Jim Talent (R-MO) is a Spammer

This blog was initially started to talk about the weird and wacky stuff that comes to me from the outside world, specifically in the forms of snail and electronic mail. I got off that somewhat because most of what I was getting were bills and television and movies have always been very interesting to me (understatement!). This post harkens back to the dawn of this blog, way back in January, when it was strictly about correspondance.

I want to share with you a sequence of communications I have recieved from the office of my august senator, Jim Talent (R-MO). They display an ugly pattern that is probably more widespread than just me. I just spoke with a staffer at Senator Talent's office, who was very nice and helpful (we will see if we can call her effective over the long haul) though supprisingly unsuprised at my predicament.

The problem apparently started in February. Somehow, I got subscribed to Jim Talent's newsletter. Regular readers of anything I write, and people who just know me a little, would be surprised that I subscribe to Jim Talent's newsletter. I'm not exactly what you would call a fan. In fact, no one was more surprised than I was. I figured out what happened. I sent Senator Talent a complaint email through his semi-byzantine system. I am one of the people who does national writing campaigns who also happens to be a constituent (Talent's system is set up to give priority to those of us who might or might not vote for him... he's got no time for East Coast, Ivory Tower Liberals I guess). That complaint letter was apparently license for Talent's system to send me his unwanted newsletter.

When I figured out what happened, I went through the extremely byzantine unsubscription process (yeah, I know that's two byzantines in one column, without once talking about Byzantium. It might be a new record. Let's change it. Substitute Daedalian for the second byzantine... new phrase should be "the exremely Daedalian unsubscription process.") It apparently takes two seconds to add someone to an email list but two weeks to delete them, because I didn't get a confirmation of my unsubscription until two weeks later, during which time I recieved the semi-odius (at least to me) Jim Talent e-newsletter. That prompted another run through the labyrinth of unsubscription. In a rational, fair play world, it would end there.

A few days after I got my unsubscribe notice, I got a new subscribe notice. And two days later, another one. Into the breach again, trying to get off the Talent enews junk mail trail. Two weeks later another unsubscribe leading to three more subscribes. Around the carosel, again and again.

I got a subscribe notice on May 22nd, at 7:32 PM CST, 8:32 EST. Someone is working late. I got another subscribe on May 24th, 9:11 PM CST. Virtual midnight oil. I proceeded to file another unsubscribe on the 25th. On 6/7/06, at 7:08 AM, I recieved notice. Unsubscribed! On 6/7/06, at 11:47 AM, SUBSCRIBED! Me get angry and call Senator at the office. Part of me wants to donate money to a liberal cause in Jim Talent's name, so they bug him for the next twenty years.

There is a very nasty twist to all this. Allow me to share my personal correspondance, as I recieve it. Here is a subscribe notice, as I see it:

From:jim.talent@enewsletter.senate.gov
To: myemail
Subject: You have been subscribed to our newsletter
Body:
Thank you for subscribing.

Your request has been successfully processed.

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.6.1/344 - Release Date: 5/19/2006

The virus piece is something my virus software puts in. That's the whole everything. You will note the thing that is conspicuous by it's absence. If you don't, lemme show you the unsubscribe

From:jim.talent@enewsletter.senate.gov
To: myemail
Subject: Change in subscription status
Body:
Your request has been successfully processed.

You have been successfully unsubscribed.

If you have been unsubscribed by mistake, please click here.

Yep, you see it too. That third line, the part where you can reup your subscription. Oddly, on the subscribe notice, there is not similar link, for those who have been unscrupulously added.

I suppose I could go off on a whole thing about the difference between the R's and the D's and the rest of us but that's not the point here. The point is that there is an elected official, whose secondary income (the money he gets for being my Senator) is paid by you and me, the American Taxpayer, who doesn't comply with common courtesy and what I believe is the law of the land, as it pertains to mass emails. I was opted in, and had to do a lot of work to opt out. When I opted out, I was opted back in, against my will. Regardless of whether you think Jim Talent is a swell guy, Satan's lackey or someplace inbetween (my view, though I think closer to the lackey side of the continuum), this is unacceptable behavior from someone who is ostensibly my employee.