]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]        A BLACKLISTING IDEA       [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
              by Vince Pecora (Freeman 95070PECO)          (5/1/1989)     
Dear Dr. Beckmann,

    A few months ago I suggested that it might be a good idea to start
a "black list" of those organizations that are anti-nuclear and/or
coercive utopians.  This would help your subscribers to avoid doing
doing business with them, and inadvertantly funding them.  Your reply
was that this was not a bad idea, however there were many useful
projects that compete for your time.

               This morning, as I was canceling my subscription to the
       Wellness Letter (out of U.C. Berkeley - I probably should have
       known better), I had another idea.  This one (I think) would
       require less of your time.

               Briefly - let your subscribers build up this list for
       you on-line, as the need arises.  Subscribers who take enough
       time to write a letter to some organization taking their
       business elsewhere probably have a good reason.  I suspect that
       anyone who is capable of logging into your on-line system will
       probably also use their computer to generate the letter as well.
       If you also solicit a copy of the letter, it automatically
       provides at least one person's reasoning as to why that particular
       organization should be cut off.  Note that this also opens up the
       possibility of electronic form letters as well - much like Reed
       Irving's Accuracy in Media's form postcards.   Yes, form letters
       are not as effective as self generated ones, but electronic
       form letters are easy to add to and/or modify and then send off.

               Futhermore, if you provided a very short downloadable
       (is that a real word?) form for your subscribers' electonic
       submissions, then you would find it simple to write a short program
       to scan the known formatted submissions and extract information at
       a later date (when enough of the entries accumulate) to perhaps
       build up a true database of organizations that you could then
       manipulate electronically.

               Having an organized location for this type of letter,
       has another advantage.  I think that it would actually encourage
       your subscribers to take the time to generate these letters as
       well - why be a sheep if you can help to herd the flock?

               Think of it - you could even organize the whole area
       as Guillotine Courtyard!

                                       Sincerely,

                                       Vince Pecora


   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
       Organization:
               Wellness Letter
       AKA:
               Berkeley Wellness Letter
               University of California, Berkeley Wellnes Letter
       Address:        
               Wellness Letter
               Subscription Department
               P.O. Box 359160
               Palm Coast, FL  32035-9160
       Short Reason:
               NRDC supporter
       
       Letter Text:

   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

       Dear Sirs;

               I was preparing to renew my subscription this month when
       I noticed an unbelievable reference to the Natural Resources
       Defense Council as "a highly respected group of environmental
       scientists and advocates" (May issue, p.7).  To portray this
       group of social engineers, who have done much to endanger the
       true health of the public through their blatant misrepresentation
       of facts and statistical evidence in an effort to delay the use
       of nuclear power in this country, as "highly respected" is
       very, very misleading.

               That the writer and the editor involved in this deceptive
       statement could be so misinformed is totally unacceptable for
       a publication that I am subscribing to in order to inform me
       on matters of my health.  Your publication has lost all credibility
       for me, and before I allow it to potentially mislead me in any
       important health related areas,

       I must cancel my current subscription which ends in September,
       and ask for a refund check for the unused portion.

               I am very, very disappointed, as I had trusted you to
       provide accurate facts.
       
                                       Sincerely,

   ----------------------------------------------------------------------


Return to the ground floor of this tower
Return to the Main Courtyard
Return to Fort Freedom's home page