FC: More on email tax hoax and "Senate bill 602P"

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

********

See other reports. Note the moderator mentioned "602P" in the question:
http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=00/10/08/1824259&mode=nested
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/hoax001008.html

********

> Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2000 11:59:11 -0700
> To: declan () well com
> From: "A.Lizard" <alizard () ecis com>
> Subject: Re: FC: Lazio and Clinton fall for hoax email tax during
>   Senate debate
>
> At 13:46 2000-10-08 -0400, you wrote:
>
> > > very long time.  Unfortunately, it appears that the questions at the debate
> > > (which was telecast live at least nationally by CNN and locally in NY by
> > > other outlets) were not properly vetted.
>
> Alas for missed opportunities. Those candidates could have gotten some 
> truly amazing questions which would have revealed both as dangerous idiots 
> to even the average NY resident. Or at least provided some harmless 
> entertainment.
>
> A.Lizard

********

> Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2000 12:00:27 -0700
> To: declan () well com, politech () politechbot com
> From: Bill Stewart <regsupport () netscape com>
> Subject: Re: FC: Lazio and Clinton fall for hoax email tax during
>   Senate debate
> Cc: lauren () pfir org, neumann () pfir org
>
> At least they knee-jerk opposed it instead of knee-jerk supporting it.
> Besides, while we know there's no such bill, because the hoax has
> been around for a long time, that doesn't mean some random
> Congresscritter wouldn't have introduced something like that,
> and there are a lot of state legislatures out there trying to
> tax internet transactions.
>
> The original bill certainly wasn't the US Senate,
> but may have been some random state or provincial senate.

********

> To: Bill Stewart <regsupport () netscape com>
> cc: declan () well com, politech () politechbot com, lauren () pfir org,
>         neumann () pfir org
> Subject: Re: FC: Lazio and Clinton fall for hoax email tax during Senate 
> debate
> Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2000 12:24:09 -0700
> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
>
> > At least they knee-jerk opposed it instead of knee-jerk supporting it.
> > Besides, while we know there's no such bill, because the hoax has
> > been around for a long time, that doesn't mean some random
> > Congresscritter wouldn't have introduced something like that,
> > and there are a lot of state legislatures out there trying to
> > tax internet transactions.
> > The original bill certainly wasn't the US Senate,
> > but may have been some random state or provincial senate.
>
> There are a whole slew of variations on this hoax floating around, varying
> in details, but all following the same basic storyline -- a per e-mail
> message tax to be used by the USPS.  Only the federal government could
> impose a tax that would be used by the USPS, and that's what this hoax has
> always been talking about.  I can't see the value in speculating about what
> someone *might* do or *could* have done.  The point is that the legislation
> described does not exist, has never existed, and that even a cursory
> examination of the issue would reveal the story to be bogus.
>
> The key to a successful hoax is to come up with a concept that
> seems somehow "plausible" (though false) then to get people
> to pass it around as truth.  The result of such misinformation
> campaigns is confusion that can only damage society and upset individuals,
> which of course is often the goal of the hoaxer.
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein
> lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org
> Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
> Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

********

> From: vicric () panix com
> Subject: Re: FC: Lazio and Clinton fall for hoax email tax during Senate 
> debate
> To: declan () well com
> Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 09:15:57 -0400 (EDT)
> X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL3]
>
> Declan McCullagh has written:
>
> > >Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 09:00:14 -0700 (PDT)
> > >From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
> > >To: farber () cis upenn edu
> > >Subject: Hoax E-Mail Tax Bill Question at U.S. Senate (NY) Debate
> > >Cc: lauren () pfir org, neumann () pfir org
> > >
> > >Dave,
> > >
> > >Greetings.  I thought a heads-up on this might be in order.  This 
> morning at
> > >the Clinton/Lazio debate to fill the U.S. Senate seat from the state 
> of New
> > >York, the candidates were asked about a pending Senate Bill to impose an
> > >E-Mail Tax (usually designated Bill 602P).  Both candidates denounced it.
>
> Actually, only Lazio denounced it.
>
> Clinton first said she had never heard of such a thing. Then
> Hillary expressed her general principle against taxing the
> Internet, qualifying her opposition with the phrase "based
> on your description." She never presumed such a bill
> existed.
>
> Rick, however, described the "bill" as another example of
> "greedy government." He clearly accepted the bill's
> existence as a matter of fact.
>
> Furthermore, as a member of Congress, Lazio should have
> heard of the hoax, and should have recognized a phony index
> number.
>
> Solidarity,
> Vicki

********




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