To call or not to call; leave us be
by Brian Wainstein, Editor-In-Chief

   The U.S. District Court in Oklahoma blocked the national "do not call" list recently after arguments from the Direct Marketing Agency stating the program violated its First Amendment right of free speech and its Fifth Amendment right of due process.
   I seem to remember something about one's First Amendment right applying only if it doesn't hurt someone, such as slander and libel.
   Now, I would definitely say that telemarketers hurt us; they waste our time. In some instances, we have to pay for the calls, and worst of all, they're just plain annoying.
   If this list isn't implemented, everyone reading this will one day be called away from a shower, dinner or quality family time by the incessant swarms of telemarketers hungering for their sales.
   Even unlisted phone numbers aren't safe as one can unwittingly become part of a telemarketing company's call list. And it doesn't end there; once you're on the list of one of those evil corporations, you may as well unplug your phone in despair as they will sell those lists to companies that will sell it to others and so on and so forth until no hour is free from the dreaded knell of another salesperson clamoring for your attention.
  Giant billboards I can take. Advertising on the side of 18-wheelers I applaud. But once it comes into my home, my sanctuary, that's when I get mad.
   These parasites on society are only slightly better than spammers. We are lucky that people cannot talk as quickly as computers or we would be subjected to a deluge of this meaningless jabbering.
   At least my spam is happily routed to the bulk mail folder on my Yahoo account; without caller-ID, it's impossible to screen calls prior to answering.
   I almost feel sorry for the people who make these calls. They know the evil they are a part of, but have no choice. The job pays incredibly well, relative to other positions one can subject oneself to with similar experience requirements.
   Telemarketers must deal with hundreds of people like me. I used to delight in leading them on before telling them I was under 18 so they needed to speak to my father, who wasn't there.
   Now, however, I have a little more compassion for the victims of a soulless marketing machine.
   I don't want timeshare information. I don't want a long distance plan. I just want peace and quiet.