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story category Retired Telco Exec Sent Sloppy AT&T Lobbying Letter
But insists he wrote it, despite 'XYZ Organization' slip up...
09:08AM Tuesday Oct 27 2009 by Karl Bode
tags: legal · competition · business · Oddities · net-neutrality · consumers · AT&T
Last week we told you how some sloppy AT&T lobbying resulted in an Arkansas senior citizen group writing a form letter against net neutrality to the FCC, but forgetting some important details -- like replacing the form field "XYZ Organization" with an actual company name. Telecom companies frequently use a slew of existing or artificial groups to parrot company positions, giving the illusion of broad public support. Several users have subsequently written in to note that the letter signatory, and head of the "Arkansas Retired Seniors Coalition," unsurprisingly worked for Southwestern Bell for nearly thirty years. Mike Masnick at Techdirt has also been digging into the story, and notes that the man still claims he wrote the letter himself, for whatever that's worth.

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Forums » Retired Telco Exec Sent Sloppy AT&T Lobbying Letter
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Harddrive
Premium
join:2000-09-20
Norwich, CT


1 edit

Once a 'Yes' man,

always a 'Yes' man. wonder how much lobby money he got for doing this, minus the screw up?

(edit: here's the letter. lol)
retrieve.pdf 265123 bytes
letter from idiot

fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY

Seems legit

Seems legit...from the article...

Sells, a 77-year-old retired public relations executive in Little Rock, tells MediaPost that he often writes letters with placeholders and fills in the correct text later, but overlooked the reference to XYZ in this case.
He fills in "the correct text" later by looking at the check and seeing who it came from

Incase it's needed.... </sarcasm>

lkviewguy

join:2004-02-13
Chicago, IL

Re: Seems legit

wow another gullible person. I have lakefront property in Kansas I would love to sell you, it's wired for FIOS.

Laughing Man
Stand Alone Complex
Premium
join:2008-03-17
Louisville, KY
clubs:
·AT&T DSL Service

Re: Seems legit

said by lkviewguy See Profile :

said by fcisler See Profile :

Incase it's needed.... /sarcasm
wow another gullible person. I have lakefront property in Kansas I would love to sell you, it's wired for FIOS.
How does a sarcastic remark make a person gullible?
--
One time a person asked where the F button was on their keyboard. I told them they would find it next to the U button.

Harddrive
Premium
join:2000-09-20
Norwich, CT
hey lkviewguy, read the last line of his unedited post...

"Incase it's needed.... </sarcasm>"
--
I've come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass and i'm all outta bubblegum.
Mr Matt

join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
·Comcast
·Embarq

Something smells about Bob Sells!

Was Sells a victim of early term dementia or late term Alzheimer's? Why should corporatist tell the truth. Time for a Justice Department investigation of a wide spread Corporate Misinformation program to promote laws favorable to them. I guess freedom of speech means freedom to lie.

SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17

Re: Something smells about Bob Sells!

Time to redefine corporations as not being "persons". That would put an end to much of this.
rahvin112

join:2002-05-24
Sandy, UT

Re: Something smells about Bob Sells!

Commercial speech shouldn't be free.
patcat88

join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

Re: Something smells about Bob Sells!

Corporations have human rights!
katylied

join:2003-10-15
Hot Springs National Park, AR


2 edits

Searching the Arkansas Secretary of State . . . .

The Arkansas Secretary of State search page returns these groups for "Arkansas Retired"

ARKANSAS RETIRED MILITARY ASSOCIATION, INC. JACKSONVILLE AR Good Standing

CENTRAL ARKANSAS RETIRED & ELDERLY, INC. JACKSONVILLE AR Good Standing

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS RETIRED OFFICERS' GROUP FAYETTEVILLE AR Good Standing

THE ARKANSAS RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION LITTLE ROCK AR Good Standing

No results returned for any combination I can come up with for Arkansas Retired Seniors Coalition.
The address on the letter is a condo that appears to be a residence of Bob Sells.
It would be easy to register ANY name for any group or company or non-profit with the Ark Sec of State, but the power behind these letters didn't go to the effort.

Corporations and churches RUN Arkansas from the very top to the very bottom.
Most people in Arkansas blindly do whatever a corporation or church tells them is best for them.
Necronomikro

join:2005-09-01

Re: Searching the Arkansas Secretary of State . . . .

said by katylied See Profile :

Most people in Arkansas blindly do whatever a corporation or church tells them is best for them.
Arkansan here... one of my coworkers is a corporate shill Mormon.

Suffice to say, I feel like pulling my hair out most of the time.
Forums » Retired Telco Exec Sent Sloppy AT&T Lobbying Letter


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