TELECOM Digest     Wed, 4 Apr 2007 16:59:00 EDT    Volume 26 : Issue 92

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    A Stay of Execution Possible for Vonage (Marguerite Reardon)
    Verizon Objects to FCC Rules Preventing Pretexting (Marquerite Reardon)
    Do Phone Chargers Waste Power? (Peter Svensson, AP)
    More on Internet and Patent History (Lisa Hancock)
    Re: Judge Hits Vonage With Injuction (Scott Dorsey)
    AT&T Offers Free HD Programming (US Telecom Daily Lead) 
    Re: Fred Phelps Fax Machine Antics (Fred Atkinson)
    Re: Fred Phelps Fax Machine Antics (William Warren)
    King of Sweden vrs. Fred Phelps (Patrick Townson)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:39:11 -0500
From: Marguerite Reardon <cnet@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: A Stay of Execution Possible for Vonage

 
    http://www.news.com/

Vonage's lucky break?

By Marguerite Reardon
http://news.com.com/Vonages+lucky+break/2100-1036_3-6172976.html

Internet telephony provider Vonage, which is facing a possible
shutdown of its service this week because of a patent dispute, may
have gotten a stay of execution.

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the
company has signed a deal with a wholesaler of voice over Internet
Protocol services called Voiceone, owned by a company called VoIP
Inc., that could provide it with a work-around for at least two of the
three patents owned by Verizon Communications. Voiceone also offers
wholesale voice over IP service to several large companies including
Broadwing Communications, iBasis and Google.

Details of the contract between Vonage and VoIP Inc. have not been
released. But according to a form that VoIP Inc. filed with the SEC on
March 30, the duration of the Vonage contract is two years. After that
time, the companies can continue their relationship on a
month-to-month basis.

Vonage did not return phone calls seeking comment on the deal with
VoIP Inc.

In March, a federal jury found that Vonage's IP telephony services
infringed on three patents owned by Verizon. Two of the patents deal
with how VoIP calls connect to the regular public switched telephone
network, and the third one is about making VoIP calls via Wi-Fi
phones.

While the jury found that Vonage did not willfully infringe on
Verizon's patents, it did award Verizon $58 million in damages. On
March 23, U.S.  District Judge Claude Hilton said he would issue an
injunction barring Vonage from using the technology included in the
three patents. But he said he would not issue the injunction until
April 6, which is this Friday.

Since the judge announced he would issue an injunction, the IP
telephony service provider and its more than 2 million subscribers
have been living under a cloud of uncertainty. On the one hand, the
judge could issue a stay on the injunction that would last a couple of
weeks or until Vonage has had time to appeal the court's decision. On
the other hand, the judge could also require Vonage to stop service
immediately to ensure it is not infringing on the Verizon
patents. That would mean a catastrophe for Vonage and its customers,
who would be without phone service.

Vonage's recent deal with VoIP Inc. could help convince the judge to
give Vonage more time.

"I think it's very unlikely that Vonage's service will be cut off on
Friday," said Joel Rosenblatt, a patent and intellectual attorney in
private practice in Florida. "The judge will be fair. The court didn't
find Vonage willfully abusing the patents, and now that it is looking
for a work-around, it shows that Vonage is working in good faith to
find a solution."

But even though Vonage avoids a complete network shutdown this week,
the company's troubles have hardly evaporated. First, it's still
unclear whether the deal with VoIP Inc. will offer an arrangement that
does not infringe on the Verizon patents.

A spokesman for Verizon declined to comment on the implications of the
VoIP Inc. deal with regard to the case. But legal experts, such as
Rosenblatt, said it's likely that Verizon is already evaluating the
VoIP Inc. network and technology.

"I'm sure Verizon's legal team is already looking into their own
patents to see how they line up with VoIP Inc.'s network and
technology," he said. "And if they infringe, Verizon will be ready to
sue VoIP Inc. and Vonage for infringing on them."

'Crisis mode' for Vonage ...

The threat of a permanent injunction has already taken its toll on
Vonage. The company, which has yet to turn a profit, has steadily been
losing customers. And the recent uncertainty hasn't helped matters, as
customers try to figure out if they will have service next week or
even a few months from now.

"Vonage is in crisis mode," said Clayton Moran, a stock analyst with
the Stanford Group. "The uncertainty is impacting operations. We
expect many existing customers to cancel service. And it will also
make it more difficult for Vonage to attract new customers."

Moran said he has lowered his expectations for Vonage for 2007. While
he had earlier projected the company would end the year with more than
3 million subscribers, he's now predicting it will fall short of the 3
million mark. Previously he had forecast Vonage reaching profitability
by the end of the first quarter of 2008. Now the best-case scenario is
that Vonage could reach profitability in the second quarter of 2008,
he said. But even that is uncertain, he added.

Meanwhile, Vonage is facing stiff competition from cable operators
that are bundling voice services similar in price and functions to its
own service. Competition is also increasing from Internet companies
like Skype, Google and Yahoo that are offering IP telephony
services. While Moran doesn't believe that Vonage is in danger of
going out of business anytime soon, he said the continuing legal
troubles coupled with the increased competition could make it
difficult for the company to compete in the future.

"I don't see the company dissolving completely in the near term,"
Moran said. "But I can't rule it out for the future either."

Even with the VoIP Inc. deal, Moran said he is unconvinced that Vonage
will be able to get around the Verizon patents so easily.

"The agreement with VoIP Inc. is still unclear," he said. "But at this
point it doesn't change my view that a workaround will be challenging
for Vonage."

Copyright 2007 CNET Networks, Inc.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines, please go to:
http://tellecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:41:57 -0500
From: Maruerite Reardon <cnet@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Verizon Objects to FCC Rules Preventing Pretexting

 
    http://www.news.com/

By Marguerite Reardon
http://news.com.com/FCC+imposes+rules+designed+to+prevent+pretexting/2100-1037_3-6172705.html 

The Federal Communications Commission hopes to prevent data burglaries
with a set of new regulations for phone companies aimed at preventing
the fraudulent practice called "pretexting."

On Monday, the FCC issued an order designed to strengthen its current
privacy rules by requiring telephone and wireless operators to adopt
additional safeguards to protect personal telephone records from being
disclosed to unauthorized people.

The new regulations come as lawmakers have already outlawed the
practice of "pretexting," which encompasses any technique used to
fraudulently obtain personal information. Congress is now looking to
impose stricter regulations on phone companies to protect customer
data.

The issue came to a head last year when investigators hired by
Hewlett-Packard, in a quest to trace the source of board room media
leaks, employed pretexting to nab the phone records of
journalists -- including three from CNET News.com -- and company board
members.

Specifically, the FCC order prohibits carriers from releasing --
either over the phone or online -- sensitive personal data, such as
call detail records, unless the customer provides a password. It also
requires operators to notify customers immediately when changes are
made to their accounts. And it requires providers to notify their
customers in the event of a breach of confidentiality.

Phone companies, including wireless, fixed line and voice over IP
(VoIP) providers, also must annually certify their compliance with
these regulations, inform the FCC of any actions they have taken
against data brokers, and provide a summary of the complaints they
receive regarding the unauthorized release of personal customer
information. The regulations also require telephone carriers to notify
law enforcement authorities before customers when they suspect
breaches have occurred -- a provision that drew criticism from the two
Democratic FCC commissioners and consumer privacy advocates.

"Particularly in light of the most recent report on the TJX fiasco,
which makes clear the problem with failing to notify consumers once a
breach occurs, we believe the FCC should have rejected that approach,"
said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, which petitioned the regulators in August 2005 to
impose stronger security standards on telephone companies.

He was referring to recent reports that 45.7 million accounts for
customers of the company that operates such discount retail chains as
T.J. Maxx and Marshalls were compromised.

Rotenberg said his organization was nevertheless "generally pleased" 
with the rules.

The FCC has taken "commendable and important steps to strengthen
consumer privacy, and commendably done so without taking away the
right of states to enact stronger laws," said Ed Mierzwinski of the
U.S.  Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy group,
although he added that he shared concerns about the law enforcement
notification rules.

Phone companies, such as Verizon Communications, say protecting
customer information is a top priority for them, and they are
constantly reevaluating their security practices to protect consumers'
data.  Several companies have taken data brokers to court.

Verizon also claims the FCC is going too far with its requirements.

"The key is protecting (sensitive) information without disrupting
legitimate consumer activities and customer service," said David Fish,
a spokesman for Verizon. "We have strong concerns that parts of the
FCC order may have the unintended consequence of undermining
consumers' ability to receive useful information about new products,
services and savings."

One of the biggest concerns phone companies have is that the FCC is
making it difficult for them to 'work with partners' and marketing
contractors to bring new services to consumers, by mandating that they
can only share customer data with these partners once they obtain
customer consent.

"We are deeply concerned that the FCC is taking an overly broad
approach far beyond protecting the legitimate privacy interests of
call detail information to preventing any marketing of new services,
bundled offerings and new applications--using joint venture partners
or independent contractors -- that can save consumers money," Walter
McCormick Jr., president and CEO of USTelecom, said in a statement.

Verizon further claimed, "This is an extremely anticonsumer
outcome. This approach also will impede competition and will
particularly impact the smaller rural service providers, who now will
be unable to work with outside marketing partners, even though they
have no connection to illegal pretexting."

But the FCC said that after an extensive investigation, it found that
the phone companies' current steps to protect consumers' information
has not been adequate.

"The former 'opt-out' approach to customer consent, whereby a carrier
may disclose a customer's phone records provided that a customer does
not expressly withhold consent to such use, shifted too much of the
burden to consumers, and has resulted in a much broader dissemination
of consumer phone records," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a
statement.  "The 'opt-in' approach adopted in this order clearly is
supported by the record, is consistent with applicable law, and
directly advances our interest in protecting customer privacy."

The new rules will go into effect six months after the federal Office
of Management and Budget approves them, a process that by itself could
take 120 days or more.

Copyright 2007 CNET Networks, Inc.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html 


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In other words, SBC alias AT&T,
Verizon, and other telcos, we do not wish to hear about your latest
gimmick for 'only ten dollars per month' for which your 'partner'
can cram us up our phone bill or lie about the operation of unless
we first specifically tell you we are interested. And for that, you
smear us and call us 'anti-consumer.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:30:36 -0500
From: Peter Svensson, Associated Press <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Do Phone Chargers Waste Power?


Question: Do Phone Chargers Waste Power?
Good Question: Straightening Out Cell-Phone Chargers and Their Power 
Consumption

By PETER SVENSSON The Associated Press

- Q: Does my cell-phone charger consume electricity if I leave it 
plugged in to the wall when it's not charging the phone?

A: It probably doesn't consume a significant amount, unless you have a
really old cell phone. You may have heard that "all power adapters use
electricity if you keep them plugged in," but it's not quite true
anymore.

I used an inexpensive P3 Kill A Watt electricity meter to test six
cell-phone chargers from five manufacturers, and found that none of
them used a measurable amount of power when not charging a phone. None
of them were older than a few years. One of them did use power when
connected to a fully charged phone, but it was less than half a watt.

If you have an older charger, you can test it by plugging it in, and
then feeling if it gets warm to the touch. That may indicate that it's
a so-called "linear" power supply. These are generally larger,
bulkier, and less efficient at turning alternating current from the
power grid into direct current usable by an appliance.

Modern chargers are called "switched-mode" or "switching" power
supplies, and use chips to convert AC to DC. Some of the larger
versions of these adapters, like the ones built into computers, do use
electricity when the appliance is off. The Kill A Watt widely
available online told me my desktop PC uses 2 watts when it's off, as
does the hefty power brick of the Xbox 360 game console. The adapter
for my wireless router uses about 1 watt. A few other adapters used
about a third of a watt.

The wattage numbers aren't large, but they add up, especially when you
consider appliances that don't really turn off, like DVD players that
remain in "standby" mode. My laser printer, for instance, doesn't have
an "off" button, and sips 6 watts, according to the Kill A Watt. That
costs me $10 a year.

To cut off these trickles of electricity, you could connect your
appliances to a power strip and turn it off when they're not
needed. You can also look for appliances certified under the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, which sets
standards for power used in standby mode.

The EPA has also taken an interest in cell-phone chargers, but their
focus hasn't been on power consumption when not in use. The problem is
rather that the adapters are often inefficient when they are charging.
With some chargers, less than half the energy ends up in the cell
phone's battery. The rest turns into heat.

The EPA has introduced Energy Star Criteria for power adapters, and
manufacturers appear to be responding. Last month, Motorola Inc. said
it would redesign all its cell-phone and accessory chargers to comply
with the standard. Samsung Electronics Co. began introducing some
Energy Star chargers last year.

According to the EPA, if every phone sold in the U.S. this year used
an Energy Star-qualified charger, the energy saved could light 760,000
homes for a year, or prevent greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to
those of more than 200,000 cars annually.

On the Net:

http://www.energystar.gov
http://www.efficientpowersupplies.org/

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

For more news and headlines, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: More on Internet and Patent History
Date: 3 Apr 2007 20:51:58 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Per our ongoing discussion, I recommend the book, "Computer: A history
of the Information Machine" by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William
Aspray.

One thing the book covers is the famous patent/copyright battle
between Apple and Microsoft over the "look and feel" of Windows Version
2; Apple lost.

It also details some of the pioneering thoughts of today's Internet.
Some of it was conceived by the inventor of the analog computer,
Vannevar Bush, who wrote about information supply machines in 1945 and
later.  It discusses the various cultural, economic, and social issues
that led to the pieces that eventually became the Internet, some
planned, some unplanned and unexpected.

ARPA devised "TCP/IP" protocol.  Was it patented?  Did IBM patent
their Bi-Sync and later SNA protocols?  Did Bell patent its early
dial- up handshaking?  Does JCR Licklider, director of a ARPA computer
defense project in 1962, hold to sponsor any patents?  The book says
he produced "a stream of new technologies of wide applicability".

Interestly, Bell Labs was a subcontractor to write the software for
Multics, an early time sharing system for APRA.  Normally Bell Labs
would not be allowed to do such a thing (as discussed previously, it
was strictly restricted to the telephone and defense business only).

Time sharing required a facility known as "Dynamic Address
Translation".  I wonder if this was patented.  IBM chose not to
include it in its original System/360 line in 1964 and not support
timesharing, but General Electric did and their machines were used for
early timeshared computers.  IBM later added this to its System/360
model 67 and its System/370 line.  Time sharing proved to be a lot
harder to implemented than first predicted; it was a heavy CPU and
meory drain which was a problem on the technology of the 1960s.

Some in the early 1960s predicted time sharing would allow
"democratization" of computer services, by allowing acess by anyone
through a terminal to an expensive computer.  Some of these published
predictions described the Internet as we have it today [in 2007] as
being available in 1990, it took another full decade for that to come
to fruition.

The book also covers various other aspects of the computer and
information processing industry.

------------------------------

From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
Subject: Re: Judge Hits Vonage With Injuction; Stop Using
Date: 4 Apr 2007 10:24:42 -0400
Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000)


In article <telecom26.91.6@telecom-digest.org>,  <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:

> Scott Dorsey wrote:

>> Today, we have the additional issue that the patent office does not
>> have enough inspectors with actual familiarity with software
>> technology or with algorithms.  This is how Microsoft can get away
>> with patenting the ring buffer, a data structure used at least as
>> early as the CDC 6000.

> Why didn't CDC patent it? 

Because software patents didn't exist at the time.  Had they existed,
I am sure CDC would have.

>> We currently have a situation where huge numbers of obviously
>> invalid patents are being issued, and there is no way for the
>> patents to be declared so without going to court.  And once it comes
>> time to go to court, sadly it tends to be a situation of the person
>> with the most money winning.

> I won't deny money helps a lot, but let's be clear Vonage is not a
> single guy working out of his garage; it's a large ongoing concern
> with plenty of resources.  And let's not forget the huge AT&T lost in
> court to pipsqueak MCI over cream skimming.

In this particular decision, the patent exists.  It now becomes AT&T's
job to prove that prior art exists and that therefore the patent
should be invalidated.  To do this, they need to find prior art.

Finding previous attempts to run realtime data over packet-switched
networks is going to be interesting, and it'll be fun to see how their
legal staff does it.

> At the same time, supposedly patented IBM technology was easily
> circumvented.  IBM invested a heck of a lot of money into development
> high speed disk packs and disk drives for its System/360 and other
> companies, helped by ex-IBM employees, copied them and sold them,
> undercutting IBM.  That wa easy to do since they didn't have to cover
> the R&D.  RCA's Spectra was a clone of IBM's System/360.  How the heck
> did they get away with that?  They obviously did.

Lots of folks cloned the System/360, from Amdahl to National Advanced
Systems.  Most of them did much better jobs than RCA did.  (RCA used
the S/360 instruction set but very different channel controller and
peripheral design, including the use of ASCII).  They could do that,
because you couldn't patent or copyright an instruction set.

Now, I think the idea of a finite automaton COULD be patentable, but
Turing never filled out the paperwork...

--scott

"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 11:55:34 CDT
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: AT&T Offers Free HD Programming


USTelecom dailyLead
April 4, 2007
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gAAcfDtusXpcaACibuddOzAB


TODAY'S HEADLINES


NEWS OF THE DAY
* AT&T offers free HD programming
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Tropic Networks sells to Alcatel-Lucent
* AboveNet connects with AT&T, Verizon
* Nokia Siemens signs on to host MVNO network
* Alltel completes asset sale
* "Prom Queen" makes debut on Verizon
* Regulator tells Deutsche Telekom to share networks
* Privacy rules may impede Sprint's deal with cable companies
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT
* Register for NXTcomm today!
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Analyst predicts boom in IPTV market
* Intel spins out new quad-core chips
* New technology can transmit DTV to mobile devices
* Cisco aims system at smaller businesses
* Boomers go online for research, not entertainment
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* Analysis: The Democratic Congress and the FCC
* Cities sue over video-franchise rules

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gAAcfDtusXpcaACibuddOzAB

------------------------------

From: Fred Atkinson <fatkinson@mishmash.com>
Subject: Re: Fred Phelps Fax Machine Antics
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:27:48 -0400
Organization: NewsGuy - Unlimited Usenet $19.95


Since you mention one of Kansas' 'colorful characters', I should tell
you about one in the state of South Carolina.

Have you ever heard of Maurice Bessinger?  He ran a chain of BBQ
restaurants known as Piggie Park Barbecue in the South Carolina area
for many years.  He also distributes barbecue sauce which is sold in a
number of stores in and around South Carolina.

He refused to serve blacks and one by one they kept closing the Piggie
Park restaurants until there was only one left in West Columbia, SC.
When they threatened to close that one, he started serving blacks.
This occurred many years ago.

He is a staunch segregationist and has been quite outspoken about it
at times.  He ran for governor in the State of SC a number of times.
According to what I've been told, he never got more than three per
cent of the vote.

He now has a chain of BBQ restaurants called Maurice's Barbecue.  He
flies the Confederate flag at each restaurant, which has caused some
stir (I imagine that most of your have read reports about the
Confederate flag being removed from the SC State House).

In 2002, SCANA (the parent company of SCE&G) forbade their employees
to park company vehicles at any of his establishments except during
service calls.

You can read an article about him at
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/751651/posts?page=28.

Kansas doesn't have a monopoly on 'colorful characters'.  

Regards, 

Fred 

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:07:27 -0400
From: William Warren <William Warren@somewhere.com>
Subject: Re: Fred Phelps Fax Machine Antics


editor wrote:

> Dear Mr. Townson:

> I am employed as a spokesperson and administrator for Sweden's royal
> family. Is it possible that your newsletter readers can help? I can
> confirm that American preacher Rev Fred Phelps has been faxing hate
> messages to us frequently, calling us 'gay faggots' and worse.

[snip]

Pat,

The best advice to give Nina is to work through the U.S. State 
department, which is responsible for such matters: I'm sure the Swedish 
Royal Family has access to the equivalent government bureau in Sweden, 
so her best option is to involve them.

William

(Filter noise from my address for direct replies)


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am afraid, William, this has gone far
beyond the point of no-return. You see, the United States has a big
problem with the First Amendment getting in the way.

Continue reading ....  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:47:58 -0500
From: Patrick Townson <ptownson@cableone.net>
Subject: King of Sweden vrs. Fred Phelps


Fred Phelps and his family present a permanent conundrum -- do they 
deserve the oxygen of publicity -- if not, how can the world learn of 
their misguided mission? While it's hard not to laugh at their comical 
hatred of all things gay, it can't be denied that their negative energy 
must have an effect on the queer lake of conciousness.

Nobody sings the praises of being gay with quite the power that Phelps 
denounces the community, unless perhaps you count Sir Elton John as the 
ultimate counterbalance. The question is: can the Rocket Man in fancy 
dress trump Fred Phelps picketing the funerals of dead soldiers? The 
jury is still out on that one.

Seemingly oblivious to rhyme or reason Phelps has taken his
God-fuelled fury to Sweden, where the royal family is yet another
focus of his madness.

Sweden caught the imagination of Fred Phelps for having the temerity to 
prosecute a controversial minister, Ake Green, for inciting hatred of 
homosexuals in an anti-gay sermon.

"All faggots are doomed to spend eternity in hell," said Phelps. "All
you Swede gay sissies and your Swedish homo king and his family are
the same way."

This whole agenda started two years ago and now the Swedish royal
family have had enough of his homophobic badgering. Unpleasant faxes
keep spewing from their fax machine with speed and force of a plague
of locusts.

"There have been strange faxes containing all sorts of terms of abuse," 
royal spokesperson Nina Eldh told the (Swedish) English language daily 'The
Local', before she turned to the net newsgroups for help.

Phelps' issue with the Swedes is so insanely entrenched that he
regularly pickets a local hardware store in Topeka, Kansas due to the
fact that they sell Swedish vacuum cleaners. (Years ago, when Phelps
was raising money to send himself to Bible school, he sold vacuum
cleaners and candy door-to-door).

In addition to his http://godhatesfags.com website, Phelps has created a 
http://godhatessweden.com site. If his insults weren't so serious
they'd be very funny, and almost qualify for our 'Last Laugh! periodic
feature:

Here is a recent commentary by Reverend Phelps:

"The same Bible passage (Lev. 18) that condemns homosexuality also
condemns bestiality and incest. The popinjay King of Sweden -- a moral
titmouse in the plumage of a peacock, who lives lavishly with his
lazy, horny faggoty kids on Sweden's largest social security check --
is King of Fags, King of Zoophiles, King of Pedophiles, and King of
Incestuous Perverts, the all-time Faggot Emeritus."

The royal family -- specifically Nina Eldh, their loyal employee --
has tried to have the Web sites shut down, and his bank of fax
machines disconnected, but Swedish courts have said they are helpless
because the sites are on US servers. The over-riding concern is the
USA's First Amendment clause (which Sweden has said they are 'tempted'
to overlook in this instance [since they afford the same to their own
citizens as well]), but also the very difficult problem for
Swedish telcos and ISPs in 'isolating' and banning Phelp's IP address
(which frequently changes) from reaching Swedish citizens. They've
tried, but been unsuccessful in shaking him. Their communications with
American ISPs and telcos have not helped. Like spam-scam, Phelps has
his ways of getting through and flooding their e-systems each day.  

Due to these 'technicalities', Phelps will be able to continue taunting
the nation of Sweden with his unique charm and wit:

"You jackass faggot asshole Swedes just don't get it. Once you have
laws to chill and punish Bible preaching, we don't give a rat's tutu
whatever else you do or say. You are drippings from the Devil's own
penis -- a veritable sperm bank for Satan's queers. Goddamn Faggots to
the left!  Faggots to the right! Fucking Faggots everywhere! You goddamn
Faggots! God will punish every goddamn one of you in Hell, you'll
burn, every goddamn one of you; you know its true, goddamnit!"

(Phelps, in a recent fax communication to the royal family.)

The royal family and the Swedish government have expressed their
concern to the US Ambassador but were told that Reverend Phelps is
protected by the First Amendment. While Phelps could be prosecuted
under Sweden's existing hate crime law, until he enters the country,
he cannot be charged at this time. 

This is the reason Nina made an appeal to Digest readers. She thought
perhaps there was some creative solution which had been overlooked
thus far.

One recent quote from Fred described her as "a hellish zeitgeist in
which sodomite abominations thrive ..." 

_Very important_ facts to remember:

1) The church has its own law firm, 'Phelps Chartered'. It does not
   hesitate to use its resources to sue any/everyone with whom it
   disagrees. See
   http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=231&printable=1 
   as an example, also see
   http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=424

   (Try googling for 'Phelps Chartered' and follow the various
   links. They have over the years filed thousands of lawsuits against
   the city itself; everytime one of its members gets sued. Fred
   himself is disbarred, other members have not been disbarred yet.)
  
2) Everytime they 'somehow find out' a phone or fax number it gets
   added to the list of daily (or more frequent) faxes. And you have
   already seen examples of what they send out. They have a bank of 
   fax machines in their offices. 

3) Their phones, fax lines, computers are all set up to refuse access
   to any information-withheld phone number. So just trying to be
   anonymous won't work. Really bury your 'phone number', etc.

4) They can tie you up with floods of litigation, and other nonsense;
   they follow the Bible quite _literally_ and are not respectful of
   nor interested in reasoned, courteous commentary. 

5) If you are not a faggot when you approach them, you will be
   before you leave. They'll assure it.

City of Topeka, the US Government, its ambassadors etc have all tried
reasoning with Phelps to no avail. The Westboro Baptist Church, the
Phelps Chartered Law Firm and about 50-60 members of the 'church' all
live in a compound -- a large city block of Topeka. City of Topeka 
police officers are under orders 'do not discuss Phelps for any
reason'. Obviously, arrest as needed WITH VERY OBVIOUS, VISABLE reasons
only. They, and the US Government are assuming the day will eventually
come when Phelps and his cult will decide to 'act out Waco or Jonestown'. 

In a complex not far from downtown Topeka, the extended Phelps family
lives and disseminates its hatred -- a tall wall connects Westboro
Baptist Church to the five houses it owns on this block bordering 12th
Street, and a huge upside-down American flag dominates the sky.
Inside the church is a large office that serves as headquarters of a
nationwide fax harassment campaign, complete with manila research
folders, stacks of archives and a huge, industrial-strength facsimile
machine.

Now, with these lengthy instructions in mind, if you feel Fred or the
other funeral protestors/pickets should be counseled, try these phone
numbers:  785-273-0325  785-273-0338  785-273-9228 (fax machine) but
do not say you were not warned!

PAT
    
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