[wordup] Microsoft allies reply to dead-people-writing-letters story

[Adam Shand]

From: Declan McCullagh <declan at well.com>
Via: politech at politechbot.com

Previous Politech article:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02425.html

FYI, Citizens Against Government Waste and Citizens for a Sound Economy
are groups that have been around since the 1980s and are
Republican/free-market leaning. They receive money from Microsoft.

-Declan

**********

Subject: Microsoft letter.
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 21:44:25 -0400
From: srushton at cagw.org

CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE
1301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
202-467-5300

   CAGW Criticizes LA Times Story

Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released
the following letter to the Los Angeles Times.

August 23, 2001

The Editor
The Los Angeles Times
Times Mirror Square
Los Angeles, CA 90053

Dear Editor,

Concerning the allegations made in your August 23rd article, "Lobbyists
Tied to Microsoft Wrote Citizens' Letters," about Citizens Against
Government Waste (CAGW):

CAGW's involvement in technology issues dates to its inception with
President Reagan's 1984 Grace Commission, which made dozens of
recommendations on government waste and technology issues.  Following that
tradition, CAGW has, since the beginning, viewed the government's case
against Microsoft with skepticism.  We strongly believe consumer interests
are better served by market competition than bureaucratic regulation and
lawsuits in all but the rarest of cases.  So far, the government has spent
more than $30 million on litigation, with endless months of further legal
wrangling ahead.  The states' attorneys general, anxious for headlines and
pay dirt, have spent more than $13 million on the case and are
aggressively pushing forward.

Your article relies more on innuendo than evidence and accurate accounting
of facts.  First, CAGW and Americans For Technology Leadership (ATL) are
separate entities and have conducted independent campaigns regarding
Microsoft.  The article does not make this distinction and does not
specify which quotes are attributable to which organization.  CAGW's
criticism has always been based on wasteful use of government resources
and is consistent with our core mission.

Further, CAGW activates its more-than one million members and supporters
nationwide with regular mailings on a wide variety of issues, of which
Microsoft is one.  Check our website (www.cagw.org) to find letters on
waste matters such as military base closures, prescription drug benefits,
and dairy subsidies.  We encourage citizens to forward these letters by
e-mail to their representatives in government if they wish.  Another
technique is to send supporters hardcopy letters for them to sign and
forward, again, if they wish.

Contrary to the article's implication, there is nothing insidious or
unusual about such practice.  Next time, instead of consulting the ivory
tower, ask a direct mail expert or political activist.  You will find this
type of grassroots campaign is not only standard in politics but
quintessentially American - organizing public participation in the
political process as an expression of freedom of speech.  And for what
it's worth, the Microsoft issue receives a particularly good response from
CAGW's supporters.  These letters reflect real concerns that thousands of
our members have with the government's action in the Microsoft case.  In
fact, national surveys reveal that two-thirds of Americans believe the
case has been a waste of tax dollars.

CAGW takes exception to the insinuation that the grassroot sentiment on
the Microsoft issue was somehow fabricated.  Had the authors called our
office for clarification, they would have heard that CAGW mailed 81,000
letters to our supporters in the 19 states persevering in the Microsoft
case.  Despite their dismissals, the outcry from so many constituents
clearly rattled the state attorneys general.  If they choose to ignore
their constituents' views, they do so at their own peril.

Sincerely,

THOMAS A. SCHATZ
President

From: "Erick R. Gustafson" <egustafson at CSE.org>
To: "'declan at well.com'" <declan at well.com>
Subject: RE: Dead people write pro-Microsoft letters to governors; ATL poll
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 13:40:17 -0400

Declan:

I'm more than a little concerned that this news media coverage
mis-characterizes the grassroots activism surrounding the antitrust issue.
CSE's activists care passionately about the issue and (bonus) they aren't
dead.  We feel that CSE's members are unimpeachable.  Take a look at the
attached document that covers a small portion of the grassroots work in
North Carolina.

Erick

[MSWD document converted. --DBM]

June 6, 2001    A     www.cse.org    A     888-Join-CSE

NC CSE Staff and Activists Meet with Attorney General Roy Cooper Restate
Their Opposition to the State's Antitrust Lawsuit Against Microsoft

Raleigh, NC - North Carolina Citizens for a Sound Economy (NC CSE) held
its second annual North Carolina CSE Day at the Capitol in Raleigh on June
5.  An eye-popping 475 dedicated NC CSE grassroots activists flooded the
capitol to lobby their legislators on a number of core CSE issues.  As the
activists made their way through the halls of the capitol, a select few of
NC CSE's super-activists and CSE staff visited with Attorney General Roy
Cooper to discuss their concerns with the state's antitrust lawsuit
against Microsoft Corporation.

NC CSE Activists and Staff - Leading the charge into the AG's office were
CSE's Super-Activist of the Year, Joyce Fernando, Joyce Krawiec, Jack and
Mary Joe Gibson, Lib Rhodes, Margret Bumgarner, Judge Manning, Peter Hans,
and Valarie Rechtin.  CSE staff including CSE President, Paul Beckner,
Communications and Technology director, Kent Lassman and Vice President
for Public Affairs, Charles Fuller, accompanied the activists.

During the 20 minute meeting with the Attorney General and his staff, the
group expressed their concerns with government-sponsored lawsuit abuse and
once again asked Cooper to drop the state from the U.S. Department of
Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp.  The activists
reiterated that no consumer harm had occurred and that NC's economy has
benefited greatly from the software maker.

Media - The event was covered by numerous print, radio and television
media outlets including NC National Public Radio, the Raleigh News and
Observer, Durham-Chapel Hill's Herald Sun, and Raleigh-Durham's WRAL-TV.
Coverage of NC CSE Day at the Capitol can be found at

http://www.herald-sun.com/state/6-112347.html,
http://www.newsobserver.com/tuesday/front/Story/503541p-502342c.html and
http://www.wral.com/home/806240/index.html.

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