT “PUTTING OUT”!… JUST SO Y-O-U CAN “GET OFF”!
.
YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO “P-L-A-Y” WITH YOU OWN DUMB*SS “E-X-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N-S”!… AND SYNTAX!… IN ORDER TO DO THAT!
.
Please!… no emails!

Agonistes (profile) says:

This level of gaslighting may have been bizarre to me 8-10 months ago but anyone following how the media has been covering the presidential election and concurrent major world events…this is nothing: its happening on much a bigger scale than this example by far if anyone cared to look. How much coverage of possible US provoking war with Russia, the migrant invasion of the EU, omens of an expanding credit bubble much worse than ’08, running interference for subversive and violent anti-rights SJW groups. Or the latest Wikileaks…these are huge. Then people act surprised when others choose Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Spare me the sanctimony, please.

Anonymous Coward says:

“Again, there is a story here: Trump is willing to repeat false information from sketchy sources “

Wat? I know some people refer to El Trumpo as “God-Emperor” but that doesn’t mean he’s actually a god. He doesn’t possess some mystical ability to automagically determine the truthiness of any given statement.

John Mayor says:

Re: Re:

FBI DIRECTOR REVEALS HE COVERS HIS WEBCAM WITH TAPE – AND SAYS EVERYONE SHOULD BE DOING THE SAME TO STOP HACKERS SPYING
.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3790585/FBI-director-covers-webcam-TAPE-says-doing-stop-hackers-spying.html
.
And so… unless the cops are wearing body-cams, you won’t be able to see James Comey anyway! As for Donald Trump… well!… he’s already been caught!… and has a court date in December for allegations of CHILD RAPE!
.
Please!… no emails!

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