Normally, when I'm at work and checking e-mail, I glide over anything that has [ProbableSpam] in brackets. You see, the IBM response to the spam problem is not to block probable spam outright, because Heaven forbid there may be actual e-mail swimming in there. Instead, the IBM spam filtering system is one that allows spam through while telling you that system thinks the message probably is spam. It's a perplexing solution to a perplexing problem.
As I said, normally I just delete something that comes through slugged [probable spam], because roughly 100 percent of the time, it IS spam. Today was no exception. I saw a few messages tagged [ProbableSpam] and I quickly deleted them. But, one stood out. There, in the "sender" information, was the name "Gov. Howard Dean." Hey, I know that name. He was on the cover of both Newsweek and Time awhile back. So, I'm getting e-mail from Howard Dean, who, according to the subject line, wants me to "Join to help Howard Dean take our country back."
Thanks for the invite, Dean, but you just did something that totally exposes how out of touch you may actually be. You see, spam e-mail is despised. Spammers are despised. You, Howard Dean, or more correctly one of your genius promotional lackeys, are a spammer. As Gollum might say, "We hatesssss the ssssspammerssss!"
As a politician, Mr. Dean. . . I'm sorry, GOV. Dean, I'd think you'd be aware that anti-spam legislation is a hot-ticket item right now, and yet here you are sending out spam. For shame. I may revisit the spam later in the day, just to see what Dean has to say, even though I hate to give spam of any kind too much of a read.
For now, let me just say that Howard Dean is a spammer. I hate spammers. Therefore, I must hate Howard Dean.
That's not a good way to get your campaign off the ground, Governor.
Posted by Ryan at August 13, 2003 09:45 AM
Stumble It!
