I got a letter in the mail today that started with this:
“Dear Friend,
I write to ask for your help – as a fellow conservative – to support our fight to confirm President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge John Roberts.”
The letter continues by detailing how evil liberals are subverting the constitution by raising “massive funds”, organizing “grassroots activists and evil of all evils “they’ve conducted research for a fight against Judge Roberts.”
All through the letter the writer implores me to “help Progress for America (PFA) with your most generous contribution of $500, $100, $50 or $35 right away” as a means “to protect our values and our conservative agenda.”
The letter is signed by Bill Frist, MD, Senate Majority Leader.
Obviously Bill doesn’t read this blog and neither does the idiot that compiled the mailing list for Progress for America.
Now I may just be living in a cave, but before I got this letter I had never heard of Progress for America, so I decided to do a little online research.
From the Progress for America website:
“Progress for America, Inc. ("PFA") is an issue advocacy/grassroots organization committed to representing a diverse coalition of concerned citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizations and community leaders who promote public policies that improve the lives of every American.
As a nonprofit corporation and exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, PFA promotes nonpartisan, conservative policies that improve the quality of life for the American people.”
OK, I’m confused again, if PFA promotes nonpartisan policies then Bill Frist, the Republican Senate Leader, is nonpartisan? And grassroots organizing is good when conservatives do it but grassroots organizing is bad when liberals do it. This is very confusing.
Maybe if I knew who is behind Progress for America everything would be clear.
Using Network Solutions whois search we come up with:
Domain Name: PROGRESSFORAMERICA.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NTWORK2.NEWBORDERS.NET
Name Server: NTWORK3.NEWBORDERS.NET
Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK
Updated Date: 04-may-2005
Creation Date: 12-feb-2001
Expiration Date: 12-feb-2009
Now that is pretty uninformative, but the name servers are at newborders.net.
Newborders.net is registered to Network Processing Services, the contact is Tom Stock and the company location is in Phoenix Arizona.
The following information is from the Center for Media and Democracy:
“DCI Group, LLC a top Republican lobby and PR firm associated with telemarketing company Feather Larson & Synhorst DCI and the direct-mail firm FYI Messaging.”
“Thomas J. Synhorst is listed as TSE Enterprises' agent on its Arizona LLC registration. Thomas E. Stock is listed as a member. TSE Enterprises' domain name is registered to Network Processing Services, an LLC registered to Tom Stock.”
“Feather, Larson & Synhorst DCI (FLS-DCI) are "Specialists in Telephone Contact Business." The telemarketing company used to be known as Feather Hodges Larson & Synhorst DCI. In 2000, the Washington DC-based DCI Group was spun off from FLS-DCI.
FLS-DCI has been one of the largest corporate receipents of funds from the Republican National Committee in 2004. FLS-DCI has close ties to key White House advisor Karl Rove and others in the GOP.
FLS-DCI specializes in creating phony front groups to make it appear as if there's a groundswell of support for its clients' issues.” (emphasis added)
The good Doctor Frist is out of his mind if thinks I would ever allow him to offer a medical opinion on a member of my family or that I would give my money to this pile of schmucks.
