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Working Assets - Disturbing "Progressive" Long Distance Program
vanity | April 12, 2004 | ntnychik

Posted on 04/12/2004 9:10:16 PM PDT by ntnychik

I got some really disturbing mail today from something called Working Assets Long Distance. If you join their long distance telephone plan, you get a free pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream every month for a year, 60 free minutes of long distance for 3 months, paid connection fee, free calls every day to targeted decision-makers, and 1% of charges to progressive nonprofit groups.

"Progressive organizations" that were listed were ACLU, Stand for Children, Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, Center for Economic Justice, Planned Parenthood, Sweatshop Watch, and Children's Defense Fund (of Marian Wright Edelman and Hillary fame).

The final page of the three page insert says, "Check the boxes, and we'll send low-cost CitizenLetters on your behalf." Examples of checkboxes are "protect water supply" and "Fund Public Broadcasting." A detachable coupon to enclose with payment will include two issues a month. Here are the blurbs for the two mentioned:

Keep Sewage Out of Drinking Water

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the relaxation of national sewage-treatment standards. The new rules would allow treatment plants to skip critical sanitation measures when it rains and pump pathogen-filled sewage directly into lakes, rivers and coastal waters. that would mean more disease-causing parasites, bacteria and viruses in your drinking water supply. Urge EPA Commissioner Leavitt to protect our water supply.

Increase Funding for Public Broadcasting Public broadcasters provide an oasis of thoughtful news commentary and culture amid the racket of commercial programming. The federal government supports public broadcasting through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). But Congress has neglected to reauthorize the CPB for the last six years, and funding has lagged badly behind what's needed. Urge your Senator to reauthorize and increase funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The page says "Just check the box on your bill and we'll send a low-cost, well-argued CitizenLetter for you." Other quotes are: "Call targeted decision-makers FREE any day of the week and we'll pay for the call." "Round up your check--it's an easy way to increase support for progressive causes."

Other services:

Read hot-off-the-wire progressive news (WorkingForChange)

Shop and give back at the same time (ShopForChange)

Give decision-makers a piece of your mind (ActForChange)

A page of address labels was included with the mailing. The labels have symbols for environment, peace, human rights, equality, and education. At the bottom of the sticker sheet is written "Your Vote Matters. Not every candidate wins. But every voter does. If you aren't registered to vote, please do so at" a website they provided.

The whole mailing flacks the "progressive" agenda under the guise of normal business solicitation.

A google search of Working Assets includes a mention of voter registration and change of voting registration services.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: cfr; left; liberal; longdistance; pike; progressiveorgs; tidescenter; workingassets
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To: Torie
but high fat ice cream kills aging men, and thus it is easy for me to just say no.

Hence one of the fringe benefits of belief in Heaven (or upwardly-mobile reincarnation), much easier to rationalize taking those kind of risks.

41 posted on 04/12/2004 10:41:15 PM PDT by Diddle E. Squat
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To: kcvl

http://www.consciouschoice.com/issues/cc1611/wiredforchange1611.html
Another organization promoting cyber activism is Working Assets, a long-distance telephone company with a social conscience and revenue of $133 million in 2002. Since 1985, Working Assets has raised $35 million for donations to progressive nonprofit groups. With its "flash activism network," Working Assets, under their ActForChange banner, organized almost 100,000 people to e-mail congressional leaders about the war. "Online activism is crucial," said ActForChange Director Jennifer Willis, who is now working on a massive voter registration effort for the coming presidential race. "Online activism is evolving... and it's here to stay."

"We've already had some huge victories," said Willis, noting that the campaign to get ultraconservative Miguel Estrada's name withdrawn from nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., was largely won on the strength of the cyber campaign.

These three organizations -- MoveOn, TrueMajority and ActForChange -- together dominate the current field of cyber activism. They were each founded by entrepreneurs and are therefore observed to have certain traits in common, including a high tolerance for risk, a passion for hard work and efficiency, a willingness to fail, and a knowledge that failure can lead to big things. (The same cannot be said for most nonprofit organizations, whose leaders typically need to spend lots of time building consensus and pleasing funders.)

42 posted on 04/12/2004 10:45:21 PM PDT by Mo1 (Make Michael Moore cry.... DONATE MONTHLY!!!)
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To: kayak
I got an offer the other day for a Visa card..........no annual fee, low interest rate, blah, blah, blah. The kicker? 1% of all charges will be donated to the DNC. The letter was signed by no less than Terry McAwful.

I'm trying to decide on the proper response. Open to suggestions.

43 posted on 04/12/2004 10:51:56 PM PDT by MozartLover (Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.)
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To: PhiKapMom
This political affinity marketing has been going on for quite some time. It is nothing more than a clever marketing ploy. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy's cousin is running a conservative version of the same thing.

I worked inbound sales for an affinity long distance company. The same product was marketed to the 2nd Amendment Foundation and the the Gay PRIDE network.
44 posted on 04/12/2004 10:53:39 PM PDT by shempy (_+----|| - > Dig Knit < - ||----+_)
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To: MozartLover
Tear it up and send it back!
45 posted on 04/12/2004 10:56:30 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: MozartLover
If you got a postage prepaid envelope, simply make it as heavy as possible with RNC agitprop paper, and cat litter paper, or whatever, and send it back. The perp will have to pay for the postage.
46 posted on 04/12/2004 11:04:06 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Howlin; Mo1
OMG. Kerry is a wuss compared to these people. They're evil personified and they're determined to destroy President Bush, if that means destroying the country in the process they won't hesitate a moment. It is frightening to me how very large, organized and multi-layered they are. We will have to put forth an effort every bit as strong as in 2000 and that includes doubling up on the prayers.
47 posted on 04/12/2004 11:13:02 PM PDT by Darlin' ("I will not forget this wound to my country." President George W Bush, 20 Sept 2001)
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To: kcvl
I may demand they remove me from their mailing list, as I have done with PETA and AARP.......
48 posted on 04/12/2004 11:22:32 PM PDT by MozartLover (Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.)
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To: Torie
LOL! Good idea.:)
49 posted on 04/12/2004 11:22:53 PM PDT by MozartLover (Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.)
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To: Diddle E. Squat
For example, why shouldn't a Christian website be allow to setup a similar gig, with 5% of the proceeds going to Operation Rescue?

Is LifeLine long distance still in business??

50 posted on 04/12/2004 11:57:58 PM PDT by GeronL (Dr.Pepper Fiend)
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To: GeronL
I once used a long distance company that DID give money to the Christian Coalition.
51 posted on 04/12/2004 11:59:58 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Ðíé F£éðérmáú§ ^;;^ says, "John Kerry could bore a rock to erosion!")
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To: Fledermaus
was it LifeLine?
52 posted on 04/13/2004 12:01:36 AM PDT by GeronL (Dr.Pepper Fiend)
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To: GeronL
I don't remember.
53 posted on 04/13/2004 12:03:23 AM PDT by Fledermaus (Ðíé F£éðérmáú§ ^;;^ says, "John Kerry could bore a rock to erosion!")
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To: Fledermaus
I remember LifeLine commercials about giving 10% of your long distance charges to christian causes
54 posted on 04/13/2004 12:10:10 AM PDT by GeronL (Dr.Pepper Fiend)
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To: ntnychik
Great find--thanks for the alert.

Ben & Jerry's ice cream giveaway is a red flag for their intentions. Doubtful B&J can absorb that cost for long, along with their
Rock the Vote on Free Cone Day (April 27),
Onesweetwhirled campaign to fight global warming, and
50 Ways to Promote Peace.

55 posted on 04/13/2004 3:17:43 AM PDT by NautiNurse (Missing Iraqi botulinum toxin? Look at John Kerry's face)
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To: Mo1
More reading promotes more nauseating info...

Marching Orders
by Amy Richards

Choose Your Slogan Monday -- Webber, my nine month old son, has two choices of what to wear
to the March. One, a little yellow t-shirt stating “Reproductive Rights Are
Human Rights,” is a hand-me-down from Peggy Kerry, a super political
organizer in New York, who also happens to work at the US Mission to the UN
and be the sister of presidential candidate John Kerry. This belonged to her
daughter Iris, who long ago outgrew the toddler sized t-shirt, and was
purchased from the Center for Reproductive Rights. The second option is a
onesie from Planned Parenthood that says “Parenthood. Plan it,” which was a
gift to Webber from Gloria Feldt, the organization’s president.

56 posted on 04/13/2004 4:02:44 AM PDT by NautiNurse (Missing Iraqi botulinum toxin? Look at John Kerry's face)
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To: NautiNurse
Anyone else see the irony in a nine month old wearing a pro abortion t-shirt?
57 posted on 04/13/2004 4:06:57 AM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (Proud member of the right wing extremist Neanderthals.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
Not to mention the irony of the nine month old "having two choices."

Did you catch the line where one of the shirts is a hand-me-down from John F'ing Kerry's sister?

58 posted on 04/13/2004 4:19:51 AM PDT by NautiNurse (Missing Iraqi botulinum toxin? Look at John Kerry's face)
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To: PhiKapMom
I should've known. My ultra-liberal brother gave me his "Working Assets" ice cream coupon this month for a pint of Ben & Jerry's.
59 posted on 04/13/2004 5:01:57 AM PDT by arasina (So there.)
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To: ntnychik; PhiKapMom; Howlin
They're doing all this stuff for free? It's got to cost money. Maybe we could all join, get some free long distance, and force them into bankruptcy early?
60 posted on 04/13/2004 5:11:15 AM PDT by Amelia
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