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March 20, 2008

Hypocrisy alert – NWF et al join USPS in loving junk mail

NWF and others also hypocrites on gimme gifts

The U.S. Postal Service, though barred by law from official government lobbying, is strongly fighting “Do Not Mail” registries at the state government level. Such registries would be similar to the federal Do Not Call anti-telemarketing phone registry.

Sean Sheehan of the progressive activist group Center for a New American Dream, said state efforts may precede national action, just as they did with the Do Not Call Registry.

Making interesting, if not strange, bedfellows, with USPS, among others, are environmental groups.
A national registry “would affect anybody who mails,” said Laura Hickey, senior director of global warming education at the National Wildlife Foundation, which belongs to the Direct Marketing Association. “I don’t think it would be any different whether you were for-profit or nonprofit.” As an alternative, the National Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups have created Catalogue Choice, a program that asks retailers to voluntarily stop sending catalogues to anyone who signs up for its free online service.

Yeah, but NWF and other enviro groups don’t publicize Catalogue Choice enough, I don’t think. AND, Hickey is being disingenuous, because that just covers catalogs, anyway, and not junk mail letters — i.e., enviro groups’ solicitation letters.

Oh, and while we’re on hypocrisy, groups like NWF could stuff sending Made in China gimmes as trinkets for subscription renewers. Not getting something from an American factory costs jobs, and given most Chinese factories, hurts the environment, too.
And the USPS solution of recycling bins in post offices doesn’t help people at home, and it is shutting the barn door after the horses are out.

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