So this is what Grandma & Grandpa are getting in the mail:

[LynneSin]

This is DISGUSTING!!!!! How dare these folks try and scare our senior citizens with crap like this. I hope anyone behind this Social Security Scare ends up in a 3rd rate nursing home run by psycho ex-cons.

[calico1]

1. There is obviously no limit to how

low these people will stoop. I hope the Democratic Party is doing something to counter this.

[BOSSHOG]

2. I don't know if I qualify as a Senior Citizen, I'm 50

but I hope the motherfuckers send me that letter. Every time I see shit like this I drop a few bucks in the mail to the DNC. A few bucks here, a few bucks there, before you know it we got us a nice antifascist nest egg.

[Toots]

3. Now all of a sudden the Liberals are going to ruin your beautiful programs

Democrats created these programs to protect people from Republicans like these. All they want is your money folks.

[napi21]

4. Gee, Hilliary must be proud to have made it to the top 3 Dems

in such a short time as a Senator! Apparently the Pubs believe she's a very influencial politician!

I wouldn't worry too much about Grandma & Grandpa getting this letter. They are much smarter than you think.

[dweller]

5. American Federation of Senior Citizens

One of Many Seniors Should Avoid
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
Jan. 30, 2005 – We received an email from a woman who complained that her senior citizen
mother was receiving numerous requests for donations from the
American Federation of Senior Citizens and asked if we knew anything
about the organization. The mailing asked for an “Emergency Reply” to
ensure that “Social Security and Medicare are safe from liberal looting.”
Unfortunately, we put this group in with many others who pry on senior
citizens for money by arousing their fear. We suggest no one send them
money.
Unfortunately, this is just one of many organizations prying on the elderly.
As Diana Walsh, reporter for the San
Francisco Chronicle wrote several years
ago, “…millions of seniors nationwide
(are) targeted by so-called ‘fright mail,’
computer-generated by self-proclaimed
public policy organizations in mostly legal
but controversial campaigns to raise
cash.
The American Federation of Senior Citizens was at one time - if not now - headed by Gary
Jarmin. He is a long-time associate and disciple of Reverend Sun Myung
Moon.
Jarmin is associated with a number of Rev. Moon’s fund raising organizations, including The
National Parents' Day Council, American Family Coalition Inc., The Washington Times
Foundation, Christian Voice, The Council For National Policy, American Coalition for Tradition
Values, Middle East Peace Inititative, The Senior Center and probably others we have not
located.
article
http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Alerts/5-02-08Federation.htm
homepage
http://www.seniorjournal.com/Alerts.htm


dp

[soup]

7. Ah, you're quicker than I am, dweller.

My first thought was to find out who these people are, too. But that's part of the problem, isn't it? How many seniors fall for this and don't research it first?

[dweller]

15. your second link drives the point home too.

i remember reading that before, and thought there would be more info, so i started googling...

the more we know, the more we can fight.

dp

[Just Me]

10. So, are there no limits on what these orgs can do?

:shrug:

Is deceptive, hateful shit like this tolerated? Shouldn't we insist upon some reasonable boundaries?

[soup]

6. Fearmongers

preying on the elderly. Couldn't find anything on this honorary chairman - Marvin Mondres, but here's a couple on the group itself. Slime. pure slime.


American Federation of Senior Citizens One of Many Seniors Should Avoid

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

Jan. 30, 2005 – We received an email from a woman who complained that her senior citizen mother was receiving numerous requests for donations from the American Federation of Senior Citizens and asked if we knew anything about the organization. The mailing asked for an “Emergency Reply” to ensure that “Social Security and Medicare are safe from liberal looting.” Unfortunately, we put this group in with many others who pry on senior citizens for money by arousing their fear. We suggest no one send them money.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many organizations prying on the elderly.
http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Alerts/5-02-08Federation.htm

---

The fear merchants

Diana Walsh, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Sunday, February 8, 1998

"Fright mail' fund-raisers targeting elderly with scare tactics?

OAKLAND - Every day, the letters arrive by the fistful in Faye Shelby's mailbox.

One warns that her Social Security is in jeopardy. Another worries that Medicare soon will collapse. Yet another says, "You won't believe what Bill Clinton has in store for Washington."

In one four-month period last year, Shelby was besieged by 700 mailings, some marked "Urgent!" "PERSONAL" or

"Jury Duty Notice." All of them aimed at one thing: a piece of her checkbook.

The letters so distressed Shelby, who is 86 and lives in a senior center, that she often sat up nights, fretting over which crisis most deserved her help. Fearful that her benefits might expire, she regularly responded with small donations.

"I didn't know that I could just turn them down," Shelby said. "I was thinking it was something I had to do. . . . I thought if I didn't correspond about Social Security, I wouldn't get my checks."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/a/1998/02/08/NEWS3642.dtl

[ryan_cats]

8. Yet more lies.

It's clear that no low is to low for them. Where are they getting the funds to send out these lies via regsitered mail? It makes the letter look that much more official.

[LynneSin]

14. Rev Sun Myung Moon

He's the backing of all of this. However, that certified mail I've seen on plenty of junk mail asking for solicitation that I've received. I don't think it's real certified mail but something the sender puts on the envelope to make it look "official" hoping that when grandma & grandpa see this letter they'll send money right away because it's "certified"

[ryan_cats]

17. Moonies?

If people knew that uh reverand moon was behind a lot of these wingers, I think it would expose their fakery. Doesn't he own and control the Washinton Times?

That certified letter thing is sleazy.

[doodadem]

18. But isn't that mail fraud then?

I would think the Postal Service or FBI would have to investigate.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. OOOOoooooo...

Slapped that puppy on the website, I did. Just slapped it right up there.

Gotta show people what scumbags are up to, you know?

[Beetwasher]

11. Kennedy-Kerry-Clinton AXIS!!!!!!!!!

Notice they are painting them as an AXIS as in Axis of Evil...

What utter filth these people are...

[B Calm]

23. Oh yes, I noticed..

[Avalux]

12. Direct Mail -

full of disinformation and scare tactics is something Rove perfected years ago and one of the reasons repugs were able to hijack Texas. He's good at it; he's taught others well I can see.

[displacedtexan]

13. That group is on the WARNING LIST, and the address is for...

Virginia Bankruptcy Courts:
http://www.bankruptcyinformation.com/VA_courts.htm

Mondres doesn't seem to exist, either (at least, not on Google).

Here's the warning:

American Federation of Senior Citizens One of Many Seniors Should Avoid

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

Jan. 30, 2005 – We received an email from a woman who complained that her senior citizen mother was receiving numerous requests for donations from the American Federation of Senior Citizens and asked if we knew anything about the organization. The mailing asked for an “Emergency Reply” to ensure that “Social Security and Medicare are safe from liberal looting.” Unfortunately, we put this group in with many others who pry on senior citizens for money by arousing their fear. We suggest no one send them money.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many organizations prying on the elderly.

http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Alerts/5-02-08Federation.htm

In fact...

The American Federation of Senior Citizens was at one time - if not now - headed by Gary Jarmin. He is a long-time associate and disciple of Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

Jarmin is associated with a number of Rev. Moon’s fund raising organizations, including The National Parents' Day Council, American Family Coalition Inc., The Washington Times Foundation, Christian Voice, The Council For National Policy, American Coalition for Tradition Values, Middle East Peace Inititative, The Senior Center and probably others we have not located.

And there's this...

A company called The Washington Marketing Group is apparently responsible for many of these mailings.

One of the lists you can buy from this company is The American Senior’s Center mail list of donors.

[Stephanie]

16. Rawstory just report on this - >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1275491&mesg_id=1275491

[gratuitous]

19. And draw a nice,bright line with a big, fat highlighter

Yes, most folks will take one glance at garbage like this and round file. But there is a small percentage who will become alarmed and do something against their own self interest.

Now, cast your minds forward 10 or 15 years. Let's assume that the piratization robber barons have carried the day, and everybody's enjoying the incredible returns on their priva--er, personal social security accounts. Nobody's made any bad investments, and everyone's gotten a sterling rate of return.

Harold (67) and Molly (64) are sitting at home when a certified letter hits their mailbox: Oh no! Did they know that their personal account isn't quite large enough to cover their projected life expectancy? They need to pull the money from their personal account and put it somewhere with a higher rate of return! Someplace safe, of course. But where?

Oh thank the heavens, this very official-looking certified letter has a solution: Flibinite Investments, which practically guarantees a much higher rate of return on their investment than where it currently is. There are charts and graphs and everything. Returns of 10% or even 12% are possible!

So Harold and Molly pull their money out of the government-approved investment account (it's their money, right?) and send it off to Flibinite. You can probably guess the rest of the story.

Okay, you or your mom and dad are far too sophisticated to be scammed like that. But do you think everyone is? What sort of protections will be in place for someone on the brink of retirement who gets scared by a flim-flam outfit like this? Elderly folks may not have three years or five years to wait while the fraud case wends its way through the court system, only to find out that whatever judgment they've won is uncollectible because the scammers who bilked them have spent everything they stole.

So what is our society going to do? Let them starve in the streets? Seems rather harsh. Give them a guaranteed level of government-backed benefits so that at least they don't live out their days fighting the cat for scraps? If we're going to do that anyway, why not stay with the system we have?

[classof56]

20. Well, if this Grandma gets this letter in the mail...

You have written my response. Thanks, LynneSin! Third rate nursing home run by psycho ex-cons...I love it! Actually, it's way too good for them. A cardboard box underneath a freeway overpass would be more appropriate. Sad part is, I'm sure this tactic would have worked well with my 96-year-old Mom, who died two years ago. That's what these creeps are hoping for, of course. Anyway, won't take too much of Frist's and his staff's precious time to read my certified letter!

Tired Old Cynic

[POTGNE]

21. I hope every Senior Citizen

who receives one of these disgusting letters wipes their a$$ with it ans returns it to Bill Frist with love. LOL!

[classof56]

22. What a grand idea! I like it!

BTW, welcome to DU.

Tired Old Cynic

[Karenina]

24. Kick!

:kick: