The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - Stop Political Calls BLOG

What is Civility? First in a series. The Dignity Agenda

Join Citizens for Civil Discourse and register your phone number for free on the National Political Do Not Contact Registry.

BLOG Post:

David Ignatius, an op-ed writer at the Washington Post, had a terrific column today entitled "The Dignity Agenda".   

It got me thinking about creating a series of posts that attempt to explore what "civil discourse" really means?  People ask me, "What do you hope to accomplish with Citizens for Civil Discourse and the National Political Do Not Contact Registry?"

Aren't you actually limiting discourse by allowing voters to remove their phone numbers from politicians voter contact databases?

My answer is an empathic, NO!  No, no, no!  You just don't get it.

Voters today get their political information from a myriad of sources and communication channels.

There is T.V., radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, friends, email, events, the mail, and many other ways (including TEXT messaging).

In fact, phone calls are but one of many ways politicians can reach voters.   They just happen to be very efficient (read cheap) and particularly easy for campaigns to execute.   

It is my contention that phone calls, particularly automated or robo calls, are actually doing more harm than anyone can imagine.   

Phones are considered in a different light by most voters.

T.V.'s, radios, and the Internet can all be turned off.

The phone can not.   As a result many voters have told me that they consider political phone calls a violation of their home, their castle as it were.   

One voter told me that in 2006 they received 37 calls in one day.  Yes, one day.

Now imagine if you received 37 calls in one day.

Would you respect politicians?  Would you believe that politicians actual listen to you?  That they care about you?  That they have solutions for you?

No.  Instead, these voters (64% of whom received robo calls in 2006) are hanging up and tuning out of politics, of voting, of caring, and finally of thinking that they can actually DO something; preferring not to engage and, often, not to vote.

How does this get back to the "Dignity Agenda" by David Ignatius?

Well, I believe that civil discourse starts with giving people dignity, with listening to them rather than shouting at them.  It means that people "don't' like to be told what to do by outsiders".  That means the same thing in Iraq as it does in West Virginia, Ohio, Florida, California and every other one of these United States.

Civil discourse can not occur without dignity.

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com The Dignity Agenda By David Ignatius Sunday, October 14, 2007; Page B07   "We talk about democracy and human rights. Iraqis talk about justice and honor." That comment from Lt. Col. David Kilcullen, made at a seminar last month on counterinsurgency, is the beginning of wisdom for an America that is trying to repair the damage of recent years. It applies not simply to Iraq but to the range of problems in a world tired of listening to an American megaphone. As we think about a "dignity agenda," there are some other useful readings. A starting point is Zbigniew Brzezinski's new book, "Second Chance," which argues that America's best hope is to align itself with what he calls a "global political awakening." The former national security adviser explains: "In today's restless world, America needs to identify with the quest for universal human dignity, a dignity that embodies both freedom and democracy but also implies respect for cultural diversity."

You Can Help! - Record Political Calls And Upload Them On The Internet

Want to help The National Political Do Not Call Registry - where you can register your phone number for free - to get politicians to stop calling you at home?

Here is what you can do to help NOW:

1. When you receive a political call, record it on your voice mail or answer phone.
2. Determine the best way to upload the calls recording to the Internet using a site like YouTube.
   • You can see an example if you go here on YouTube.
   • Or here.
3. Upload the full recording ensuring that you document the following:
   
   • The date and time you received the call
   • Who the call was from
   • Where you received the call - home, work, cell, other
4. Send an email to The National Political Do Not Contact (NPDNC) Registry staff with the link to the call recording and include the details in #3 above.
   • Click here to send an email.

What we will then do:

1. On a web page hosted by the NPDNC Registry we will begin to archive political calls from around the country.
2. We will then work with Factcheck.org to determine if the facts in the message are truthful and, if they are not, what the real facts are.
3. The politician who made the call will be then put on notice that we are watching what they are up to.

Thoughts?  Comments?

Here is an example from a Mayor campaign in Memphis, TN :

Ron Paul's Intriguing Candidacy - Will he take the "do not contact pledge"

Join us:  Register your phone number for free at The National Political Do Not Contact Registry and tell politicians to stop calling you at home.

BLOG POST:

I'm intrigued by the Ron Paul candidacy.  He is a small government, low taxes, libertarian, anti war Republican that is out of step with the mainstream GOP candidates and he raised $5 million in the last quarter; just behind Fred Thompson.  Amazing stuff and not to be dismissed.

I wonder if Mr. Paul would be interested in taking the "Do Not Contact" pledge?   That is, do you think that he would pledge to not contact people via phone if they asked not to be?

What are your thoughts?

Here is a Ron Paul campaign video that clearly articulates his appeal to a wide variety of people from all sides of life and politics. I encourage you to watch.

146 Million Telephone Numbers Registered by Consumers on the Federal DNC Registry

According to testimony by Lydia Parnes, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission,

Consumers have registered more than 146 million telephone numbers since the Registry became operational in June 2003, and the Do Not Call program has been tremendously successful in protecting consumers’ privacy from unwanted  telemarketing calls.  A Harris Interactive® Survey released in January 2006 showed that 94% of  American adults have heard of the Registry and 76% have signed up for it.29  Ninety-two percent of those polled reported receiving fewer telemarketing calls.

Twenty-seven of the Commission’s telemarketing cases have alleged Do Not Call violations, resulting in $8.8 million in civil penalties and $8.6 million in redress or disgorgement ordered.

Have you submitted a complaint?

Was it resolved?

PA State Do Not Call List Starts to Expire First Group of Registrants from 2002

According to Attorney General's office in the State of Pennsylvania

Registration on the Do Not Call list is only valid for five years from the date you initially register, or when a telephone number is no longer valid. For example.if you were among the first group of registrants in 2002, you must re-register by September 15, 2007, or your number will be dropped from the Do Not Call list on November 1, 2007.

Learn more at the Attorney General's website.

The AG is Tom Corbett.

Does point and click activism lead to community engagement and positive results?

With the rise of the internet and applications such as YouTube many more people are taking part in "internet activism" or e-advocacy and online organizing at all levels of impact, from international issues such as Darfur to local issues like immigration in Virginia, my home state.

However, I wrote about last week on the retreat of the American citizen, there is a fundamental question about internet activism that remains to be played out.

Are we really becoming more engaged in our communities and producing positive results?

Or are we sitting in our homes pointing and clicking and flaming each other?

Perhaps we are doing both.

While the involvement of many people in the political process via the internet is a good thing, it remains to be seen if those people who become involved online also become more engaged in their communities.

What do I mean by becoming engaged in a community?

Well, basically, it means getting out of where you live (home) and away from your computer, talking with your neighbors, and becoming engaged in producing positive change with people you may not agree with all the time.

Personally I have seen the impact of the internet to help bring together a community.   

In 2004, right before the Presidential elections, I started a Yahoo Groups listserve for friends and neighbors in the local community where I lived after becoming disenchanted with the involvement of my neighbors in "making things better". 

At first, only a few people joined.  Mostly those people living on either side of my family who I could corral into joining up.

But then, a strange thing happened.   The maxim that "politics is local" played out as there was a chance that a housing development would interrupt the peace and quiet of the neighborhood.   The group went from 10 members to 50 members overnight and from 1 or 2 postings a week to several a day.

What did that all mean?  Did people actually talk to each other?

Well, yes. 

Suddenly people were stopping each other on the street to talk about the development.   Actions  were taken and petitions were circulated to "do something" about it.   To this date, the development has not been built.

And neighbors were able to put faces to names and postings on the Yahoo Group.

And... well more of a sense of community and "we are in this together" was created.

So, what do you think? 

What examples do  you have where the internet has led to higher community engagement and more positive results?

Or, do online discussions, as law professor Cass Sunstein, says:

lead to "cyberbalkanization"—discussions that lead to fragmentation and polarization rather than consensus, because the same medium that lets people access a large number of news sources also lets them pinpoint the ones they agree with and ignore the rest.

Let me know...