Fake Poll Tries to Change Minds
Oh, I’m really pissed off now!
I just got a computerized telephone call. The introduction claimed to be a poll, and unfortunately I didn’t catch the rather bland name. There were a series of questions to which one could only answer yes or no.
The first asked if I intended to vote in the upcoming election. Yes, of course.
Then there was an increasingly creepy series of follow-up questions.
Was I going to vote yes on the amendment to “protect” marriage as being only between a man and a woman? No
(Marriage doesn’t need protection against gays and lesbians. If it needs protection, it is only to protect its pretention of sacredness in an era in which the majority of USA families are unconventional. Look at the stats and tell me how to save marriage as a crutch of status for those who use it for personal gain, and rely on it no matter how bad they are at responsibility or parenting. Are you one who “wants to marry a millionaire?” Are you on your 4th wife or husband? Marriage as an institution is in trouble all right, but not from homosexuals.)
With each “no” there was an escalation of the questions – was I concerned that it would create a redefinition of marriage for the rest of us. No (we redefine what marraige means to us with every generation).
Was I concerned that children would “be deprived of a mother or a father” if this wasn’t passed?
Are you kidding? Our government pays poor fathers to move out of the house so children can get welfare at all. How about the families that are caretakers of aging parents or sick relatives or people with disabilities? And, just as a matter of common sense, how about all those babies that are up for adoption? Don’t thye neeed someone, anyone who is nice and who will love them? What is wrong with the ethical sense of these people?
When I tried to say anything at all other than Yes or No, the tape would just say that the next question depended on a yes or no answer. So I said no, no, no, and no, not matter how unethical the questions themselves became – and it was pretty bad.
Anyone who can find out the origin of the number, let me know. I *69ed it – 571-522-1899. A reverse directory tells me that the phone number “(571) 522-1899″ is a Braddock, VA based phone number and the registered carrier is Verizon Virginia, Inc. The search suggestion was for a DC phone book on the number.
DC, right. They have a computer to call people in Georgia on this? What group is behind this? It was NOT a standard poll. I couldn’t believe the wording on it.
Is there a smiley icon for “vomiting”?
Hateful hateful stuff, serious propaganda we are seeing now. I hope it gives everyone else who got that phone call pause – what a creepy Halloween fright.
I’m serious – anyone in Washington who can trace 571-522-1899, let me know.
I traced the number back to this website:
http://freeeats.com/nav.asp
Go to ask.com and enter the phone number and eventually you will trace back to this company.
Thanks for posting that info; I got a call from them tonight as well (came up “Virginia call” on caller ID, same number. If you go to the site the previous commenter listed, you can place yourself on their no-call list. I’m glad I didn’t pick up the phone, and I’d bet $10 it’s about Issue 1 (similar anti-gay ballot initiative here in Ohio). Jerks.
I was just informed by my girlfriend that we got called, but she didn’t answer, then googled the number off the CallerID.
We’re in Ohio. They’re likely calling states that have a gay marriage issue on the ballot, which Ohio does, and I’m assuming Georgia does as well.
I got one too, for Cincinnati’s “Yes on 3″ campaign.
(To appraise you of the situation, Cincinnati’s city charter has article 12, which states that you can legally fire someone or refuse service to them for being gay.)
The creepy computer voice says “make no mistake, article 3 is not about equal rights, it’s about special rights”.
Since when was having a group of people REMOVED from a document allowing legal discrimination againts them been considered a special right? Since when is being treaated like every other human a special right?
I digress, these backwards, xenophobic m@#$@!&@(*#&s are REALLY creepy.
I’m helping out with the campaigns anyway and I’ve just relocated my business, so, I have enough high blood pressure for a guy my age to begin with. (My girlfriend puts up with a lot of my ranting, that’s for sure).
Anyhoo, it’s stuff like this that can get the Irish blood in my veins stirred up something fierce – especially when they call at 9PM and I have nothing to do for the rest of the evening but stew about it.
Anyway, for all humans out there, gay, straight, democrat, asian, rich, poor, hippie, and executive; have a great evening.
Oh, and vote yes on 3, Cincinnatians. To quote (of all people) the xenophobic freaks conducting the poll, “…no special rights!…” – only equal ones.
This number has called us about 3 times, we live in Hawaii. How are they getting our number? I dont answer it b/c I dont recognize the number, but I do know that when I dial the number from my cell phone, it says Virginia. I was unaware that this was a VA area code, I lived in VA for 22 years. Any new info on this, please post.
I was away from home when I received a call from (571) 522-1899 and they did not leave a message, so, I am glad that someone has posted what this probably was about. Just so you know, I received this call at my home in Little Rock, AR and am also wondering why I got this call especially since I have found a post elsewhere on the Internet that they were questioned about Oregon Amendment 36 which obviously does not apply to people in Arkansas (our corresponding “marriage protection” amendment is Amendment Number 3). By the way, I finished voting at 11:50 AM today, so, when I received the call at 2:25 PM today, the VERY FIRST question asked did NOT apply to me since it asked whether or not the person being questioned intends to vote in the upcoming election (this implies voting IN THE FUTURE, I voted for this UPCOMING election IN THE PAST ;-P )
Michelle T. aka Pegasus
There’s a lot more to it than just the freeeats.com website. I got a similar call and decided to do a bit more digging using the number that rang up on my caller ID, 571-522-1899. A quick Google search found that this same number has been used this month to make anti-gay push polls in Oregon and Georgia and another partisan poll in Ohio. Further research traced the number back to a company called ccAdvertising. ccAdvertising is a telephone survey company that proclaims itself to be “active in many political campaigns and political initiative[s].” The company is indeed active, as its website proclaims that it has done polls for the NRA and the National Right to Life committee, among others. Also, according to opensecrets.org, ccAdvertising has given nearly $2,000 to the Republican Party during this election cycle with no contributions to the Democratic Party. The company has also been implicated in the abuse of state office in Alaska- you can find the story by doing a Google search for ccAdvetising and Alaska.
Pass this info along to as many people as possible, so that we can shine some light on this company and its actions.
Eh… They’re still at it. I’m in Oregon, and when Caller ID flagged them with a non Oregon area code, I said ‘Hum…’. Then when they started their spiel, I hung up (within 5 secs.), because in Oregon we actually have a measure addressing this, and I’m not going to have someone else make up my mind for me.
Caller ID has them listed as ‘FEC RSRCH’.
As a side note, I hate it when a online survey does the same thing, starts off generally, then starts asking (whining) about a particular item incessantly, I consider that to be an ad, they’re _really_ not interested in your opinion.
I found this number on my caller I.D. today, and I am researching it.
I don’t know who the company is either, but my caller-id says I got a call at 07:59PM Pacific. (I wasn’t home at the time). They aren’t just calling GA. I’m in Portland, OR.
I am upset at this Nazi like opinion pushing poll. If indeed the number is owned or traced back to http://www.freeeats.com, the person who purchased the web site or controls the web site is:
Joseph, Gabriel
13800 Coppermine Rd
Herndon, VA 20171-3408
US
703-234-2200
703-234-5858 [fax]
juaquinmurphy@hotmail.com
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
freeeats.com
Joseph, Gabriel
address
Centreville, VA 20120
US
703/222-5075
703/222-4282 [fax]
gabrielj@nova.org
I live in Ohio and received the same survey last week. Wed. of this week I received a survey from 571 522 1899 asking if iwas going to vote and if I knew my precinct. The caller identified himself as Ohio Sec.of State Blackwell.
Further tracing list freeeats.com as the survey base…phone # 703-234-2200. If enough people get pissed and call the office, maybe they will cease this sort of thing.
Bob B
nwbbob@yahoo.com
I am in Oregon and have gotten the call tonight as well as other nights and not answered. We have the same thing, measure 36 here in Oregon.
I’m from Maine and received a call from this number which I got by *69. Thanks for the information and all the research done by those who have responded to your website. I feel bad we are still dealing with hate groups.
Got the same call in Hawaii. And heard about it on the news too.
Yet another caller id spoofing site:
http://www.thezerogroup.com
You can change your voice as well, in addition they have live police scanner feeds via telephone for several US cities