COME TO THINK OF IT, IT SEEMS AS IF THE "FREEPER" COMMUNITY (AS IN FREEREPUBLIC.COM) HAS THIS FETISH FOR TRICKING the ilk of polling organisations vis-a-vis the issues of the day, and for potentially deceptive ends besides.
Case in point: Results of a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey as showed significant and measurable public opposition to proposals before Congress to provide Federal loans to automakers on "essential industry" grounds (methinks the "Freeper" agenda seems to be based upon letting one of the "Big Three" go into Carey Street as one with Natural Selection vis-a-vis the evolution of free-market capitalism with American characteristics into its final, "pure" form).
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AN INTERRELATED FORM OF "FREEPING" INVOLVES THE OLD "WINNING OF HEARTS AND MINDS" ANGLE BEING USED TO EXPLOIT THE VULNERABLE AND IGNORANT in support of prevailing conservative articles of faith through trick and deception.
AllSpinZone's Steven Reynolds makes note of how WorldNetDaily is trying to use their minions of readers to prevail upon SCOTUS to enquire into whether President-elect Obama, for the purposes of the Constitution, is "native born" (which, if you ask me, is nothing but right-wing "dog-whistle" code for White European-American Low Church Christian) to the point of harrassment by proxy:
In their latest attempt to make money off their wing ding readers, WorldNetDaily, the journalistic equivalent of cow pies, is urging those readers to give the Supreme Court a piece of their diseased minds. They are offering a service where they will, for a fee, FedEx a form letter to the Supreme Court before the hearing concerning the challenege to whether Barack Obama is a natural born citizen. Yes, this is a way WorldNetDaily can scam their wing nut readers concerning a whack job theory. Here’s where WorldNetDaily begs for the money:
You can make sure the Supreme Court justices have a piece of your mind when they review a case Friday challenging the eligibility of Barack Obama under Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution, which stipulates the position can only be filled by “a natural born citizen.”
They say the offer [ended @ noon Thursday]. Of course, it is not clear that any Justice takes any letter from citizens into account on any decision. They work with the law, with briefs presented by lawyers who have standing in front of the Supreme Court. In short, WorldNetDaily is perpetrating a fraud.
Worse, WorldNetDaily is promising to send the pieces of tens of thousands (145,000 is the number they are using for boasting purposes) of people’s minds to the Supreme Court, people who are so feeble-minded as to believe the bogus issue concerning Obama’s citizenship, and who were additionally feeble-minded enough to be scammed by WorldNetDaily. So many messages by whack jobs sent to the Supreme Court could conceivably be considered WMD sent by WND.
And you'll never guess what the typical WorldNetDaily reader is like: Poor, undereducated or homeschooled, easily-influenced, dysfunctional family upbringing (with @ least one or two run-ins with the millicents), limited and limiting job and career prospects beyond unskilled manufacturing or other menial trades and prone to exploitation with clear and present risk of mental harm.
Which is what your typical "work-from-home," "home business," "cashflow gifting" and "MLM" carpetbagger would love to see as their plum targets all the more over the coming months, especially considering where unemployment is now @ its highest level in 34 years (complicated all the more by a Presidential transition and the baggage being left by the "lame duck" such seeking to evade responsibility therefor).
"Money is the root of all evil."
Why not invest yours in United States Savings Bonds?
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WITH THE AVERAGE NATIONAL GASOLINE PRICE BEING $1.75/GALLON (46.2˘/LITRE) FOR REGULAR UNLEADED, and falling still further, Your Correspondent hath it that the President of Gulf Oil has been quoted as suggesting that, if present trends continue, gasoline could be down to as little as $1/gallon (37.85˘/litre) by the start of the summer driving season next Memorial Day long weekend.
Barring, of course, the likelihood of gas tax increases which some in the Obama Administration-in-Waiting are suggesting may be all the more necessary to help cover the cost of repairing deferred maintenance to the nation's roads and bridges as has been going on for way too long with fuel taxes @ ridiculously low (by international standards, know) rates excused as being "in the national interest."
(As in "low taxes=jobs=social stability," further expected to translate into a theoretical nil rate of unemployment based on free-market capitalistic paradigms and parameters. But is it feasable absent any type of a State-based social-welfare safety net ... as in essentially reducing the State's role in social-welfare provision to being Provider of Last Resort, requiring those in need to jump through hoops, as it were, showing where they've been unable to obtain help from friends, relatives and even faith-based social service agencies "despite reasonable efforts"?)
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SOME ADVICE FROM OUR GOOD DROOGS @ THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF WISCONSIN AS COULD BEST APPLY NATIONWIDE heading into the Festive Season:
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to keep their guard up and their wits about them in order to fend off a new string of phishing e-mails making the rounds this holiday season.
Hackers and scammers are pretending to be customer service personnel from some of the biggest names in business—including FedEx, UPS, and Wal-Mart. Hackers are impersonating well-known companies that do a lot of business this time of year—specifically retailers and shipping companies—in order to quickly earn recipients’ trust and gain access to computer drives, files and accounts to steal personal information such as Social Security, bank or credit card numbers.
“While most of the country is spreading peace and love this holiday season, cyber criminals are spreading computer viruses and stealing identities and information,” said Randall Hoth, Wisconsin BBB president/CEO. “Hackers using e-mail phishing messages are conning consumers by posing as trusted businesses such as Wal-Mart, FedEx and UPS this time of year to take advantage of the seasonal increase in online shopping and shipping of merchandise all across the country.”
Following are three phishing e-mails BBB has spotted, and that con artists are relying on this holiday season to take advantage of consumers:
Shipping
Hackers have created phishing e-mails which pretend to be from shipping companies claiming that there is a problem with delivery of merchandise. Commonly, the e-mail will include a hyperlink for recipients to click that will take them to another Web site that might install malware or solicit personal information. A message currently making the rounds has a subject line that looks like, “Subject: Tracking Number 13040065504.” The body of the message claims that a package couldn’t be delivered and advises the recipient, “To take your package back you should print the copy of invoice that is in the added file.” Of course, the attachment is actually a virus that will infect the computer if opened.
BBB ADVICE: Instead of clicking on the link in the e-mail, go directly to the shipper’s Web site or contact the company via phone in order to confirm whether there is a shipping problem with your package. Do not open attachments to unsolicited e-mails.
Surveys Offering Holiday Spending Cash
In an effort to take advantage of cash-strapped holiday shoppers, phishing e-mails are circulating pretending to be from retailers such as Wal-Mart. One e-mail has a subject line that reads, “Online Survey from Wal-Mart Stores!!!” And the body of the message states, “This survey has been sent only to a few people from our random generator!”, and “You’ve been selected to take part in our quick and easy 9 questions survey. In return we will credit $90.00 to your account - Just for your time!” Ultimately, the e-mail includes a link to a Web site where the recipient is supposed to take the survey, but in fact leads to a phishing site.
BBB ADVICE: Do not respond to unsolicited e-mails that promise money for answering surveys. Spam e-mails that offer big rewards with little effort will almost invariably cost you in the end.
E-Cards
E-cards are an extremely popular—and inexpensive—way to deliver season’s greetings to loved ones. Typically, with legitimate e-cards, the recipient receives an e-mail with a hyperlink that will take the user to the e-card which is housed on a Web site. Unfortunately, by design, e-cards are an extremely easy way for hackers to disguise their phishing e-mails and direct users to their Web sites which install viruses and malware.
Consumers should think twice before clicking on a link in an e-card e-mail as the hackers will often use logos from recognized brands and companies in order to appear legitimate.
BBB ADVICE: Phishing e-mails posing as e-cards can be difficult to spot. Spelling and grammatical mistakes are a huge red flag. Also, don’t follow the link in an e-card if you don’t recognize the name of the sender.
Consumers who receive suspicious e-mails should report them to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
(Come to think of it: How do we know those involved in these "phishing" scams exploiting the Festive Season aren't really connected with weird and unwholesome elements, regardless of their being from within or without?)
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FINALLY, AN INTERESTING BIT OF TRIVIA: These five state capitols in the United States are not situated directly on the Interstate Highway System:
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Dover, DE
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Jefferson City, MO
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Carson City, NV
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Pierre, SD
Also not on the Interstate System (for obvious reasons) are the several territorial capitals:
Honolulu, HI has Interstate highways, which are designed mostly to connect local military installations on their respective islands; they are, however, prefixed "H" in Hawai'i's case. To wit:
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I-H1: Honolulu-'Aiea-Pearl City-Wainahe-Makakilo City, ending just before Barbers Point.
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I-H2: Between the H1 in Pearl City and Wahiawa (Schofield Barracks).
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I-H3: Between the H1 @ Halawa Heights to Kane'ohe and Kailua, ending @ the Kane'ohe Marine Corps Base.
Now you know.
...and forget thou not The Exaggerator Collection as part of your experience here today....
