Posted on 04/30/2006 5:22:29 AM PDT by SheLion
Victoria residents continued to receive phone calls on Friday regarding the May 13 smoking ban election - this time from a mysterious group calling themselves "Texas Judicial Watch" - and even though there does not appear to be much Victorians can do about the calls, two Victoria men said mass-canvassing campaigns would not influence their votes.
A message left on resident Marvin Williamson's answering machine Friday said that people should vote against the smoking ordinance, because the Texas Supreme Court would strike down any citywide ban, costing the city money.
Williamson said he had received several calls this week from anti-ban advocates from phone number 361-000-0000, but Friday's call was from phone number 361-999-9999.
Resident Stan Strickland, a smoker, said he does not give a darn who is behind the calls he has been receiving, "It's nothing more than total harassment."
"Who has the right to block their phone number when they call me?" he said. "That is just un-American."
Williamson added, "It oughta be illegal." He said that no pseudo-anonymous phone call could sway him from his original intent to vote yes on the smoking ordinance.
Equally steadfast, Strickland said he is set in his intentions to vote against the smoking ban.
Leon Gilner of Smoke-free Victoria said that his group, whose caller ID number is also 361-999-9999, is not responsible for the phone calls and has not changed its position in favor of the smoking ordinance.
Callers from Smoke-free Victoria will identify themselves as soon as a person picks up the phone, Gilner said.
A representative of national organization Judicial Watch Inc., based in Washington, D.C., with a regional office in Dallas, said her group was not responsible for the calls, it does not advocate for or against pending legislation, and she had no idea who "Texas Judicial Watch" is.
Neither the office of the Texas Secretary of State nor the Better Business Bureau office in Austin had any record or knowledge of Texas Judicial Watch.
The Texas Attorney General's Office suggested that constituents take their complaints to the Victoria Elections Office.
Elections Administrator George Matthews said that any specific-purpose committee would have to file with the City Secretary's office and any general-purpose committee would have to register with the Texas Ethics Commission.
Deputy to the City Secretary Wendi Duvall said they had no record of Texas Judicial Watch, and General Counsel Natalia Ashley with the Texas Ethics Commission could find no record of Texas Judicial Watch either.
A spokesman for the Federal Election Commission said they had no record of Texas Judicial Watch.
An AT&T customer service representative said there really is not anything residents can do to avoid receiving the calls.
If a person wants to trace the call, she said, dial star-57, and it will give you the caller's number plus a 1-800 number to call to pursue legal assistance. If you do not pursue legal assistance, AT&T will charge you $8 for each trace.
Strickland recommended calling AT&T at 1-800-773-5500 and said he was waiting on a representative to get back to him regarding the tracing of the calls.
"I don't care who they are, for or against smoking," he said. "I would have liked to get my hands on them."
EIGHT BUCKS for a TRACE?!
I remember when it used to be a quarter.
What about the raising of taxes on cigarettes? $1.00 a pack.
That may be enough to make Texans stop smoking? ;)
Perry did you forget we are a RED State? NO new taxes!
I've never used it. I had no idea!
Let HIM deal with the anti-smoking brats.
Raising taxes on 25-30% of the state to change or alter their behaviors is not supposed to be done. Especially on a legal product.
The state needs to be happy with the taxes they are receiving now from smokers. If the taxes go too high, it won't stop people from smoking. But it will force smokers to find cheaper ways to buy cigarettes. And the state will lose out on the revenue. The state should just leave well enough alone.
He's chimney people?
"I remember when it used to be a quarter."
Really, the phone companies should allow you dial in some numbers during or after a call that would not allow whatever number that called to be blocked from calling again for 6 months to a year.
Nanny State PING
As someone who has fought against smoking bans for more years than I care to admit - I have a couple of comments on this:
1st - IF, and that is a big IF, these calls are coming from people fighting the ban I suggest they change their tactics, most especially in regard to the alleged harrassment.
2nd - Not for one minute do I believe the comment made by the ban proponent that just because it was their number that showed up on the caller ID doesn't mean they are behind such calls. The anti-smokers are notorious for lying on a regular basis and doing everything in their power to discredit those opposing the bans. I would not be surprised in the least little bit if in the end it turns out that it is the anti-smokers behind the harrassing phone calls.
It reeks of their M.O.
I believe the calls are made by the anti's as well. They are a totally obnoxious group and nothing you say to them will offend them.
We are in total agreement over that. The only group I have ever encountered that come anywhere close are certain sportsfishing groups seeking to put commercial fisherman out of business. Their tactics, at least in Delaware, are on a par with the anti-smokers.
and nothing you say to them will offend them.
I think the opposite is true. They are so fanatic in their zeal to always be right, no matter what you say they will be offended. We see it right here all the time, and these folks are pikers compared to the ones we have encountered elsewhere. Think Glantz, Cherner, Banzhaf, etc........
I'm going by the anti's that we get in FR. It seems that the meaner we get with them, they love it. They can then just keep getting uglier with us. Can't insult them at all. That's how I have found it.....:)
A smoking Bra??????????????????????????????????????????
What?
Thanks for the ping!
I see your point, I just look at it from the opposite perspective. They go into attack mode because they are so sensitive and their widdle biddy feelings get hurt so easily. The reason they are so sensitive is that they know they are brainwashed dolts, with control-freak streaks a mile wide, but are so dealthy afraid to admit it that all they can do is parrot the antis play book...........they are incapable of individual thought processes.
It's a weird dynamic, because in many ways we are both correct in our perspectives.
Hehe! I LIKE that!!! 
I've gotten two calls about banning smoking in Fitchburg, which is my mailing address, though I live in the next town over. Fitchburg has no Post Office...or Library or much of anything other than LOTS of businesses fleeing there due to the Madison smoking ban.
How stupid can you be? Fitchburg is booming faster than a Gold Rush town and they want to ban smoking...which is what is bringing them NEW businesses (office space where people can still smoke in the courtyard, restaurants, bars, etc.) in the first place. Yeesh!
I know you don't smoke, but it is heartening to notice just how many non-smokers such as yourself are waking up to the fact that these bans hurt business. (I don't mean to imply you were not aware of the problem)
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