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From: jpm@calmasd.UUCP (John McNally)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Lets get 1600 Penn. Ave on the net.
Message-ID: <210@calmasd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Nov-84 19:21:14 EST
Article-I.D.: calmasd.210
Posted: Thu Nov 29 19:21:14 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Dec-84 19:26:58 EST
References: <330@stcvax.UUCP>
Organization: Calma Company, San Diego, CA
Lines: 63

From: jps@stcvax.UUCP (Jeff Snover)
Subject: Lets get 1600 Penn. Ave on the net.
Posted: Tue Nov 27 09:53:53 1984

>(keep any flames
>about "the white house doesn't care" to yourself or else feel free
>to post them to /dev/null or anywhere else where I don't have to
>see them!!).

>The net
>is easy and fun to use and if I had a path to the white house I would
>mail them feedback on things pro and con on a fairly frequent basis
>and I think alot of other folks would do so also.

The White House's attitude to this form of communication with the
American people seems to be the major impediment to this proposal.
There is already a mechanism whereby you can express your views to
the President via telephone - you can call the Executive Office of
the President (call the White House switchboard, ask for the Exec
Office of the Prez).  My experience with this medium indicates
that an electronic mail connection will not serve the purpose of
feedback suggested by the original article's author.

About six weeks ago I called the Exec Office to express my views
on the recent rash of abortion clinic bombings throughout the
United States (for info only, there have been more than 14 in the
past year).  Well, my experience with this was less than
satisfactory.  The person dealing with me on the phone seemed
uninformed.  They responded to my concern with "Bombings??  I
hadn't heard anything about that", with a unsubtle implication that I
was just a crank caller.  When I pointed out that a sympathetic
editorial had recently appeared in the San Diego Tribune, this
seemd to get a bit more interest, but I definitely got the
impression that my message got routed to /dev/null.  Facts seem to
support this -  the Justice Department seems completely
uninterested in investigating what appears to be an interstate
conspiracy in domestic terrorism. (nuff said, this aint
net.politics).

So, I suspect that an electronic mail forum will fare no better
than the existing mechanisms.  If you want to just dump e-mail on
the White House because you think that its neat, well I don't want
to pay any part of that bill.  If you want to let them know that
Ronnie is the best thing since sliced bread, I am sure they will
listen.  But, if you want to tell them something they don't want
to hear, I think they aren't going to listen.  Until we can change
the attitude of the White House toward such forms of contact with
the American people, I don't think that any such mechanisms are
very useful.

Has anyone else had any experiences with talking to the White
House, positive or negative??? (and maybe this belongs in a
specific newsgroup???).

And now for the obligatory lack of nettiquette:

For many of the issues that seem most important to me,
The White House doesn't care!


-- 
John McNally  Calma  11080 Roselle St. San Diego CA 92121
...{ucbvax,decvax}!sdcsvax!calmasd!jpm     (619)-458-3230