Phone Pollution

I have been watching this entire election, from a distance really because I haven’t read any news articles, we turned the cable off again about six months ago. I am so thankful because I would have sat here mesmerized only to listen to the pundits drivel on about every nuance of certain candidates.

2010 Campaign Mailings

For once, I wasn’t the only person complaining. Many of the people I spoke to, were so sick of the phone calls and constant bombardment that they decided to simply stay home and not vote. I seriously considered it myself and I am the first person to encourage others to vote. I’ve been known to taunt anyone within earshot with, “If you don’t vote, you don’t have any complaints coming, so be sure to keep your mouth shut if you don’t like the way things are being run.” or more colorful words to that effect.

I am holding Ron Paul personally responsible for my coming completely unglued this week. I couldn’t figure out why on earth we were getting so many political phone calls and so much political mail this year. Every piece of political material I looked at with great concern. Most candidates were chatting up how we need to cut spending, be more fiscally responsible, all the while spending millions of dollars, wasting tons of trees for huge advertising campaigns.

With every new  avalanche of mail, I could only shake my head and wonder how on earth they could run a fiscally responsible state, when they couldn’t even run a thrifty campaign.

Then I wondered what I had done to deserve so many political phone calls. My husband and I work from home and basically work around the clock on many occasions. We squeeze every dollar, so our home phone is our business phone. Our phone rang on average 6 times a day with political ads and those under-handed Republican sponsored “surveys” that really weren’t surveys. I find that kind of stuff very distasteful, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I can remember one evening, when we were on a scheduled conference call with a client, and were about ten minutes into our conference, when the Steve Poizner’s campaign computers were set to autodial our telephone. He interrupted our conference call six times. I was so angry when I hung up that I immediately tried to contact his staff but was only able to find an email or answering machine.

I finally was able to reach someone on his staff the following day, and they apologized “but it could take up to 12-hours to stop the calls.” I voiced my opinion then resigned myself to having to wait another 12-hours, only to have yet another call come in from his team two-days later. And three more yesterday.

I tried using my call blocking service (that I pay for) to block Steve Poizner from calling, after all, it was a regular (916) area code, not an 800 number but  AT&T’s phone  system would not allow me to block his calls.

In all the years I have been old enough to vote, I have never had this much mail or this many telephone calls and I couldn’t figure out why, until I realized, I had changed my voter designation from Libertarian to Republican, so that I could endorse, then vote for Ron Paul in the last presidential election. I guess since I registered as a Republican the party feels I am fair game.

I called AT&T to complain about the telephone calls, which on some days numbered over a dozen. AT&T couldn’t or wouldn’t help me. I tried to find contact information for the FCC to file a complaint but they have changed their system once again and I wasn’t able to find the proper link again.

I have singled out Steve Poizner because he was by far the worse offender, as far as making me lose my mind this month but he wasn’t alone. Meg Whitman team called way too much as well.

AT&T provides our local services, we have a wonderful package with all the bells and whistles, which we pay dearly for (over $250.00 per month). I want to know why if I am paying for this phone service and I have paid for call blocking, why I am not getting the services I am paying for? It’s my telephone! I pay my bill, each and every month! Can someone tell me why I can’t block any telephone number that I want, it’s certainly not because we don’t have the technology to do so?

My only wish is that I had kept a  log of  all the calls. I am sure I could get the list of incoming calls from  AT&T some how.

Are you sick of the campaign calls? The wasteful mailings. You should see how HUGE they  are. I’ve never seen anything like it.

GOP Excludes Keyes

Florida GOP excludes Alan Keyes from Orlando debate

Uses non-existent polling data as requirement

Des Moines, IA — In what he called "a major abuse of the electoral process," former Reagan administration diplomat and long-time national conservative activist Alan Keyes has been blocked by the Florida GOP from participating in Sunday’s Fox News presidential debate in Orlando.

The Florida party used a 1% or better showing in polls from three of six polling firms as their criterion for inclusion in the event, even though none of the selected polling firms included Keyes, the latest entry in the presidential race, in any of their statewide surveys to date.

However, had Keyes been included in these polls, objective observers — including staff of some of the polling firms in question — agreed, based on past electoral performance in Florida, and on current polling that is taking place in other states, that he would have received a percentage meeting or exceeding the threshold.

In 2000, in the last contested GOP presidential primary, 32,354 — or nearly five percent — of Florida Republicans, and about one million voters nationwide, cast their vote for Keyes. He was included in the Values Voter Debate in Fort Lauderdale last month, after only three days in the race. In the post-debate straw poll, Keyes surpassed all the other candidates in the GOP field except Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.

The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll, the most-recognized media measure in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, was released during the time period in question, showing Keyes at 2% after only two weeks in the race, equaling or surpassing several long-time GOP candidates, all of whom received invitations to the Orlando debate.

When asked about his exclusion from Sunday’s debate on the Adam McMannus radio program Wednesday, Ambassador Keyes said, "Rather than thinking about what they should be doing to make sure that voters are informed and able to get a clear idea of the choices available to them, [some party officials] are doing their best, I think, to make sure that articulation of the kind of conservatism that corresponds to what is on the heart and mind of most grassroots Republicans is not there."

In later comments, Keyes asked, "Why such an effort to assure that the so-called top-tier candidates don’t have to face me? Do they fear me because they’re not good enough for the job that needs to be done, or because they don’t represent the conscience and heart of the Republican Party or of the American people?"

To register your opinion concerning Dr. Keyes’ exclusion from this debate, call the Florida Republican Party and Chairman Jim Greer at (850) 222-7920, send a fax to (850) 681-2063, or email the party using the form at www.rpof.org

You can learn more about Alan Keyes at www.AlanKeyes.com

Florida GOP excludes Alan Keyes from Orlando debate

Ron Paul Tonight

You may recall that back on January 22, 2007, I mentioned that Congressman Ron Paul had tossed his hat in the ring and will run on the Republican platform for President in 2008.

Since writing that post I am surprised to find out just how many people have no idea who Dr. Ron Paul is. Especially since I’ve been following his career for many years nows.

I admit I was wrong — totally wrong when I supported our current President when he ran for President way back in 2000. It is one of the few regrets I’m forced to live with.

With that being said, you will be happy to know that I always learn from my own mistakes and a vote for Ron Paul is one of the best things you could ever do for this country and for yourself. He stands for freedom and believes in our Constitution. He has worked hard to stand up our Constitution as a Texas Congressman. Be sure to follow the links below to find out more.

I encourage you to get to know more about Dr. Ron Paul and lend him your support. Help him bring about real change in 2008. You won’t want to miss this special opportunity to join a teleconference — scheduled for tonight.

Press Release

We are going to have a very special call tonight. Our guest speaker is the one and only Dr Ron Paul. (AKA Dr. No for voting against all unconstitutional bills.)

The call will start at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time Thursday the 15th of Feb. This is a nationwide conference call and there will lots of people camping onto the line.

You will dial in this number (605) 475-8500
Then enter our room code, 5528750.

You may get instructions to announce yourself but do not do that. Please mute your line as soon as you get on the call. Mute your call by pressing * 2. (Un-mute by pressing *3)

Do not pipe in with questions or comments.

Ron Paul has accepted an invitation to participate in the first national presidential debate in New Hampshire on Wednesday, April 4. It will be hosted by Wolf Blitzer and will be carried on CNN TV, radio, and cnn.com from 7-9 p.m. EST.

You are in the right place at the right time with the right movement.

One people, One movement, Freedom for all.

Thank you,
Henry Nicolle
America: Freedom to Fascism
California Volunteer Coordinator
POB 5633 Ventura, California (93005)
Phone: (805) 758-4446

Additional Information