Time: Wed Oct 30 13:15:56 1996
To: Electra
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: Please forward to Nancy Lord
Cc:
Bcc:
>Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 13:15:13
>To: Bill Utterback <butterb@connecti.com>
>From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
>Subject: Unwanted E-mail
>
>At 01:52 PM 10/30/96 -0600, you wrote:
>>At 07:08 AM 10/30/96 -0700, you wrote:
>>>Dear Bill,
>>>
>>>I grew very concerned
>>>when I asked him to remove
>>>me from his broadcast list,
>>>and he did nothing about it
>>>for what I considered an
>>>unacceptable amount of time.
>>>
>>>Then, when he finally did
>>>remove me from his list,
>>>I did continue to get his
>>>posts to lists we share, and
>>>I was too upset to notice the
>>>difference. I simply escalated
>>>until it became a crisis for
>>>someone at his end, and we
>>>all worked together to figure
>>>it out. If you want to call it
>>>harassment, that is your choice
>>>of words. When he first put me
>>>on his list, I asked him why he
>>>did not first ask my permission
>>>to do so, and he did not answer.
>>>
>>>When I asked him if he was spending
>>>federal funds at the CDC to be
>>>doing what he is doing, he did
>>>not answer. I do not think that
>>>the man is being straight with me.
>>>
>>>So, with that introduction to him,
>>>I did overreact when he did not
>>>remove my name more quickly from
>>>his private list. I take full
>>>responsibility for failing to
>>>distinguish his private posts from
>>>the ones he was posting to PIML.
>>>
>>>When I figured that out, I apologized
>>>to him, and he accepted. But, now
>>>there are the two remaining problems:
>>>why did he put me on his private
>>>broadcast list, which he feeds very
>>>VERY frequently? And does he spend
>>>the better portion of his working
>>>day feeding the Internet, using
>>>federal funds for same? I don't mean
>>>to be disloyal here, but I have some
>>>very serious questions about what
>>>the CDC does from day-to-day. I feel
>>>I have a right to know answers to these
>>>questions, particulary his decision to
>>>ignore my question as to why he put my
>>>email address on a very active broadcast
>>>schedule without first getting my
>>>permission. Disk space may be free for
>>>the CDC, but not for me. Finally, I once
>>>politely asked him to do "blind copies",
>>>to prevent long recipient lists in his
>>>email. He lapsed into bureau-speak about
>>>his not having software which will do that,
>>>LAN policy, and some other garbage. I asked
>>>him why he could not make local calls to
>>>the nearest ISP, and he came back with more
>>>bureau-speak about CDC policy, etc. etc.
>>>
>>>So, my question is this: is it CDC policy
>>>to underwrite his day-to-day activities
>>>feeding the Internet with the kinds of stories
>>>he posts on PIML and elsewhere, and does the
>>>CDC also underwrite the work required to screen
>>>incoming email for reposting on other such
>>>lists? If they receive federal funds, and
>>>we know that they do, what is their authority
>>>to spend such funds in this manner, if any?
>>>Every American has a right to know how federal
>>>funds are being spent, because this is our
>>>government. Do you agree, or do you not agree?
>>>I await your answer.
>>>
>>>Thank you.
>>>
>>>/s/ Paul Mitchell
>>
>>
>>Paul:
>>
>>I can not answer questions about Roger's actions, so I am sending
>>him a copy of your message above. Perhaps he will answer your
>>questions.
>>
>>I know that Roger works at CDC and uses a government computer. I
>>do not know how he manages to find so much time for personal
>>business. I assume he must come to work early, stay late, or
>>somehow arrange "off-the-clock" time to use the computer for his
>>e-mail message service. If his time spent sending e-mail is his
>>own, I don't see how government funds are involved except for the
>>tiny amount of electrical power used to run the computer. I am
>>not moved to quibble about pennies spent for electrical power.
>>Perhaps Roger will explain to you how he arranges his time so that
>>the public is not paying him while he works with personal e-mail.
>>It seems to me that question of a government employee would not be
>>out of line.
>>
>>Bill
>
>
>Bill,
>
>Thank you. I don't expect people
>to agree with me, but it is always
>nice when they do.
>
>For Roger to be selectively screening
>all his incoming mail, for later
>re-posting, he MUST be reading one
>huge amount of incoming email. All of
>this takes time, as you know, even if
>one is some fantastic speed reader.
>
>On a related question, have you ever
>heard the phrase "Cancer Industry"?
>
>/s/ Paul Mitchell
>
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