04.16.09
Microsoft’s “Letters from the Dead” Buddy is Still Doing It (Dewey Square Group)
‘On August 23, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported, “Letters purportedly written by at least two dead people landed on the desk of Utah Atty. Gen. Mark Shurtleff earlier this year, imploring him to go easy on Microsoft Corp. for its conduct as a monopoly. The pleas, along with about 400 others from Utah citizens, are part of a carefully orchestrated nationwide campaign to create the impression of a surging grass-roots movement.” (“Another letter came from ‘Tuscon, Utah,’ a city that doesn’t exist,” noted the Times.)
‘The letter drive was carried out by two Microsoft-funded front groups, called Americans for Technology Leadership (ATL) and Citizens Against Government Waste. According to the Los Angeles Times article, “To assist it in the grass-roots campaign, Microsoft turned to two of the nation’s top political advocacy groups: Boston-based Dewey Square Group, co-founded by Al Gore campaigner Michael Whouley, and Phoenix-based DCI/New Media, led by Republican strategist Tom Synhorst.”‘
Summary: Without severe punishment, crimes will repeat themselves, and the Dewey Square Group is just one new example
THE Dewey Square Group is one of those lobbies that make one wonder if there is effective law enforcement in the United States (c/f Microsoft lobbying). If there was, then people from Dewey Square Group would probably be sentenced to prison. As a bit of background (relating to Microsoft alone):
- Quick Mention: Dewey Square Group Still Caught AstroTurfing
- The Microsoft Connection with Dewey Square Group and DCI/New Media
As time goes by and illegal activity is exposed, nothing changes. Read this new report:
Across Massachusetts, senior citizens are writing letters to newspapers demanding that their representatives in Congress protect a form of health insurance called Medicare Advantage.
At least that’s what newspaper editors are supposed to think.
Some of those seniors are unaware that they have sent any such letters to newspapers. Some of them hadn’t even heard of Medicare Advantage.
“I did not write a letter to the editor. It’s not from me,” said Gloria Gosselin, 75, of Lawrence.
[...]
A tip-off to the true origin of the letters came when The Eagle-Tribune received a call from a man who turned out to be an intern at the Boston office of the Dewey Square Group, a national political marketing and consulting firm.
The man, who identified himself as Noah, wanted to know if Gloria Gosselin’s letter had been published. Asked what interest he had in the letter, Noah replied that he was Gosselin’s grandson.
Concerned US citizens should stand up and put an end to this. Microsoft too has used the services of the Dewey Square Group, among other groups that sent pro-Microsoft letters ‘on behalf’ of dead people [1, 2, 3]. Jonathan Zuck’s group was involved as well and needless to say, Microsoft has never been a small and gentle company, despite the words “micro” and “soft” inside its brand name. █
“Microsoft retaliated against industry participants that supported DR-DOS. For example, when Z-Nix Inc. bundled DR-DOS 6.0 and Microsoft Windows 3.1, proclaiming no incompatibilities, Microsoft’s Brad Silverberg wrote: “look what znix is doing! cut those fuckers off.” Within three weeks, Microsoft demanded an audit of Z-Nix’s entire business and then commenced a copyright and trademark infringement action. Z-Nix was forced to file for bankruptcy in or around 1995″
–Comes Petition [PDF]
