Time: Wed Oct 30 13:15:11 1996
To: Bill Utterback <butterb@connecti.com>
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: Unwanted E-mail
Cc: 
Bcc: 

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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