Drowning in Junk Mail – This Week in Junk Mail 28 pieces

September 9, 2014June 5, 2020 / darthjenni / 3 Comments

It was a short week, this week with Labor Day on Monday. And like me the junk mail also took a short vacation. Only 28 mailpieces this week. You can really tell who the most thirsty groups are in short weeks like this one.

2 from random unrelated pieces of junk mail

Christian Seniors Association sister organization to Traditional Values Coalition, Wiki page, Open Secrets page, opt-out here, also contact American Target Advertising to opt-out.
U.S. Border Security Council, Is run by Sean Ferritor. Who also runs The Seniors Coalition, Source Watch page and In God We Trust. To opt-out contact The Delta Group (703) 914-1266

2 from Base Connect:

Southeastern Legal Foundation, Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, Source Watch page
Freedom’s Defense Fund, run by Jerome Corsi, Open Secrets page

2 from the GOP:

Republican Congressional Committee opt-out here
National Republican Senatorial Committee Opt-out here

Thanks to Senate Conservatives Fund, Wiki page, Open Secrets page for the stickers. I put one in the pre-paid envelope for Republican Congressional Committee.

Random political junk mail:

The Seniors Center a program of Checks and Balances for Economic Growth, no website. Opt-out through Engage Direct Mail
Judicial Watch, Wiki page, Source Watch page, Charity Navigator page opt-out here
Capitol Watch, opt-out here
Ted Cruz and Citizens Against Government Waste, Wiki page, Source Watch page, Charity Navigator page, Open Secrets page, Opt-out here membermgr@cagw.org
Ryan Zinke for Congress, opt-out here INFO@RYANZINKE.COM
Minuteman Project, Wiki page, opt-out here JimGilchrist@MinutemanProject.com. Mr. Gilchrist was featured on the Daily Show this week.
Public Citizen, Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, Open Secrets page, opt-out here member@citizen.org
Council for Retirement Security a program of Our Generation. Opt-out here
National Committee Against the UN Takeover a project of America’s Survival inc. run by Cliff Kincaid, opt-out here
David Bossie Citizens United, opt-out through HSP Direct
State Department Watch, opt-out here sdw@statedepartmentwatch.org
The American Conservative Union, Wiki page, Open Secrets page, Charity Navigator page, Opt-out here
Conservative StrikeForce, Open Secrets page, Scott MacKenzie is their treasurer. New York Times on Mr. MacKenzie. Opt-out here info@conservativestrikeforce.com (I had to go to their Facebook page to find that) When I used PaperKarma to opt-out it was rejected with in seconds. That only happens with the scams.
American Policy Center, Opt out here admin@americanpolicy.org

3 Charities:

American Rivers, Charity Navigator page, opt-out here membership@americanrivers.org
Prison Fellowship, Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, Opt-out here
International Rescue Committee, Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, opt-out here DonorServices@Rescue.org

5 Scams:

Dr. Stephen Sinatra MD Cardiologist 95 Old Shoals rd Arden, NC 28704
Physicians’ Mind & Memory Alert
Health Today 30 Ryan CT STE 100 Monterey CA 93940
Mike Caruana’s Lotto Magic PO Box 8175 Van Nuys CA 91499-4139. It is a MLM, Group lottery scam.
North American Prize Compiling Associates PO Box 190 Old Westbury NY 11568. I have had trouble shaking these guys, between the 2 addresses (the other is PO Box 422 Old Bethpage NY 11804) and the multiple variations of her name that are floating around, this will be the 4th form 1500 I have sent out for this one scam.

19 pre-paid envelopes ready to go out. Remember this is both this week and last week’s envelopes.

6 scams going to New York. This is also 2 week’s worth of scams. Those aren’t tears of joy at having so few mailpieces this week. It started to sprinkle during my photo shoot.

Left overs

Drowning in Junk Mail – How to Opt-Out of Junk Mail from ForthRight Strategy AKA Base Connect

August 7, 2014October 18, 2021 / darthjenni / 3 Comments

Update: They have changed their name but not their scummy practices, Base Connect is now known as ForthRight Strategy. It is run by all the same people, with all the same clients.

Their new contact information is info@forthrightstrategy.com (bounced back on 4/7/15) (202) 457-1254 my guess is that Kimberly Bellissimo new email is kb@forthrightstrategy.com. It is a valid email but I have not sent anything to it.

When they ignore you, file a complaint with the DMA, the FTC and your state’s Attorney General. Catalog Choice and PaperKarma do not work on them. Do not waste your time. Go straight to filing complaints.

Today’s direct marketing firm is Base Connect. Wiki page. Opt-out here info@base-connect.com. If that doesn’t work, email the President and CEO Kimberly Bellissimo kb@base-connect.com.

Salon Article from 2010 about Base Connect some PAC’s and treasurer in common: Scott Mackenzie Open Secrets search for Mr. Mackenzie

Base Connect executives have argued that as much as 35 or 40 percent of the money paid to their firm goes directly to postage costs. But even assuming that is true, the firm is still taking five or 10 times as much money in fees as the amount going out to help campaigns — and the donors are still seeing virtually none of their money helping candidates.

The New York Times taking about the shady PAC’s that are connected to Base Connect Part 1, Part 2.

The Dally Caller: The Direct Mail Fundraising Racket: Is It Ethical?. Kim B’s baww response. And finally the original reporter’s rebuttal.

Higher ups in the Republican establishment have:

reached out to Republican candidates to make the case that Base Connect, one of the firms with which Mackenzie has been associated, will not provide a good return on investment and has suggested he’d withhold endorsements from candidates who retain the firm.

So if you use Base Connect/ForthRight Strategy you will not get support from the rest of the Republican establishment.

They changed their name because CFO Michael Centanni was caught with child porn. He plead guilty.

Open Secrets contacted me for this article about Scott Mackenzie. My favorite quote is “A charity that reported such high fundraising costs relative to contributions made would face a serious risk of an IRS audit.” But the FEC doesn’t have the authority to audit scam PACs.

USA Today contacted me for their second article about Scott Mackenzie and VIGOP.

Part 1: How the Virgin Islands could decide the GOP presidential nomination
Part 2: PAC donations from elderly donors draw scrutiny

Politico piece about Ryan Zinke’s connections to Scott Mackenzie and VIGOP.

In October 2019 Scott B. Mackenzie pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to the Federal Election Commission. It was apart of a larger case involving Conservative StrikeForce and Conservative Majority Fund and Kelley Rogers pleading guilty to wire fraud.

October 2021 Daily Beast: Right-Wing Nonprofit Lavishes Millions on Top Brass. “ForthRight’s direct mail efforts for ACU (The American Conservative Union, CPAC) in 2017, 2018, and 2019 broke exactly even. That is to say, despite Forthright’s intake from postal solicitations ranging from $234,056 to $1,535,050, each year it somehow only raised enough cash to pay for the expenses the firm’s work incurred. None of the funds ever made it back to the ACU, since Forthright got paid out of the donations.”

Their clients include:

60 Plus Association

Wiki page, Source Watch page, Open Secrets page.

Southeastern Legal Foundation

This has got to be one of the worst designed mailpieces I have gotten in a while. Someone put the main text of the donation page over a ghosted graphic of The Constitution. That makes the page impossible to read for people with bad eyesight. Like the elderly, the very people this mailpiece is aimed at.

Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, Source Watch page

Freedom’s Defense Fund

Run by Jerome Corsi, Open Secrets page

The Black Republican Fund BRPAC run by Edward Cousar. New York Times article about PACs that raise a lot of money but don’t spend it on candidates, it mentions the Black Republican PAC.

Disabled Police Officers of America Inc., no website

Disabled Police Officers of America Inc. is one of the worst charities in America according to the Tampa Bay Times. Along with shaming the charities they also shame the direct marketing firms that collect the money like Base Connect.

Conservative StrikeForce, Open Secrets page. From Fox Detroit:

“Since 2010, the Conservative Strikeforce has raised nearly $10 million. More than $9 million of the loot was paid to the fundraisers. That means candidates got less than 8 percent of the money donors sent in.”

~~Opt-out here info@conservativestrikeforce.com and call (888) 295-6480~~

Update: this group is now dead Kelley Rogers plead guilty to wire fraud.

Dick Morris’s Stop Hillary Now a project of Virgin Islands Republican Party (VIGOP)
Opt-out here and call (340)332-2579

The New York Times breaks down a typical Stop Hillary Now! piece of junk mail.

Other clients that I either haven’t gotten or didn’t take a photo of:

Veterans for Victory, dead website
Open Secrets page

Republican Member Senate Fund, no website
Open Secrets page

This is not a complete list of the clients of Base Connect. It is only the ones I could find prof of.

And a big thank you to Dan for getting Kimberly Bellissimo’s email and sharing it with me.

Drowning in Junk Mail – This week in Junk Mail 124

May 11, 2014July 13, 2020 / darthjenni / Leave a comment

This week the junk mail went back down to normal levels of craziness, only 124 pieces. I’m starting to be able to tell that all the emails I have sent out are having an effect. I only got 4 letters from The National Center for Public Policy Research. When you consider that I was getting 8 in one week, before I contacted them that is a drop of 50%. I will take what I can get.

Let’s do the rundown of this weeks biggest spammers

Citizens Against Government Waste. Wiki Page, Source Watch page, Charity Navigator page 2 stars (they are a 501(c)3). Oh the sweet, sweet irony of someone who is against waste, sending me 2 junk mail letters in one day, is so delicious.

Mike Huckabee c/o Secure America Now. A nice beak down by Institute for Policy Studies.

U.S. Veterans Hospice Committee. Could not find any independent information about them. Opt-out here.

The Black Republican Fund BRPAC run by Edward Cousar. New York Times article about PACs that raise a lot of money but don’t spend it on candidates, that mentions the Black Republican PAC. This is not the same group as Black Republican Freedom Fund. The National Black Republican Association has a page devoted to telling everyone that their PAC is not that PAC. LOL You guys are the same, taking money from old ladies.

Freedom Watch. You did not just start auto playing a song on your website. Is this a GeoCities site in 1995? Any way, Freedom Watch is run by Larry Klayman, he also founded Judicial Watch (example of junk mail from Judicial Watch) Source Watch page for Larry. This mail is made by Response Unlimited. I have done an entire post about them.

Freedom’s Defense Fund, Open Secrets page Jerome Corsi. Salon article also about a ring of PAC’s that all have the same treasurer in common: Scott Mackenzie. Who works for Base Connect “direct mail fundraising company”. Opt-out here info@base-connect.com

Citizen Outreach “Irritating Liberals Since 1992” it is run by Chuck Muth of course you own your name’s domain. Wiki page, Source Watch page.

Citizens United run by David Bossie. Doug Collins is a new face in my mail box. Opt-out here info@citizensunited.org

The National Center for Public Policy Research. Only 4 this week. That is a 50% drop since I stared keeping count. Opt out here: info@nationalcenter.org, with the subject header “Delete from Solicitation”

7 from Federation Of Responsible Citizens. Opt-out here: FedofRespCitizen@aol.com.

And this week we have a new winner of the most junk mail in a single week:

16 from Policy Issues Institute

In the Junior Division

Only one from Annette Bosworth this week. So sad. I need more glossy photos of her kids running around with baskets of vegetables. I know you are wondering why Sarah Palin‘s SarahPAC is in the Junior Division. She is not running for office, but her PAC donates to baby politicians just getting their start. Or she is supposed to, the PAC isn’t run very well. The Daily Beast did a nice write-up on SarahPAC and how it handles it’s money. Opt-out here.