RoR: Forum

I like this idea. I will participate, too. May I suggest urging people to underline certain passages, or bookmark the books sent? The actual books might end up in the hands of aides, etc., but if they have bookmarks and such, they might lead whoever picks it up to look at some pointed passages. I heartily approve of your initiative!

Post 1

Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 4:41pm

hmmm, I'll look into this. Hopefully I won't be working. Sorry to hear you aren't going to be around here much. You were worth reading.

Post 2

Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 5:23pm

Jeffrey,
I found some typos/misspellings in your sample letters. If you want me to mark them, email them to me at mindynewton@yahoo.com, and I'll mark the errors I spotted and send them back right away.
Mindy

Post 3

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 10:09am

Jeff,

Great idea!

However, I've got a question. You have a reporting option at the bottom of your website which logs how many copies someone sends out to each person.

What's the value in sending multiple copies (2-50 copies) out to a single individual?

Ed

(Edited by Ed Thompson on 3/27, 10:10am)

Post 4

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 10:42am

In response to Jeff's activism project, a person might decide to search out some quotes, design a bookmark, look up passages to be underlined, write a different kind of cover letter, etc. Instead, we have here a question, put to a man we know to be extremely busy at the moment, making this project happen, of the pettiest nature: why would anyone send multiple copies of AS to a politician, and (implication) if one wouldn't why do you have such a category in your records?

This beats it all. Though I don't think he'd judge the question worth a response, except as a politeness, I'll save Jeff the need to respond: every politician has a staff of many people, most of whom are highly interested in politics. All of them are targets for political activism. Second, one of the goals of the project is to boost the sales of AS in this specific period of time.

*&%$#@#$*&(*&%$# the heck.

Thanks, though, for making clear what you meant by multiple copies, that was a toughie.

(Edited by Mindy Newton on 3/27, 10:43am)

Post 5

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 1:04pm

How detailed a lining of passages do you wish? My copy of AS is lined thru with what to me were the pertinent quotes and phrases, so could list the pages they're on, but there're a fair number...

Post 6

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 1:19pm

Not too detailed. If so, people will flip through and realize they haven't time to look at all that underlining, in which case, I expect, they wouldn't bother at all.

This is uneducated-guess time. I'd say no more than one per fifty pages or so, just as a very rough average. They are no use if they are missed completely, assuming the book is not actually read, just looked over.

Some individuals may be put off by reading a book with underlining, so it is a guessing game. My assumption is that if these books actually get read, it will be by some staff member, aide, etc.

My thought is that we want people to see that the book is not what they thought it was. Passages that resonate with values they recognize and with their sense of life might be the most intriguing.

Post 7

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 2:06pm

Mindy,

Instead, we have here a question, put to a man we know to be extremely busy at the moment, making this project happen, of the pettiest nature: why would anyone send multiple copies of AS to a politician, and (implication) if one wouldn't why do you have such a category in your records?

This beats it all. Though I don't think he'd judge the question worth a response ...

You know, I think that you really make an ass out of yourself each time -- out of many -- that you try real hard to make an ass out of me.

Yeah, you don't like me. I get it. I think we all get that. Fine. But did you ever stop to wonder about whether I've spent several years on this forum building up a reputation for being a real stand-up guy with these people? Because, if that's the case (and I claim it is), then your continuous derision of me -- trying to find an evil in each thing I do -- will not only be unsuccessful, but will paint you out to be a mean person.

Or maybe, more importantly, it would make you a mean person.

From my past interactions with Jeff, I think he'll take the question at face-value as if an honestly-curious child were asking it (i.e., he won't find it offensive). I think he understands where I'm coming from, having interacted with me so much more than you have. If he's too busy or too bothered to answer, then he won't answer -- and he'd expect me to understand that (and I would).

I may be wrong and even in the unlikely event that he thinks like you do about my question, I'd bet a dollar to a donut that he wouldn't demonize me for it like you do. He would see something in me that you don't. He would have a perspective on it that you don't.

There's this repetitive impunement of my character which I see and get from you, Mindy. I often questioned whether to defend my reputation against your biting comments. Initially, I thought to let time handle it -- to just keep interacting like I've been doing for years, and see if your apparent disgust fades. That's not working, so I'm defending myself now. Whatever hate or semi-hate you have for me, I think your actions paint a bad picture of your character (if that helps you change how you respond to me).

I wish that you would get off your moral soapbox and quit trying to make an ass out of me. It gets old, you know. I don't hinge my happiness on your approval but it starts to rub raw when you keep biting at my heels like you do. As a related aside, I've advanced the notion that, if you don't quit working to find something evil in things I say, that you're really making an ass out of yourself. In doing so, I'm trying to use tact in order to make a change of behavior worth your while.

Ed

p.s. If anyone else here feels like I do about Mindy's actions related to me, then please chime in. Who knows, maybe there are even some out there who think Mindy has been right about her comments about me, my actions, or my character. You are welcome to chime in, too.

(Edited by Ed Thompson on 3/27, 2:22pm)

Post 8

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 2:14pm

If your Congressman is a Democrat, send the Cliff's Notes and he'll claim he's read the whole book.

Post 9

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 2:22pm

I'll be more than happy to defend the TRUTH of anything I have said or implied about your posts, Ed.

Yes, you are well established here and have friendships of many years' standing. I was puzzled by your centrality and acceptance. I took some time to read some of your past posts, just a sampling, of course, to see if times past marked a significant difference in the character of your posts. If it is there, I missed it.

Maybe we should have a new poll, one that asks whether I should leave you and the other good people of RoR entirely alone? I'll even agree to abide by its results.

Mindy

Post 10

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 2:44pm

Mindy,

I'm not interested in a popularity poll or in forming some kind of an in-group here like kids do in school or like politicians do in Washington (that's social metaphysics). I'm not interested in a kind of schism-mongering that says to a bunch of folks: "There's a dispute between two people, and you have to pick sides on it, and then you have got to divide into two collective groups from then on."

But I am not going to just sit there and take this biting criticism from you without defending myself, that's all. I tried just sitting there, and that isn't working. One thing I don't like is that a lot of the time (at least 1% of the time in the beginning) you are talking about me. It's not wrong to repetitively talk about others, especially when you admire them. However, when you repetitively talk about someone else and you don't admire them (but just the opposite), then a can of worms opens up and the behavior becomes highly questionable.

I'm not just saying that so that others have reason to question your behavior, but so you do yourself.

Ed

Post 11

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 2:55pm

Ed,

If you have a problem with anything I have said, make an argument that it is wrong, that it is untrue.
I'm giving you some leeway in the present moment, and not challenging you on the several false implications of your last post here. However, I feel the need to abreact coming on...

Mindy

(Edited by Mindy Newton on 3/27, 2:59pm)

Post 12

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 4:08pm

I don't want to sidetrack the thread, but just wanted to say that it does look to me like Mindy is being unfairly harsh on Ed. He just asked a question. No need to scold him; he's a nice guy! I don't want you to go away, Mindy, just play nice. We're all on the same team here.

As for sending multiple copies to the same recipient, yes, that recipient will have staffers who can take the extra copies, but I would think it would be better to try to get broad coverage. I'm "claiming" my congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona.

I think this campaign is a neat idea, but I don't think it's going to be big enough to affect the sales figures. We're probably talking about a couple hundred extra copies. The good news is that there are a whole lot of people buying Atlas Shrugged who are probably NOT hardcore Ayn Rand fans; it's spreading in the general populace, and that's great! :-)

Post 13

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 4:13pm

Okay Mindy,

Here's a starter:
You could have asked me what I was implying by asking Jeff that question. Instead, you went off on a moral tirade about it. I wanted to know about the value of giving several books to one person vs. the value of spreading the books around to many people. I'm budgeting for this campaign and I want bang for my buck.

It's an issue that's that simple to understand (if only you are first willing to listen and try).

Ed

Post 14

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 4:38pm

There are two ways to do this, Ed. One is your way, which includes talking about why you ask the question, why didn't I ask you some question, etc. That involves psychologizing. That is the way you have started off. I recommend against it. You won't like what comes out. If I have to justify clinical judgments, they will be backed by collections of your own posts, in context, selected to show inductively the character of your mind-set. I guess this might seem like an attempt to intimidate you. (Shrug)
The other tact is to make an outright claim that something I said about some particular post is false, for whatever reasons. Then we argue truth and error. Much simpler, much cleaner, no gore.
I'll even undertake to discuss the matter in personal mail, if you'd like.

You should consider the possibility that I don't give a hoot about somebody named Ed Thompson, but I do care about false and misleading, etc. posts, whoever writes them.

(Edited by Mindy Newton on 3/27, 4:41pm)

Post 15

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 4:40pm

Ed wrote:

> What's the value in sending multiple copies (2-50 copies) out to a single individual?

Other than the president which is a single individual, these are all categories:

Senators:
Representatives:
White House Cabinet:
Local Politicians:
Others:

I plan to send books to each of my senators (two), all representatives in WA (nine), three white house cabinet members, one local politician (governor) and four other misc. people. I could have limited the president to 0 or 1 and senators to 0, 1 or 2, but maybe someone might want to send books to politicians from other states, and just maybe, someone might decide to send a whole box of books to BO, just to make a point. Heck, at $3.98 at Barnes and Noble, you could have a box of 25 drop-shipped to Master Barack for less than $100.00 total with a pithy note that says something like: "GET OUT OF MY WAY". That's a pretty cheap way to get the attention of the President of the United States! in fact, that's such a good idea that I'll add it as a suggestion to the web site!

So order those books and record your totals on the web site so that I'm not the only one listed there. Right now it looks too much like self promotion. Adding a few names to the list should make others more comfortable in participating.

BTW, notices went out last night to well over 100 organizations and individuals, so I hope to see references and links begin to appear within the coming week.

Regdrds,
--
Jeff

Post 16

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 5:31pm

Jeff,

Again, congratulations on doing this. Awesome effort.

-----

Had to laugh about Mindy and Ed. I don't think Ed is nice! I find him to be stranger than fiction. ;)

I agree with her point, when someone puts their time and effort on the line, applaud or just leave it alone.

Cheers,

Michael
(Edited by Newberry on 3/27, 5:32pm)

Post 17

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 5:40pm

OK, I just shipped copies to my representative and senators direct from Amazon, with a little gift note:

<Name>, for your reading enjoyment. "Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others." [Ayn Rand]

Entered on Jeffery's website. Step it up, folks!

Post 18

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 6:23pm

Laure:

Thanks for being the first to record your action.

I sent notices to the Tea Party organizers, and if they put a link on their sites and send out a notice to all the participants, I hope to see thinks really take off next week.

Regdrds????? (See above)

Regards,
--
Jeff

Post 19

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 6:42pm