# Desparate Republicans Stoop to Spam to Prop Up Flagging Support **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 1, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324 "2003-03-01T04:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/21 "2003-03-01T23:22:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elucidator \* > The US can no more make decisions for the UN than Tennesee can declare war on Canada on behalf of the US. But the US can make decisions regarding war (or whatever you want to call it) on its own without any input from the UN being necessary. It is warm and fluffy to have the UN backing us, but it’s by no means a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/22 "2003-03-01T23:28:07Z")
By no means. When America faced the terrible threat of elite Cuban bulldozer commandos in Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury), no such nicety was observed. However, when Iraq invaded a helpless and militarily weak smaller nation, that’s quite a different thing. Very different. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/23 "2003-03-02T17:08:03Z")
I check out the message headers, and found that the spam was generated at [mail.smartechcorp.net](http://mail.smartechcorp.net). Then I checked smartechcorp at [www.spamhaus.org](http://www.spamhaus.org), a leading database of well known spammers, and lo and behold, look what pops up: [gop8.rnc.org (Republican National Committee)](http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/sbl.lasso?query=SBL4758) > [@](#): > > \*\*Persistent spam since at least 4 Jul 2002: > [http://groups.google.com/groups?q=65.172.162.138&num=100&as\_scoring=d&filter=0](http://groups.google.com/groups?q=65.172.162.138&num=100&as_scoring=d&filter=0) > > Sprint SPRINTLINK-2-BLKS (NET-65-160-0-0-1) > 65.160.0.0 - 65.174.255.255 > SMARTECH CORPORATION FON-1101832704913981 (NET-65-172-162-0-1) > 65.172.162.0 - 65.172.163.255\*\* If you check out that google groups link, you will see a number of other postings of RNC spam. So it’s not just my opinion, the RNC is a well known persistent spammer. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/24 "2003-03-02T19:01:17Z")
Q: How is Bush so certain that Saddam has acquired chemical and biological weapons? A: Bush still has the receipts.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/25 "2003-03-02T21:00:04Z")
> [@](#): > > As to the clarity of the facts in the matter, one has to wonder: if the truth is apparent, so easily accessible, why must lies be called out to support an entirely irrefutable case? Why indeed? A question that can be asked on both sides of the aisle. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/26 "2003-03-02T21:05:28Z")
Balderdash, sir! Tommyrot! My “side of the aisle” is not attempting to lead us to war, nor have we taken any public oaths to preserve, protect and defend, etc. Besides which, I have been, and continue to be, specific as to the lies of which I speak. Can you? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/27 "2003-03-02T23:05:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elucidator \* > \*\*Besides which, I have been, and continue to be, specific as to the lies of which I speak. Can you? \*\* Here’s [four](http://barnstablepatriot.com/02-28-03-news/tefft.html). ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/28 "2003-03-02T23:13:46Z")
Myth #2 is a strawman, in your link, **december**. One that I wish the right would stop bringing up. It isn’t about cheaper oil or buying oil from Iraq. It’s about getting American oil companies a large chunk of the Iraqi oil reserves and concessions to drill and sell the oil for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Kalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/29 "2003-03-02T23:20:00Z")
again, if they’re not selling anything, it’s not spam. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/30 "2003-03-02T23:39:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalt \* > \*\*again, if they’re not selling anything, it’s not spam. \*\* You are alone in that definition, **Kalt**. [Any unwanted, unsolicited email is spam.](http://www.onelook.com/?w=spam&ls=a)Beside, they are selling something; in addition to scurrilous lies, they are also selling [cheesy $25 George W. Bush mousepads](http://www.rnc.org/friend/mousepad0227.asp). ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324/31 "2003-03-03T00:01:26Z")
You misunderstand, **december**. I don’t mean misunderstandings, myths, or misapprehension. I mean big, fat, whopping, bald-faced lies. World class lies. Weapons grade lies. Remember “He lied to the American people!”? I do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desparate-republicans-stoop-to-spam-to-prop-up-flagging-support/158324.md?page=1)