| Is The Strickland Campaign Spamming Gun Owners? |
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| Written by Jeff Garvas | |
| Thursday, 27 July 2006 | |
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On the internet spamming is known as the act of sending unsolicited emails to people who are not suspecting them nor have they asked to receive them. Some might argue that a commercial component is necessary for unsolicited email to be spam, while others would consider unsolicited email seeking votes and financial contributions for a candidate just as unwanted in their Inbox as the latest enhancement product regardless of the candidate. Recently Ohioans For Concealed Carry was contacted by Brian Berry, an OFCC member, who asked if we'd received or seen the letter from Frances Strickland praising her husband and seeking support for his campaign, both financially and by voting for him in the General Election. While nothing in the otherwise generic message was pro-firearm this OFCC member had very strong reason to believe his gun-owner status caused him to be targeted. Berry has the ability to make endless quantities of email addresses, and when he is asked for his address he generates one that gives away who he gave it to in the first place. This way if spam comes to his mailbox he knows which business gave away his identity to a third party spammer. In this case his email address was "SWguns" since he was working with none other than Smith & Wesson. Nobody else in the world had that email address. The only people who should have known how to contact Berry at that specific secret email address would be Smith & Wesson and it's partners who have access to the information. Smith & Wesson's published privacy policy admits that they share information you provide them with third parties. It is possible that either Smith & Wesson or a third party disclosed the information: "From time to time, we may provide certain information that we obtain from you to others who provide products and services that we believe you might be interested in. It is our intention to provide such information only to third parties who we believe are reputable but please note that such parties may have different privacy policies."The July 21st email letter was delivered to Berry's secret email address purporting to be from Frances Strickland, the wife of Gubernatorial Candidate Ted Strickland. We've copied that letter at the end of this story. Strickland campaign Spokesperson Keith Dailey advised OFCC that Second Amendment rights are important to the campaign and that the campaign is reaching out to Second Amendment supporters. "For strategic reasons we don't go into methods of reaching out," said Dailey. In other words, the campaign is not confirming nor denying our suspicion that they are targeting gun owners. From a common sense perspective there is no other justification for Berry's email address receiving a campaign message than Smith & Wesson or one of its third party partners sharing that information with someone that enabled the Strickland campaign to email it. If the suspicions are true this further highlights the huge role that gun-owning voters will play in the 2006 Gubernatorial Election. For the first time in many years both sides of the aisle are fighting to court the most gun-owner votes as possible. What is yet to be seen is how gun owners will react to receiving unsolicited email from a Gubernatorial candidate, or if they'll even realize what happened. In an effort to determine if this is a wide spread practice among the top Gubernatorial candidates we also contacted the Ken Blackwell campaign. Blackwell Press Secretary Carlo LoParo advised OFCC that the campaign does not purchase lists of email addresses, but instead relies upon the email addresses that they collect from their campaign website. From an internet activist standpoint at least those people who provide their email addresses to the Blackwell campaign are doing so with implied consent. "It's ironic the Strickland campaign is spamming gun owners when Strickland himself doesn't own a gun and his running mate Lee Fisher has been long considered public enemy number one to Ohio's gun owners," said LoParo. This is the letter that was reportedly sent to Berry: ========================================= Help Ted Strickland make Ohio Great again ========================================= http://www.tedstrickland.com July 21, 2006 Dear Friends, My name is Frances Strickland, and I've been married to Ted Strickland for eighteen years. We've had a good, full life together with rarely a dull moment. It has been a joy to support the things Ted has wanted to do in life, but we both understand the awesome responsibility he has assumed with his decision to run for governor. In all of the years I've known Ted, he has been a selfless, hardworking man who feels lucky in the opportunities he's had that didn't come to his brothers and sisters. He is the eighth of nine children from a working class family, the first in his family to go to college and the second to graduate from high school. He never forgets that the good college education he received in his youth is why he is able to run for governor today. All of Ted's professional life has been devoted to helping improve the lives of everyday people. First as an ordained Methodist minister, then as an administrator of a Methodist children's home, a college professor and clinical psychologist. In 1992, after a hard fought campaign in a strongly Republican area, he was elected to the United States Congress to represent the people of Ohio's Sixth District. Ted is currently completing his sixth term in Congress and is regarded as a true friend by the people he serves. He earned their trust by staying close to them, demonstrated by the way he goes into their communities to learn firsthand the experiences they are facing. He and his highly competent, caring staff always try to show the respect and help that all Ohioans deserve and need. Now, with his decision to run for governor, Ted will bring to all of Ohio the same dedication to service and ethical leadership that he has shown in every position he has ever held. Ted's primary goal is to enact a plan he calls Turnaround Ohio -- a plan that keeps and grows the jobs we have, that invests in Ohio's strengths, and brings jobs to Ohio by making sure we have the best educated workforce possible. Today, I'm asking you to join Ted in his mission to become the next governor of Ohio. The people of Ohio need someone they can trust to put their interests before his own and will work every day to make sure the taxes they pay are fair and that they go to improve the quality of life for all, and not just for the privileged few. We have a chance to make a true change in our state this November 7th, but it's going to take the efforts and determination of all who care to put Ohio back on the right track. That's why I am asking for your help. Help Ted restore honesty, integrity, and hope to our state government. Sign up to help him today. Thank you so very much, Frances Strickland >> >> P.S. You can also contribute to Ted's campaign at << https://secure.tedstrickland.com/page/contribute ____________________________________________ Sign-up and receive periodic updates http://www.tedstrickland.com/page/s/updates Paid for by Strickland for Governor, Michael Johrendt, Treasurer 42 Park Drive Columbus, OH, 43209 |