-Caveat Lector- http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=7320
Political parties blanket email newspaper editors And newspaper editors publish the astroturf spam By Mike Magee: tiistai 21 tammikuu 2003, 08:17 IT SEEMS WE'VE OPENED something of a can of worms with our story yesterday, which suggested the US Republican Party blanket emailed different newspaper editors with the same letter praising George Bush. Dozens of editors of newspapers published the letter. On the face of it, the letters were signed by different individuals. See Google hunts down 'President Bush is demonstrating genuine leadership' The whole letter reads as follows: "When it comes to the economy, President Bush is demonstrating genuine leadership. The economic growth package he recently proposed takes us in the right direction by accelerating the successful tax cuts of 2001, providing marriage penalty relief, and providing incentives for individuals and small businesses to save and invest. "Contrary to the class warfare rhetoric attacking the President's plan, the proposal helps everyone who pays taxes, and especially the middle class. This year alone, 92 million taxpayers will receive an immediate tax cut averaging $1,083 - and 46 million married couples will get back an average of $1,714. "That's not pocket change for a family struggling through uncertain economic times. Combined with the President's new initiatives to help the unemployed, this plan gets people back to work and helps every sector of our economy." Now we learn the practice has already some history, although the US news media -. perhaps out of embarrassment .- does not yet seem to have picked it up. At this web site, there is a fight against "killer astroturf" which relates to the 2002 Republican campaign. That site says the letters are part of an orchestrated campaign and are word for word identical. Worse -. a whole heap of newspapers took the letter as genuine and published it. Newspapers alleged to have fallen for the spamsters include the Boston Globe, USA Today, the Dallas Morning News, the Albany Pilot, the Green Bay Press Gazette and several dozen others. Yesterday it was suggested that our own august Financial Times had published the latest example of the "astroturf". <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
