I love it when wingnuts reply to emails and show their true colors. I love it when more when they represent a business and reply without even the slightest bit of professionalism.
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Last night while catching up on Gannon/Guckert, somewhere in comments posted either Daily Kos, Eschaton or AMERICAblog (can't recall where), someone posted a link to
http://www.adnausea.org, which is a site dedicated to educating advertisers that their dollars are supporting a liar, or as they put it on their site:
Ad Nausea is a grassroots effort to educate corporations that it just isn't good business to insult half of their potential customers. With limited funds to devote to marketing, it makes more sense for companies to advertise on programs that don't thrive on belittling their customers.
Advertisers need to know that supporting people who trade in distortions, slurs and ad hominem attacks is going to drive potential customers away.
They have form letters that you can send to Hannity's advertisers and provide contact links to the various companies. I figured I'd help them out and send a couple. I sent two out via email forms on the companies websites, one to Sharper Image, and one to Ameristar Capital Mortgage International, Inc.
http://www.ameristarinc.com
Here is the letter I sent, as borrowed from Ad Nusea's website:
I understand that your company advertises on The Sean Hannity Show.
As a patriotic American, I am offended that you would choose to support a program that exists solely to ridicule and undermine half of your potential customers. In addition to his three-hour daily personal attacks against Democrats, Liberals, Moderates and anyone who is not a Conservative Extremist, his two books: Deliver Us From Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism and Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism serve only to belittle most Americans and their sincere love for their country.
Sean Hannity is, of course, free to speak as he wishes; after all, this is America! However, I cannot support a business that endorses someone whose only objective is to create animosity and hatred between American citizens. Democrats, Liberals, Moderates, and even Republicans, all want the same thing: peace, prosperity, and happiness. None of us wants to be belittled or mocked and see others stirred into hatred by a bully with a microphone.
While your company may not purport to endorse any particular political view that may be expressed by Mr. Hannity, you give the public precisely the opposite impression by choosing that particular program - out of all of your many, many advertising options. I understand your company's desire to reach as broad an audience as possible. However, it is not good business sense to be associated with a person who visciously attacks approximately half of the buying public. Clearly, there are other advertising choices your company can make.
As a consumer, I find Sean Hannity extremely offensive and whether you intend it or not, you giving money to Mr. Hannity is promoting a program designed specifically to alienate me and half of your potential customers. Frankly, I cannot support a company that takes my dollars and gives them to someone who will use them to insult me.
Hannity's purpose (other than to earn himself more money) is to make American discourse about politics less civil, more hate-filled. Is this something your company is comfortable being associated with?
Kinda long, but detailed, respectful and at the very least, adult and professional.
Ameristar Capital Mortgage's system sends an automated response:
Thank you for contacting Ameristar Capital Mortgage International, Inc. for your mortgage financing needs. Ameristar Capital Mortgage International, Inc. is committed to delivering quality customer service and will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Tom Schuesler
Ameristar Capital Mortgage International, Inc.
(800) 893-5363
But that's not all! They apparently believe in the personal touch, because I got an email from the company president, J. Thomas Schuesler, himself:
From:
"J. Thomas Schuesler" <johnthomas@socal.rr.com> Add to Address Book
Subject:
Re: Contact Form
Date:
Thu, 24 Feb 2005 07:01:43 -0800
Please get back on your medication, and make an appointment to see your doctor ASAP!
Hmm.....not quite as customer service oriented as the automated response, but telling nonetheless. Any business representative that would respond to a potential client in that manner should not be in business. I can understand not agreeing with my letter, and I would expect that, but to go out of your way to offend a potential client....that just wreaks of someone who has no business BEING in business.
So, I wrote J. Thomas Schuesler (johnthomas@socal.rr.com) an email in response:
Thank you for you highly professional and business minded response. I'm sure your clients would appreciate your professionalism.
I went back to Ameristar's site and found the Who We Are page:
http://www.ameristarinc.com/who.html
Kinda creepy, right off the bat....especially when I saw this:
Donation partner to Libertyunites.com
at the top of the page.
So, I went to http://libertyunites.com/, and yes....be afraid. The American Liberty Partnership rings a bell, but I can't place it. But any site that has a picture of Dubya and a quote from him about 9/11 sends me into Red Alert status.
Also on the Ameristar site, I found this little gem in the Who Is page:
Please don't hesitate to call with any additional questions, don't hesitate to ask for references, and don't hesitate to call the California Department of Real Estate regarding our company's good standing. Our Broker Number is 01239736. We are as they say "squeaky clean."
That's a dare if I've ever heard one.....anyone live in Cali that has ever had dealings with Mr. J. Thomas Schuesler? He loves Sean Hannity so much that he has no problem in offending potential customers.....I'd hate to see how he treats his paying ones.