Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Is it just me, or is there suddenly less spam now that parts of Florida and the Northern Gulf coast have been knocked flat by the hurricane? I know that several of the web's most prolific spammers are, in fact, in both Florida and Louisiana... so I guess it makes sense.

Hmm.

So... then... is it over-the-top to secretly, quietly, deep-down-inside hope that they're among the dead?

Okay, okay, I guess it is. Having written it, even I'm troubled by the notion now. That said, having declared, in frustration, in the past, "Damned spammers! I wish they'd just up and die!", but not really meaning it literally, I'm having trouble now that it might have come true finding a reason to feel guilty.

I think I need to go to confession.

 

Dude.... get a grip. It is clear that you definitely need SOMETHING if you can make light of the intense misery that is going on down in that region right now. God help all of them, spammers included.....

 

Considering I have family in the region I agree with Carl on this one.

 

Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

I'm not making light of the misery, thankyouverymuch. I'm making light of -- or, more accurately, possibly going as far as secretly wishing death upon -- spammers. There's a helluva difference.

Of course, I dont really wish death upon them... hence my closing line about needing to go to confession.

Get it now?

 

I haven't noticed any change in the volume of spam that I'm receiving.

 

Re: Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Boy, I usually like to rip Gregg to shreds when I can, but let me come to his defense.

Using mild humor is a common way of dealing with the turbulent feelings that such tragedies create in us. That's all Gregg's doing. It's a coping mechanism. Of course, getting ultra sensitive about such humor is also a common coping mechanism.

I'll bet Gregg heard one thousand Laci Peterson jokes while he was covering that story. While some of them were the products of sick minds, others were just normal people coping.

I think Gregg fits into the latter category. Give him a pass here, he's a good egg.

Just my opinion.

Mike aka Little Fauss

 

It went to your sig line.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Definitely agree... and yes Gregg I get it!

 

Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Ha! Cute. I'll bet you'd not mind it, though, if it contained links to libertarian web sites!

Back to the subject at hand...

Okay, okay everyone. I screwed-up. Carl's right. MichaelR's right for agreeing with him. little fauss is right, too (and thank you, by the way). But I probably shouldn't have started the thread. I'm sorry. I thought I'd mention what I saw as a serious tie in.

Seriously... about the cause and effect, I mean. Those of us in the computer biz have known for years that several of the most prolific spammers on the entire Internet are in the very states hardest hit by this hurricane. This event demonstrates -- though at an obviously and unnecessarily high cost -- that if law enforcement would get serious about arresting spammers, as federal law now allows, it wouldn't have to make many arrests in very many states to profoundly reduce the problem. That I was (and remain) serious about.

But worse -- and this is the reason I joked that I needed to go to confession -- the truth is, when the spam for the past couple of days died-off to comparatively nothing, I confess to thinking, "Good! Maybe Katrina got the bastards," and I didn't really feel all that bad about it. Oh, when I stop to really contemplate what I'm really saying, I'm ashamed, of course. But I'm confessing to the kneejerk thoughts. What can I say.

That said, I guess it was my feeling guilty about that that maybe made me start the thread in the first place. Now, of course, I wish I hadn't.

But I don't feel any better about spammers. If I'm to rot in hell for that, then so be it. It is what it is.

 

Re: Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Shame on you

Gregg

Learner
-----------------------
Liberalism is a mental disorder
The enemy within

 

If this is some sort of humor on your part then I feel sorry for you. You have NO CLUE what we are going through over here right now. I have been in Law Enforcement for 10 years and have never seen so much misery and destruction in the U.S. as I have seen in New Orleans. It's been about a week since I checked these forums and expected to find some Katrina posts and let the guys on this board know what we are going through and thanks them for the responses. I am trying to find glimmers of hope in this disaster we are going through down here just like most of us here, but even with your few words posted you have show the insensitivity that is common with someone that has no clue. I HOPE and PRAY that you never have an experience even remotely close to this, but if you do I hope that people come to your aid instead of making comments such as yours on message boards. If any of you guys want to help please contact the Red Cross, or dial 1800 Help-Now. I am exhausted and was just trying to catch up on what was going on in the forums and I am delirious from lack of sleep. Thanks for the prayers of support...I am off to bed...

 

It's about SPAMMERS for godsake! What brand of clueless does a person -- even one in crisis -- have to be to not get that?

Oy.

Whew. Good... 'cause... there's just about no other way to explain how badly you missed the point.

It's about SPAMMERS, not hurricane victims. Sheez.

Of course, I could also make it about Lerner, I suppose....

[pause for contemplation]

Naaah! Even he's better than a spammer.

Never mind.

 

Re: Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Gregg, I’ve spent the last 30 years listening to people struggle with the human condition and my advice is to relax. There is a universe of difference between the content of one’s ideation and acting on it. You ask if it’s over the top and I don’t think so … merely human. Were you to acquire an AK47 and go hunting spammers in vivo, it would be. One of my professors in graduate school identified our innermost thoughts as “private logic.” In the context of the New Orleans dilemma mine runs to I think there’s a special place reserved in Hell for looters who shoot cops and guardsmen. I just cannot fathom what might drive a person to go after responders that way. And, I hope the trip to the final gate comes very quickly. Am I looking to purchase an M16? No, I’ll leave apprehension and punishment to law enforcement; I’m human with private logic but not a psychopath.

Soupbone, thank you for your service. Words fail to express how much I appreciate and respect the job you do.

 

Back again guys after a long and exhausting day...DesElms I appreciate the clarification and thank all of you for the support. The situation here grows increasingly more desperate as each day passes. We do have lots of great people working around the clock and I know that this situation will be under control very soon. This is something that even when I signed up for 10 years in law enforcement that I would ever see. Thanks for all your thoughts, and I will write again as soon as I can. I'm off to bed again...

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Hey... now there's an ide... er... I mean... never mind.

My thoughts exactly. What's wrong with that? (A rehetorical question.)

Thanks, David.

Yes, soupbone... ditto, as I expressed, but in different words, in the other thread. My only advice: Pick one thread or the other for your posts. Duplicate posts in multiple threads is kinda' frowned-upon around here. Personally, I think the other thread where you posted identically to your above would be more appropriate. This thread, that I started, here, was intended more than anything to be a parenthetical aside... and an intentionally dumb one, to boot. The other tread makes much more sense. Just a thought.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hurricane Katrina = Less Spam?

Yes, I must agree with Little Fauss and and Carl on this!




Abner