Micro$haft at it again. . . .

[zmax]

Someone sent me this article link. What will they think of next?! :rolleyes:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-082301micro.story

David
--Im a dancing penguin now. :P What next?!

[sheila]

That article makes me so mad. Those people think that by throwing money at any situation they can do whatever they want (eventually). I think that such tactics should way heavily against them in any court decision.

If everything's so hunky-dory, as they say it is, then why do they have to resort to tactics like this?

[Tatu]

The campaign, orchestrated by a group partly funded by Microsoft, goes to great lengths so that the letters appear to be spontaneous expressions from ordinary citizens. Letters sent in the last month are printed on personalized stationery using different wording, color and typefaces--details that distinguish those efforts from common lobbying tactics that go on in politics every day.You have to give them a 10 for being creative.

[zmax]

Its actually like what happens in those communist or whatever countries where people dont really want to or believe in the party but they have to in order to survive so they go to the rallies and chant slogans and etc. Its orchestrated. Like this letter writing thing. Its orchestrated and its scary.

[Tatu]

Same story, new twist:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,,3_871631,00.html

[greengrouper]

I say that the goverment should hire Microsoft to run the goverment. They are certainly no more corrupt than the Condidits that are in office now!

If the goverment were run more like Microsoft, we would probably have 90% less waste (we're talking billions and billions in waste) and we wouldn't let all these other countries force us into rediculous agreements that are strictly politically motivated, designed to weaken the US economy and military.

Bottom line: Once again the interests of this country would come first instead of the interests of people who care nothing about us. And the economy would be as strong as a guerilla.

This is a joke of course, but the point I'm trying to make is that maybe we are pointing the finger the wrong direction. Who is really the victim??

[PaulKroll]

Who is really the victim??
That's all of us. I assume what you meant was, "who is really the villian?"

And to that, I can only say, what makes you think there's only one villian? Are we only supposed to fight one at a time?

The specific example case here is kind of a mix... many, many organizations provide pre-written letters for people to sign and send to their congresscritters. The manner in which the MS-financed-company did this is certainly suspect, but the attempt to foster grass-roots (or grass-roots appearing) support is absolutely normal. MS's previous media atrocites are a lot more an issue than this.

You have to give them a 10 for being creative.
I wouldn't even give them a 4. I dunno who researched the "common lobbying tactics" as that article says, but this isn't anywhere close to new.