E-mail circular firing squads and the spam they generate
posted at 8:55 pm on May 28, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Anyone with an e-mail address gets socked with spam on a daily basis, and for the most part we learn to live with it. We get constant ads for OEM software, erectile-dysfunction medication, porn sites, and Turkish websites that no one can decipher. The sheer mindlessness of it dulls the frustration we feel as we either set up filters or simply do a lot of deleting.
Unfortunately, over the last few days, I’ve been buried in another kind of spam entirely. A group of evangelicals have decided to have an e-mail argument over which is the most righteous, and they have rather annoyingly added at least a hundred people on public CC as spectators. The men who led this off style themselves as the only Christians with the truth, while he mostly focuses on Mitt Romney and what they perceive as his defects as a Christian.
Several people, including myself, have asked these rude and arrogant debaters to keep it to themselves or put it up on their blogs, and to stop publicly CC’ing those who don’t care for a ringside seat to this absurd argument. Those requests have been ignored and then ridiculed, as the e-mailers continue to believe that everyone else is fascinated with their particular position.
I used to see circular firing squads in corporate America, too, but they would usually end after a day or so. This has been going on for a week and shows no signs of slowing down. What the participants don’t realize is that this silliness doesn’t help them with their credibility at all, and with every new missive they reveal their hubris and their extremism.
Since our requests that these supposed Christians remove us from their e-mail hatred have been ignored, maybe this post will get them to reconsider. I’m already updating my e-mail blacklist to ensure that I never read another message from the participants in the future.
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Sounds like an average Huck post here on HA.
Spirit of 1776 on May 28, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Night and day, my friend. Night and day. One of them just e-mailed me to “shut my pie-hole” and “just hit delete” and to go back to talking about immigration at Hot Air.
Christian activists are so cute!
Ed Morrissey on May 28, 2008 at 9:04 PM
Yeah, I hate those. But on the bright side, I should be receiving $11 million from the widow of General Bushtake of Nigeria any day now. All I had to do was send a few bank details, my SSN, and a few other bits of information. I’ll be rich losers!
amerpundit on May 28, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Huck? Only the “religous” part… Sound more like Paulian behavior…. :)
darkpixel on May 28, 2008 at 9:06 PM
You must be using Outlook or some other client that makes long “conversations” awkward and cumbersome. Try Gmail or something like that… the only annoyance will be the fact that the conversation will keep showing bold (as having unread messages), but it won’t overwhelm your inbox or anything.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Dude, start posting the emails or forward them to Hugh Hewitt.
ninjapirate on May 28, 2008 at 9:09 PM
Huckabots: Dilligently working to overtake the Rontards in the Delusional Obsession contest.
Hollowpoint on May 28, 2008 at 9:12 PM
Gmail…are you sure you like the idea of giving Google (the company that knows how to data mine anything and has been sympathetic to Communist China) access to all of your email?
Now Google wants your medical records.
Too Orwellian for me.
Red Pill on May 28, 2008 at 9:13 PM
StOlaf and Apacalyps, take Ed out of your address book.
Yeah, what he said.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:14 PM
amerpundit,
Oh no you don’t. They got to me first and the money is mine.
BobK on May 28, 2008 at 9:15 PM
No.
Huckster worshippers: Romney isn’t a Christian, Mormonism is a cult, and Huckster is the only true Conservative Christian candidate.
Rontard cultists: McCain is a socialist neocon warmonger, RON PAUL is the ONLY man who can SAVE America.
Hollowpoint on May 28, 2008 at 9:15 PM
You know Ed if you are up on some of the posters here, you would know exactly the hate and loathing they have for Mormons. It’s kind of pathetic really. They claim it’s just because they want to save them. What a joke! I think Christ’s whole message is about love. Too bad they don’t understand it. I hope that their message of hate doesn’t have some nut case shoot one of the members.
Bambi on May 28, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Beliefs different, behavior the same.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Yes, that was totally worth a Hotair post. Slow news day? Blacklist them all and let the daemon sort it out.
Brad on May 28, 2008 at 9:16 PM
That sounds a lot like the arguments I hear hard lefties make about NSA datamining of phone calls. I’ll say to you the same thing I say to them: Don’t think you’re important enough that they care what you are saying in your communication. In exchange for getting the best mail client out there for absolutely free, you agree to let an algorithm feed ads to you based on the content of what’s on the page at any given time.
Also… “sympathetic to Communist China”… WTH?
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:17 PM
I wasn’t trying to minimize.
Spirit of 1776 on May 28, 2008 at 9:20 PM
Just tell them that if receive another e-mail you will convert to Mormonism. That will either stop the deluge or replace it with another torrent of e-mails telling you that you are headed for the Lake of Fire. 50/50 shot, i’d guess. Might be worth it.
phronesis on May 28, 2008 at 9:20 PM
I agree the stuff about Big Brother Google is a bit paranoid, but Google does have a history with the PROC. And it isn’t pretty. Still, doesn’t stop me from using Gmail, the best mail client evah.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:21 PM
You think that’s bad, Ed? Have you ever gotten caught in an e-mail firing squad between Bears fans and Packers fans?
radjah shelduck on May 28, 2008 at 9:21 PM
Hey, Brad, it’s his blog–he can talk about whatever he wants to if he wants to.
Rock.com works for me. I rarely get spammed.
davidk on May 28, 2008 at 9:22 PM
Well, I’m in Vikingsland, so I at least get to hear that from time to time.
Yeah, I knew that, but I was trying to be lighthearted in return, and unsuccessfully. Sorry about that …
Ed Morrissey on May 28, 2008 at 9:23 PM
No doubt that Ed is far too Minnesota Nice to do such a thing, but my response would be to sign them up for every gay activist e-mail newsletter I could find.
Hollowpoint on May 28, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Oh but they are not concerned with being credible with you, but rather only with their perceived credibility with their Heavenly Father.
Yes but they get move afterlife points with their God.
MB4 on May 28, 2008 at 9:26 PM
You.
Are.
Awesome.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:27 PM
Every good Christian should line up and kick
Jerry FalwellChristian activists [updated]. right in the a$$.- Barry Goldwater
MB4 on May 28, 2008 at 9:30 PM
No prob. Cheers!
It is funny though that people who are ostensibly trying to get their point of view through to widest amount of people end up getting blocked.
Spirit of 1776 on May 28, 2008 at 9:30 PM
I receive no spam. None.
But I do pay a fee for monthly Juno Email service.
ColtsFan on May 28, 2008 at 9:30 PM
That’s even quite harsh and unfair. You do business in a country, you obey their laws. That’s just the way it is. Where I work we have to support the Chinese file encoding standards to sell our products there… and on and on.
It’s better to have Google in China, even complying with their backwards laws, than to have them stay home on principal. And Google isn’t the only guilty party.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:33 PM
The trick I’ve learned to avoid spam is to sign up for mailing lists, accounts at various websites, and online shopping with a second e-mail. My private e-mail remains spam free aside from about 3-4 a month.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:34 PM
http://michellemalkin.com/2006/01/26/the-china-google-protest-logo-album/
Red Pill on May 28, 2008 at 9:34 PM
http://michellemalkin.com/2006/01/27/more-china-google-protest-logos/
Red Pill on May 28, 2008 at 9:35 PM
ColtsFan on May 28, 2008 at 9:30 PM
I receive no spam. None. And I don’t even pay anything for Gmail.
Well… to be fair, I do get THOUSANDS of spam emails for the 6 email accounts I manage through Gmail, but those are very, very, VERY accurately filtered into the spam folder for me. I think I have had no more than 1 or 2 accidentally make their way into my inbox in the last month.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Geez, nothing worse than spam. If that spam starts going on and on about a guy named Spurgeon, let me know.
Sekhmet on May 28, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Oh, I never suggested they were. I was just illustrating the fact that many anti-Communists would probably rather not do business with them. I don’t like communism, but I understand that a large company like Google (this applies to Wal*Mart as well) needs to deal with undesirables like PROC to stay afloat.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:38 PM
I have never considered signing up for Gmail.
Until now.
Thanks for the tip. :-)
ColtsFan on May 28, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Red Pill on May 28, 2008 at 9:34 PM
I know what you’re talking about… I just think its quite simplistic and juvenile to deduct that they are “sympathetic to Communist China”. That’s even more strikingly absurd given Page’s and Brin’s public statements on the matter, wherein they made clear that they disapprove of China’s policies.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:39 PM
Yes, Gmail’s spam filter is close to 100% accurate. I barely get 1 spam e-mail a week that makes it into the inbox. And I haven’t had the spam filter pick up a useful e-mail yet, something that was an issue with other providers.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:40 PM
Indeed, and as an anti-communist you need large companies like Google and Wal-Mart to do business with undesirables like PROC to bring them into the light, so to speak.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:40 PM
On an absolutely unrelated note, who puts red Loc-Tite on bolts that are SUPPOSED to come out?
Had to vent.
Back to the subject:
I have my email through my provider, Bellsouth, and it works pretty well. I get a couple of spammies every now and then, but nothing to make me find another mail service.
LickyLicky on May 28, 2008 at 9:47 PM
And while we’re talking about it, I wanted to mention this for the benefit of ColtsFan… if you start a GMail account, make sure you make note of the features that are unique to gmail white make it awesome… labeling and archiving.
Labels are akin to folders, but they have a many-to-many relationship to emails while folders have a one-to-many relationship. So where in some clients you can create a folder (say “Christian activists”) and put your email in there, in Gmail you would create a “label” and label the email. You can put any number of labels on an email, and you can bring up all emails with any given label.
And archiving is the best thing… most mail clients (even Hotmail, for example) require you to put things in a folder or delete them. In Gmail, you just archive everything (or label them) and then you can use the awesome power of Google’s search abilities to retrieve what your looking for.
So if I want to find that coffee rub recipe I loved 3 years ago, I can search my account for “coffee rub” and I know it will be there, because I emailed it to myself and archived it. You get like 6GB of space, so documents/files–even some programs, if they are small enough and you change the extension–can be attached an archived as a backup.
I personally have a label called “keys and account numbers” that I use to email myself software registration keys, online account credentials (travelocity, etc), and that sort of thing to make sure I always have access to anything I need. And since Gmail shows everything as “conversations” I can just reply to those emails with any NEW passwords or whatever, and the most recent one is conveniently at the bottom of the “conversation”.
Anyway, this went on for WAAAAY too long. Go make an account.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 9:52 PM
I don’t get the spam. I’d love to give these people who walk around using the Christ’s name in this way…a piece of my mind, though.
No! Do not send them to my email. LoL
bridgetown on May 28, 2008 at 9:54 PM
Foreward them all to:
antichrist@hotmail.gehenna
Works every time.
profitsbeard on May 28, 2008 at 9:55 PM
And growing by about 3.4 MB each day.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 9:56 PM
Thank you for your comments.
ColtsFan on May 28, 2008 at 10:01 PM
Red? Yeah- not smart.
But if you ride a Harley, using the blue loctite is wise unless you enjoy watching the bolt that holds your shift lever on come off on I-94 forcing you to complete your trip entirely in 4th gear… not that I’d know what that’s like or anything.
Hollowpoint on May 28, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Stupid people. No, not smart. Hubby is the Motorcycle man, but he never wanted a Harley. He has a customized Suzuki. I did get two of them off using a wrench as a lever on a screwdriver with a star tip. After I ruined my Mac screwdriver. Before I knew they were Loc-Tited on. Grr.
Dave- maybe I should check out GMail. I had an invite years ago, when it first came out, but I guess that’s old hat at this point. Just something to make us all feel warm and special and fuzzy back then. I’m always losing stuff, but the only really bad thing BS ever did was when they deleted all my saved mail when their server burped. In that folder were emails from FEMA admitting to doing 13k of damages to my house. Now I’m fighting to get my money reimbursed because I don’t have those emails. Maybe that should have ticked me off enough, but it didn’t. I would like to save all my recipes and receipts and whatnot. Thanks!
LickyLicky on May 28, 2008 at 10:14 PM
I’ve heard this argument a million times but I find it unconvincing. How does doing business with the PROC make the abandonment of Communism in China more likely?
Part of Reagan’s strategy during the Cold War was to bankrupt the Soviet Union through – among other things – a very expensive arms race.
Nowadays we Westerners love ourselves so much that we expect countries like China and Iraq to abandon their own ways and emulate us out of sheer admiration. I don’t buy it.
aengus on May 28, 2008 at 10:21 PM
I’m sorry you have to deal with such rudeness.
I hope that these rude “Christian activists” will consider how atheists like me will use their rudeness in arguments. Sadly, I doubt these “Christian activists” will respond positively to my efforts to shame them into better behavior.
thuja on May 28, 2008 at 10:22 PM
The rudeness of various Christian activists has no bearing on the truth or falsity of Christianity.
Just like the silent
majorityminority osfsupposed moderate Muslims has no bearing on the doctrines of Islam. (Iraqi or otherwise.)aengus on May 28, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Romney (or Mormon) Derangement Syndrome strikes again. And these people want to be taken seriously, and control the Republican party.
WasatchMan on May 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM
aengus on May 28, 2008 at 10:21 PM
And on the other end, movement toward free markets and a more open society exacerbated internal pressures on the Communist regime.
Step away from China for a second… do you think that North Korea is more likely to become a more free and open country if a) it remains locked down like it is or b) companies like Google and Wal-Mart are allowed to move in and expose them to the free world?
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 10:44 PM
I think North Korea would be less likely to become a more free and open country if Google and Wal-Mart were allowed to prop up its economy to their own benefit. Profit making by itself is not exposure to the free world.
Not that permanent economic lockdown is any more likely to lead North Korea to freedom. I just think its unlikely in either case. If you want to convince me then offer an argument of why its true.
aengus on May 28, 2008 at 10:58 PM
Gmail users, just press the “M” key to mute that thread. Now no matter how many people respond to it, you’ll be blissfully ignorant.
Mark Jaquith on May 28, 2008 at 11:01 PM
I don’t have a problem w/ doing business w/ China. But I do have a problem with Google/Gmail bending over backwards to help the Chi-Coms limit freedom there…right after they refused to help us track down Islamofascists’ internet use.
jgapinoy on May 28, 2008 at 11:10 PM
aengus on May 28, 2008 at 10:58 PM
I think it’s common sense. Right now, people in North Korea think that Kim Jong Il is a god who shoots 20 under par on his first attempt at a round of golf.
basement
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Heh… I have NO IDEA how the word “basement” got in there. That’s funny.
DaveS on May 28, 2008 at 11:22 PM
I don’t know about you but I don’t get ANY porn site spam mail…evidently only people who surf porn sites get porn spam.
SaintOlaf on May 28, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Wow. That may have been the dumbest comment I’ve ever seen from anyone.
Think
before
you
type.
malan89 on May 28, 2008 at 11:26 PM
I believe there will come a time when the content you allow Google to data mine will be used against you. When you sign up for gmail you also are required to give them your cell phone number. Your cell phone could be used to track your location and movement.
We’re not there yet, but we’re building an infrastructure where a tyranny could use this technology to quickly identify, locate, and silence voices of dissent. Imagine, for a moment, that people who agree with Olbermann know how to find you, arrest you, and use your own written words against you to say that you are a fascist who most closely shares the mentality of the terrorists.
Red Pill on May 28, 2008 at 11:55 PM
I hope that was a joke.
fourstringfuror on May 28, 2008 at 11:56 PM
And again, I hope that was a joke.
fourstringfuror on May 28, 2008 at 11:58 PM
GMail does NOT require a cell phone number… I don’t think they even ASK for one. (That wouldn’t make sense.)
While we’re on the topic, though, they have a phenominal mobile web interface that is almost as functional as the desktop iterface… but without the IMing and whatnot.
DaveS on May 29, 2008 at 12:06 AM
John Dvorak, is that you?
sulla on May 29, 2008 at 12:06 AM
You ate a lot of paint chips as a kid, didn’t you?
sulla on May 29, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Dude you’re too slow! I already sent them your personal information.
ronsfi on May 29, 2008 at 12:28 AM
Nope.
My earlier comment was intended to “sing the praises” of my fee-based Juno Email service…
Until I learned I could reap the same filter benefits from Google free of charge, thanks to Dave S.
ColtsFan on May 29, 2008 at 12:29 AM
God does all his thinkin’. If God says that Spam is Holy Retribution then none of your “Scientific” jiberjabber is gonna’ make a like a difference. Now git thee behind me Santa!
ronsfi on May 29, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Figured you weren’t Dvorak, but one of his mottoes is “I get no spam.” Always makes me laugh when I hear it.
I echo others – gmail is a nice way to keep your inbox spam-free, and your spam folder free of false positives.
As to the China connection – most of the kids I talked with in China didn’t bother with Google. They either stuck with Baidu, or used proxies that let them bypass the Great Firewall of China.
sulla on May 29, 2008 at 12:40 AM
I’m sorry to break it to you, but I already got the money–I’m afraid they were scamming you. I feel awfully bad for you, so to ease the sting a bit, I will divide it evenly between us. Please send me your bank info and SSN, as well as a check for $1,000 to show your seriousness, and I will deposit the money directly into your accounts.
DrMagnolias on May 29, 2008 at 7:24 AM
They used to. During the beta you had to confirm your invitation via text message or something like that. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I remember that you did have to do it. I don’t think they ask for it anymore though.
malan89 on May 29, 2008 at 7:37 AM
radjah shelduck on May 28, 2008 at 9:21 PM
Packers SUCK. Is Mr. Sniffles still thinking of coming back again this year, or is he really-for real retiring this time?
(I agree, Ed. If it keeps up, publish the emails! Let the mockage ensue! Who’s going to be the greatest in heaven… never heard that argument before… ^_^
Jewels on May 29, 2008 at 9:21 AM
Uh… I’m not on that email blacklist am I??
originalpechanga on May 29, 2008 at 11:01 AM
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