SUBJECT: gwbush.com is just a cybersquatter
FROM: Matt Maddox
RE: Net Election: G.W. Bush vs. gwbush.com
DATE: Wed Sept 29
Actually, the article fails to include one critical fact: Zack Exley’s Bush parody site was not set up to express opinions–or even to parody Bush. Exley is a cybersquatter who demanded $20K from the Bush campaign for the rights to the domain name. When they refused, he set up an anti-Bush site. The guy even claims to be non-partisan. This is just a case of electronic blackmail that the media blowhards want to turn into a free-speech case.
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SUBJECT: G.W. Bush is the real cybersquatter
FROM: Diane
RE: Net Election: G.W. Bush vs. gwbush.com
DATE: Tue Sept 28
Personally, I think the Bush camp is acting like brats that didn’t get everything they wanted at Christmas. As I’m sure y’all know, the Bush campaign purposely combatted the possibility of competing with mock spoof sites like gwbush.com by BUYING domain names (over 60 sites, from what I got from the Newsweek article). Some examples (and go ahead and try them): www.georgebushbites.com, www.georgebushblows.com, georgebushsucks.com, www.bushbites.com, www.bushsux.com. All these sites will automatically lead into George Dubbawya’s Web site (www.georgewbush.com). Neat, huh?
GWBush.com and another Zack Exley site squeaked by this, and since the campaign couldn’t buy it, they decided to get rid of it. Funny, I thought that politics and campaigning were about freedom of speech and the ability to compete. The Bush campaign has a sweet monopoly on that.
If you would like more information, you should go to the site that is actually handling this case: www.rtmark.com. It has everything from the cease and desist letter to any articles remote to the subject.
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SUBJECT: “Analysis” from Slate’s adman
FROM: Michael
RE: Net Election: Online Political Advertising
DATE: Wed Sept 22
How ingenious of Slate to publish a sales pitch under the guise of analysis. This column is tantamount to having an ABC account exec go on World News Tonight to deliver a special report on why Drew Carey gives you more bang for your media buck.
The impact of the Web on the campaign is a worthy topic, but a little more objectivity, please.
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SUBJECT: The weatherman is just a middleman
FROM: R. Wells
DATE: Mon Sept 27
Your comments about weather hysteria were generally right on, but I felt your comments about the role of the Web in promoting that hysteria missed the point. Access to weather information on the Web is a giant leap forward in weather media because it allows one to avoid the hype and hysteria with which the general news media covers extreme weather. Check out www.wunderground.com. The information is straightforward, but interestingly displayed. I could track Floyd, read Weather Service bulletins, and follow satellite images without having to suffer through moronic anchor-blondes screaming into microphones over the sound of the wind. Weather sites on the Web eliminate the media middleman, and isn’t that the point?
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SUBJECT: Conservatives w/ compassion are “wimps”?
FROM: Mike
RE: Frame Game: George W.’s Wimp Factor
DATE: Thu Sept 23
A conservative shows genuine compassion and he gets called a wimp!? Maybe he should have called a news conference and told the wounded to “put some ice on it.” Here’s a news flash: Conservatives are human too. They have wives, children, pets; they love and make love, have gardens, go to church and make friends.
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