Computational Complexity

Monday, July 16, 2007

 
A postal campaign against spam

Posted by GASARCH

I will be sending the following letter by snail mail and you should send a similar letter- you may have an effect on spam.

Dear Govenor Huckabee,

There is someone trying to destroy Americas computer infrastructure and blame it on you! I received an email (excerpts below) that look like it was from your campaign but clearly it is not. I know it is not from your campaign since spam is so vile, so disgusting, that a man of high moral character such as yourself would not use it. (Note that even your ethically challenged competitors have not used it.) The spam in question asks the receiver to send a certain email to friends, relatives, and co-workers. This sounds like a chain letter, which is illegal, but of more importance it could crash America's computers. I urge you to take some action to make sure the public knows it is not you behind this vile spam, and put some effort into tracking down the people responsible.

Here are excerpts and my comments on it.

Mike Huckabee - The Exploratory Committee

When we launched the barber pole campaign a few weeks ago to raise 400 contributions in 96 hours, we had a tremendous response: 600+ total contributions, 400+ first-time contributors to the campaign and quite a few laughs.

While this is not quite asking for money, that might be the next step in this disgusiting scam.

Republicans, Democrats and Independents. I am interested in sharing my vision for America with all comers. I have a clear record that I'm proud of and I am willing to promote it to anyone regardless of their politics.

Another dead giveaway--- during the primaries you target your own party only.

The goal of this new, online campaign is to have 400 online volunteers send emails ! on the campaigns behalf over the next 72 hours. Please focus only on people you know: friends, family members and co-workers. We have designed a special email that we would like you to send.

This is the real dirt- they want to flood our computers with this email!!!

Now that you are allerted to the danger, please do something about it.

William Gasarch, Concerned Citizen

11:42 AM #

1.  Anonymous says:  
   
   It looks like some text is missing at the beginning of this post...
   

   1:55 PM, July 16, 2007

2.  Anonymous says:  
   
   No CAPS in snail mail?
   

   3:25 PM, July 16, 2007

3.  Anonymous says:  
   
   Is chain mail really illegal?
   

   3:47 AM, July 17, 2007

4.  Anonymous says:  
   
   Certain types of chain mail are illegal, but this is not one of them. Most of these work by promising the forwarder financial benefit (by some kind of Ponzi scheme), which is not true here.
   
   If this is what we have been reduced to complaining about, life is pretty good.
   

   10:26 AM, July 17, 2007