Why the Can Spam Act of 2003 (S. 877) Blows Chunks

Your federal legislators have been working overtime at getting some anti-spam legislation passed on the national level. Unfortunately, they seem to have listened more to lobbyists from the Direct Marketing Association, AOL and MSN than to the consumers complaining about unsolicited email. This bill only prohibits fraudulent or deceptive Spam (unsolicited commercial electronic mail), and legalizes the sending of all other unsolicited commercial email, while pre-empting all state laws that prohibit or directly regulate Spam. In short, your congressmen have sold you and your email address down the river. Some of the highlights of the bill are:

The sending of unsolicited email, including pornographic email, is legal so long as it complies with the language of the act. The FTC will figure out later how it wants spammers to label the porn that they want to send you beginning on January 1st, 2004.
If you want to stop receiving email, under the opt-out language of the act, you must opt out with every single sub-division of a company that sends you spam. No regulation is given as to what this opt-out mechanism is to include. Under this language, spammers can make you wade through 25 pages of popup advertisements to find a working opt-out link for one particular subdivision of their BIZ. They're not prohibited from immediately creating another subdivision to spam you with.
This sorry excuse for a law has pre-emption language killing pretty much every other state anti-spam law in the country. It seems specifically worded to kill California's anti-spam law; the effective date has even been matched with California's law so that state's citizens will never have a chance to have the protection that their state's lawmakers tried to instigate.
Related to the above item; this federal legislation also regulates INTRASTATE commerce. Meaning that if someone in California spams someone else in California, they will still not have the option of using state law.
If a spammer does happen to violate the law, citizens are not given a private right of action to pursue violators. Internets service providers, state attorney generals and the FTC are the only entities given a right of action under this law, and only to sue in Federal District Court. Can your local ISP raise enough money to hire a lawyer to do this? Good luck proving that the spammer broke the law, because:
The legislation defines spam as unsolicited mail, the "primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service." I've already started to receive spam that claims it was not sent primarily for a commercial purpose and is therefore immune to regulation under the Can of Spam Act.
This legislation raises barriers of proof for attorney generals, ISP's and the FTC that make it difficult to plead a case under this law. Several attorney generals, including Washington State's, have stated their opposition to this legislation.

Stardate 10.06.2000

Ť Spam in a legal Can? Who wants it, anyway? Congress thinks you do! It's time to send them some messages back! ť

Tired of Penis Enlargement email? Debt reduction? Breast implants? Forward it on to your legislators. You never know, they might need it! Contact email addresses for a small portion of state Senators and local representatives who voted to legalize the sending of unsolicited commercial electronic mail (SPAM) are below. The majority of lawmakers however have a "contact" page similar to most debt relief spams that you need to fill out in order to contact them via email. Tell them what you think of their vote in favor of this legislation:

EUROPEAN VISITORS: Yes, I am sadly aware that a majority of European nations have passed anti-spam legislation, while the United States has now legalized this unsavory practice. Please feel free to forward spam received from the United States to the below email addresses of United States Congressional legislators:

Washington State:

1. Representative Jay Inslee (D - 01): jay.inslee@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Richard R. Larsen (D - 02) : rick.larsen@mail.house.gov

California:

1. Representative George Miller (D - 07) : George.Miller@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D - 08) : sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Gary Miller (R - 42) gary.miller@mail.house.gov
4. Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R - 46) dana@mail.house.gov
5. Representative Loretta Sanchez (D - 47) loretta@mail.house.gov
6. Representative Christopher Cox (R - 48) christopher.cox@mail.house.gov
7. Representative Susan A. Davis (D - 53) susan.davis@mail.house.gov

Hawaii:

1. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D- HI) Senator@inouye.senate.gov
2. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D- HI) senator@akaka.senate.gov
3. Representative Neil Abercrombie (D - 01) neil.abercrombie@mail.house.gov
4. Representative Ed Case (D - 02) ed.case@mail.house.gov

Arizona:

1. Representative Jeff Flake (R - 06) jeff.flake@mail.house.gov

Utah:

1. Representative Christopher Cannon (R - 03) cannon.ut03@mail.house.gov

New Mexico:

1. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D- NM) senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov

Texas:

1. Representative Kevin Brady (R - 08) rep.brady@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Pete Sessions (R - 32) PeteS@mail.house.gov
Oklahoma:

1. Representative Ernest J. Istook, Jr. (R - 05) istook@mail.house.gov

North Dakota:

1. Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D- ND) senator@dorgan.senate.gov

Minnesota:

1. Representative Jim Ramstad (R - 03) mn03@mail.house.gov

Iowa:

1. Representative Leonard L. Boswell (D - 03) rep.boswell.ia03@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Tom Latham (R - 04) latham.ia05@mail.house.gov

Missouri:

1. Representative Samuel B. Graves (R - 06) sam.graves@mail.house.gov

Louisiana:

1. Representative William J. Jefferson (D - 02) jeffersonmc@mail.house.gov

Mississipi:

1. Senator Trent Lott (R- MS) senatorlott@lott.senate.gov
2. Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D - 02) thompsonms2nd@mail.house.gov
Kentucky:

1. Senator Mitch McConnell (R- KY) senator@mcconnell.senate.gov

Illinois:

1. Senator Richard J. Durbin (D- IL) dick@durbin.senate.gov
2. Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D - 02) webmaster@jessejacksonjr.org
3. Representative Mark S. Kirk (R - 10) rep.kirk@mail.house.gov
Wisconsin:

1. Representative James F. Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R - 05) sensenbrenner@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Mark Green (R - 08) mark.green@mail.house.gov
Michigan:

1. Representative Joe Knollenberg (R - 09) rep.knollenberg@mail.house.gov
Indiana:

1. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R- IN) senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov
2. Representative Mark Edward Souder (R - 03) souder@mail.house.gov
3. Representative John N. Hostettler (R - 08) John.Hostettler@mail.house.gov

Tenessee:

1. Representative Harold E. Ford, Jr. (D - 09) rep.harold.ford.jr@mail.house.gov

Alabama:

1. Senator Jeff Sessions (R- AL) senator@sessions.senate.gov
2. Representative Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr. (D - 05) budmail@mail.house.gov

Ohio:

1. Representative Sherrod Brown (D - 13) sherrod@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Deborah Pryce (R - 15) pryce.oh15@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Bob Ney (R - 18) bobney@mail.house.gov

Pennsylvania:

1. Senator Arlen Specter (R- PA) arlen_specter@specter.senate.gov
2. Representative Curt Weldon (R - 07) curtpa07@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Michael F. Doyle (D - 14) rep.doyle@mail.house.gov

West Virginia:

1. Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV (D- WV) senator@rockefeller.senate.gov
2. Representative Nick Joe Rahall, II (D - 03) nrahall@mail.house.gov

Virginia:

1. Representative Robert C. Scott (D - 03) bobby.scott@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Rick Boucher (D - 09) ninthnet@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Thomas M. Davis, III (R - 11) tom.davis@mail.house.gov

North Carolina:

1. Representative Richard Burr (R - 05) Richard.BurrNC05@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Howard Coble (R - 06) howard.coble@mail.house.gov

South Carolina:

1. Representative Joe Wilson (R - 02) Joe.Wilson@mail.house.gov
2. Representative James E. Clyburn (D - 06) jclyburn@mail.house.gov

Georgia:

1. Representative Jack Kingston (R - 01) jack.kingston@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Phil Gingrey (R - 11) gingrey.ga@mail.house.gov

Florida:

1. Representative Cliff Stearns (R - 06) wyr.fl06@mail.house.gov
2. Representative C. W. (Bill) Young (R - 10) Bill.Young@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Katherine Harris (R - 13) Katherine.Harris@mail.house.gov
4. Representative Alcee L. Hastings (D - 23) alcee.pubhastings@mail.house.gov

Maryland:

1. Representative Benjamin L. Cardin (D - 03) rep.cardin@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Christopher Van Hollen, Jr. (D - 08) chris.vanhollen@mail.house.gov

Delaware:

1. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D- DE) senator@biden.senate.gov

New Jersey:

1. Representative Frank A. LoBiondo (R - 02) lobiondo@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R - 11) rodney.frelinghuysen@mail.house.gov

New York:

1. Representative Peter T. King (R - 03) pete.king@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D - 06) congmeeks@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) weiner@mail.house.gov
4. Representative Vito Fossella (R - 13) vito.fossella@mail.house.gov
5. Representative Jose E. Serrano (D - 16) jserrano@mail.house.gov
6. Representative Michael R. McNulty (D - 21) mike.mcnulty@mail.house.gov
7. Representative James T. Walsh (R - 25) 2 rep.james.walsh@mail.house.gov

Vermont:

1. Representative Bernard Sanders (I - Vermont At Large) bernie@mail.house.gov

Massachusetts:

1. Representative Martin T. Meehan (D - 05) martin.meehan@mail.house.gov
2. Representative Stephen Lynch (D - 09) stephen.lynch@mail.house.gov
3. Representative William D. Delahunt (D - 10) william.delahunt@mail.house.gov

New Hampshire:

1. Senator Judd Gregg (R- NH) mailbox@gregg.senate.gov
2. Senator John Sununu (R- NH) mailbox@sununu.senate.gov
3. Representative Charles F. Bass, II (R - 02) cbass@mail.house.gov

Maine:

1. Senator Olympia Snowe (R- ME) Olympia@snowe.senate.gov
2. Representative Thomas H. Allen (D - 01) rep.tomallen@mail.house.gov
3. Representative Mike Michaud (D - 02) rep.mikemichaud@mail.house.gov

The majority of contact addresses can be found by searching for your legislator's web site and following the contact links, or by this helpful site here: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/. Remember, lobbyists for special interests are always talking to them. If they don't hear from you, who's interests will they hold most dear? Obviously not yours.

This page undoubtedly has errors, as it was created by a human. Email the human below for corrections or comments. Please bear in mind that this human works full time and may not be able to correct things on what most other people on the planet would consider a timely manner.

The President signed this bill into law on December 16, 2003. Tell his officecreatures what you think of him legalizing spam! His address is president@whitehouse.gov. And yes, do forward your unsolicited commercial email to his address also; he made it legal for these companies to spam you with wild abandon. His other contact URL's can be found here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Email: micheal77774@hotmail.com