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Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.legal,net.misc
Subject: Re: Autodialing Falwell - a different perspective
Message-ID: <488@looking.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Jan-86 00:41:27 EST
Article-I.D.: looking.488
Posted: Mon Jan 20 00:41:27 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 20-Jan-86 06:38:59 EST
References: <1225@mtuxo.UUCP> <11434@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <487@looking.UUCP> <965@burl.UUCP>
Reply-To: @looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 29
Xref: watmath net.religion:8925 net.legal:2744 net.misc:9155
Summary: 

In article <965@burl.UUCP> rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) writes:
>
>>Apply the golden rule.  If you had an 800 number for abortion information,
>>would you want Mr. Falwell's supporters calling it with their autodialers?
>
>If Mr. Falwell's 800 number was for informational purposes only, I don't
>think this would have happened.  It is designed specifically to gather
>money for his machine, a machine which sends him and his messages all
>over the world to make astounding political statements that have great
>impact on the masses.  Therefore, I think that we have a legal right to
>tax his church -- just as we tax corporations whose chairpersons run around
>the world doing the same thing on company funds.


While I agree the churches should have no special tax status, let me
make my "golden rule" example more specific.

Say you operate an abortion clinic, and accept donations  via credit card
on an 800 number.  A catholic man's daughter goes to your clinic and
obtains an abortion, probably after receiving advice on the matter over
your phone number, too.

Is this catholic man justified in autodialing your number and asking his
friends to?  He no doubt feels his daughter was pressured by you into
this act that he considers horrible.  Personally, he feels he is in
much the same position as the man who autodialed Falwell.

-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473