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Drowning in Junk Mail – This Week in Junk Mail 45 pieces

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All 45 pieces

After a light week in the 20’s last week, I am back into the 40’s. Is under 50 the new normal? I sure hope so.

I finally got through to HSP Direct last week. After trying every backdoor route I could find, they redesigned their website and posted the email addresses for everyone in the company. Including the CEO Jamie Hogan. Junk mail from them should stop sometime in October.

Response Unlimited

6 from Response Unlimited including:

Base Connect

2 from Base Connect

HSP Direct

2 from HSP Direct

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

3 from National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Wiki page, Open Secrets page. Opt-out page: Mail Preference Center Request Form

Republicans asking for money

The Dems are slacking. I only got mail from the GOP this week.

Random Political Junk Mail

Random political junk mail:

6 Charities

6 Charities including:

6 scams

6 scams

Stuffed and ready to go

Envelopes stuffed and ready to go

2 for 1500's ready to go

2 scams ready to go to New York. They both have a sweepstakes as a part of the solicitation

Leftovers

Leftovers

Drowning in Junk Mail – How to Opt-Out of Junk Mail from HSP Direct

/ darthjenni / 2 Comments

This is months in the making. I have spent more time researching, sent more emails, trying to get off of this company’s mailing lists than any other. But they just redesigned their website and opened the door for me.

Contact HSP Direct at (703) 793-3220  and email them at info@hspdirect.com. If that doesn’t work, contact the CEO Jamie Hogan hogan@hspdirect.com. Contact NOVA List and Sunrise Data Services. They are sister companies to HSP Direct. They manage the mailing lists for HSP Direct. You are going to have to be as annoying as possible to get these people’s attention. It took 3 months for NOVA List to get back to me. Do not be as shy as I was. Blitz them all at the same time.

This direct marketing firm is the crème de la crème of direct marketing. They have won tons of industry awards over the years.

Citizens United, Pand Paul photo

They send some of the classiest mailpieces around.

They also have an overall look that is easy to spot. Crazy blue handwriting and red stamps on the return envelopes.

Justice for Brian Terry Fund and United American Patriots

These are 2 different unrelated groups. But the formatting of the letters are very similar.

Justice for Brian Terry Fund and United American Patriots

The return envelopes have the same red stamp

Justice for Brian Terry Fund and United American Patriots

and similar blue writing all over the place.

HSP Direct

The back of one mailpieces says that HSP Direct is actually doing the fund raising for them. This was the first big clue that lead to me finding out about HSP Direct.

Huffington Post piece that mentions HSP Direct. They also gave money to one of their employees Alex Mooney to win a seat in Congress. Did he get an employee discount on mailpieces sent out during the election?

Open Secrets page

Influence Explorer page

Their clients include:

Citizens United junk mail

Citizens United, Wiki page
Citizens United Foundation Charity Navigator page
Citizens United For A Secure America
Citizens United For American Sovereignty
Citizens United Political Victory Fund
National Committee For Faith & Family
National Committee For Family Faith & Prayer

I have already written about Citizens United.

This is the main group who’s list I needed to get off of. I think she gave so much money to them, that she was on the Super Gold Elite mailing list. During my research I realized that some smaller groups only buy the Super Gold Elite mailing list that Citizens United has. My hope is that by getting off this one list it will stop about 80% of the junk mail I am still getting.

Freedom Works

FreedomWorks, Wiki page run by Matt Kibbe. Source Watch page, Right Wing Watch page. Open Secrets page.
FreedomWorks for America, Open Secrets page
FreedomWorks Foundation Charity Navigator page

From Mother Jones, A donor wanted a better return on investment from his donations to FreedomWorks.

United American Patriots

United American Patriots
Defend Our Defenders
UAP
Warrior Defense Fund
Warrior Fund, The

Washington State page, ProPublica page in 2011 79% of expenses went to fundraising.

Article all about bad charities that raise money on the backs of vets.

Sara Palin SARAHPAC

Sarah PAC, Wiki page, Open Secrets Page and Wonkette’s breakdown of the numbers.

HSP Direct helped Mrs. Palin buy some of her books when sales weren’t very good.

In fact, SarahPAC’s biggest operating expenditure was spending $87,148 on direct-mail firm HSP Direct, on fundraising.

Daily Beast August 2013

Other clients that I either didn’t get, or don’t have a photo of:

Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, Charity Navigator page

Renewing American Leadership dead website but someone bought the domain. It is a non-profit run by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Gingrich Productions.

Americans for Tax Reform, Wiki page, Source Watch Page, Open Secrets page
Americans for Tax Reform Foundation

Young America’s Foundation, Wiki page, Source Watch page, Charity Navigator page

These are not their only clients. Only the ones I can find proof of.

Drowning in Junk Mail – Christmas Creep in my Mailbox

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Christmas creep is a phenomena that has been happening for years. The Snowman in Costco in August is a classic example. Like everyone else I shook my head and laughed. Until it landed in my mailbox.

Guideposts Christmas Greetings 8/13/2014

This is an ad for Christmas cards from Guideposts. They are an inspirational magazine company. The greeting cards are sold on their Shop Guideposts page.

Guideposts Christmas Greetings 8/13/2014

Guideposts Christmas Greetings 8/13/2014

Guideposts Christmas Greetings 8/13/2014

Guideposts Christmas Greetings 8/13/2014

I took photos of the “Snow Angel Gatefold” greeting card sample. Per their website:

Our gatefold greeting cards:
Feature a beautifully-illustrated cover scene
Open to a delightful panoramic illustration
Provide plenty of room for your own personal message
Include the Nativity Story from the Gospel of Luke

You get 18 cards for $10.95. Considering that you should send out Christmas cards the week after Thanksgiving, you shouldn’t have to order them more that a month before that. Early October at the earliest. I received this on August 13, 2014.

Opt-out here GPSprod@cdsfulfillment.com

 

 

Drowning in Junk Mail – This Week in Junk Mail 26 pieces

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Box o junk mail

I can’t believe I guessed right!! Last week I guessed that I would get about 20 pieces and I got 26! I will call that a win.

Junk Mail from Response Unlimited

2 from Response Unlimited

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

2 from National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Wiki page, Open Secrets page. Opt-out page: Mail Preference Center Request Form

Political Mash up

3 in the political mash-up pile

One of the National Republican Senatorial Committee mailpieces included a survey. I love filling out surveys.

National Republican Senatorial Committee

They want to know what my highest priority issues are. So I let them know.

Random Political junk mail

Charities

5 Charities

Cheyenne River Indian Outreach Programs of the Sacred Heart Center

Cheyenne River Indian Outreach Programs of the Sacred Heart Center‘s package included this stylish tote bag. I will be sure to use it when I walk over to the post office to drop off my mail.

Scams

4 Scams

National Magazine Exchange 8285 Bryan Dairy rd, Suite 150 Largo, FL 33777 is getting a form 1500.

Stuffed and ready to go

6 pre-paid envelopes ready to go

only 1 form 1500 this week

The loan letter going to New York

Left overs

Here are the leftovers.

I should plateau in the 20’s for a while. I am getting down to groups that I contacted all the way back in April, but was ignored.

I also found DirectMail.com’s National Do Not Mail List opt-out page. I don’t know who their clients are. But at this point, any opt-out list is a good opt-out list.

White House.gov petition: create an opt out system that permanently stops delivery of junk mail to reduce waste and save the environment.

/ darthjenni / 1 Comment

No, I didn’t start this. But I wish that I had.

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
create an opt out system that permanently stops delivery of junk mail to reduce waste and save the environment.

Will it actually do anything? Probably not. But it is a start. If enough people sign it, the topic of junk mail might get people talking about it more, and it might get into the media.

 

Update: It only got 13 signatures all from this blog, I think. Next time title has to grab more people: Sign this now before your grandmother gives away your inheritance!!!1!! You know something the kids can relate to.

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

/ 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

60 Plus, junk mail

Rand Paul for 60+ junk mail

60 Plus junk mail

60 Plus Association, James L. Martin

Important: Barack Obama Set The Death Tax At 40 Percent But Wants An Even Higher Rate, The 60 Plus Association

Wiki page, Source Watch page, Open Secrets page.

Southeastern Legal Foundation

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.

Southeastern Legal Foundation

Southeastern Legal Foundation junk mail

Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, Source Watch page

Freedom’s Defense Fund

Freedom's Defence Fund, Jerome Corsi

Jerome Corsi junk mail

Run by Jerome Corsi,  Open Secrets page

Black Republican Fund, Edward Cousar

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

Disabled Police Officers of America

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

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

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 58 pieces

/ darthjenni / 4 Comments

All 58 pieces of junk mail

This should be my last week in the 50’s. This week junk mail from Response Unlimited should stop. And it has been 6 weeks since the DMA sent out the latest “do not mail” update to it’s members.

2 in 1 day club

Club 2 in one day. Although this week I got a 3 in 1 day

Response Unlimited

8 from Response Unlimited including:

Base Connect junk mail

3 from Base Connect opt-out here kb@base-connect.com including:

Hat tip to Dan for finding the right email address. I will be giving Base Connect their own write-up sometime this week.

3 from Freedom Alliance

3 from Freedom Alliance opt-out here info@freedomalliance.org

2 from Judicial Watch

2 from Judicial Watch, opt-out here

Judical Watch

Including this massive mailpiece called “IRS Abuse Investigation”. How am I supposed to read this thing with all the crazy blue writing, yellow highlighter, and blacked out words. It looks like a collage freshman attacked this thing after binging on Red Bull and ecstasy.

The Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation

2 from The Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation, using Allen West and Mike Huckabee opt-out here help@CPCFoundation.com

Citizens Against Government Waste

Citizens Against Government Waste, Wiki page, Charity Navigator page, Source Watch page. Opt-out here membermgr@cagw.org

RNC vs. DNC

The political mashup this week is the opposite of last week. 1 from the RNC and 3 from the Dems:

Republican National Committee, John McCain, fake check

Take a closer look at the check that came from the Republican National Committee, John McCain mailpiece. That looks pretty real to me. How many older people do you think will try to cash it?

Random political junk mail

Random political junk mail including:

Charities

9 charities:

Scams

17 scams. The international ones are mostly on the right. The ones I have sent out already are in the middle. The 4 that are getting a from 1500 are on the left. They are:

  • Child Protection Program PO Box 6119 St.Louis MO 63139
  • Independent Catalog Services PO Box 6487 Providence RI 02940. This is the second time I have stopped this one. I also stopped it going to her old address.
  • Vertex Transport Service PO Box 359005 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33335
  • Heart Center of America PO Box 1892 Merrifield VA 22116

stuffed and ready to go

Here are all 15 of the prepaid envelopes stuffed and ready to go

Form 1500 ready to go

Here are the 4 scams ready to go to New York

leftovers

Here are the left overs

I am going to dream big dreams this week. I want only 20 pieces of mail in next weeks blog.

Drowning in Junk Mail – How to Opt-out of Junk Mail from Engage Direct Mail

/ darthjenni / 4 Comments

Update: Oh how naive I was back then: My Battle to Stop Junk Mail from Citizen Guardian and Engage Direct Mail

Another day another direct mail marketing firm stopped. Today it is Engage Direct Mail.

Opt-out here. If that doesn’t work, email the Compliance desk, info@uscomplianceservices.com. You shouldn’t have any trouble with them, everyone I dealt with was very nice and very professional.

Update: LOL none of that worked. They ignored me, and I had to file a complaint with the DMA. I suggest you do the same.

National Sovereignty Center, Program of the Citizens Assembly

This is the only one I have photo of. I only took it because it was so small and cute. Little did I know that this little mailpiece would be the key to finding Engage Direct Mail.

National Sovereignty Center a project of The Citizen’s Assembly Inc does not have a website. They share a name with the Citizen’s Assembly Foundation. The CAF has put in their about section that they have no connection with these guys.
This is the bill The Citizen’s Assembly Inc wants to push through H.R.75 – American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2013. Their Bizapedia page has the vital statistics.  Their Washington DC address is a law office that specialises in non-profits. The Virginia address is for another law office Sparks & Craig LLP now known as Herge, Sparks & Christopher LLP. Open Secrets page, Washington State page.

Volunteer Americans: For God and Country, The Council of Seniors

Here are some other people that use Engage Direct Mail
 Blog post from 2006 from a person who went through the same thing I did. The big connection he found was Gary Jarmin. He has his fingers in a bunch of junk mail pies:
To connect the dots between these scams, you have to google Gary Jarmin. Don’t be surprised if you get so many diverse hits that you think you’ve found a whole group of different people. In fact, he’s (a) a former moonie; (c)legislative director of Christian Voice; (c)national field director of the American Coalition for Tradition Values; (d) head of the American Federation of Senior Citizens, E) Freedom, USA; (f) American Intelligence Council…

Drowning in Junk Mail – This Week in Junk Mail, 56 Pieces

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All 56 pieces

This week I have dumped Catalog Choice for PaperKarma. I have hit a wall, and was logging fewer and fewer mailpieces every week. Mostly because I knew Catalog Choice couldn’t help me anymore. So after 4 months and over 200 requests, I am giving PaperKarma a try. I will be writing a review for both of them in about 4 months. Fair is fair, I want to give PaperKarma time to work.

2 in 1 day club
2 in 1 day club. Including:

Response Unlimited junk mail
All of these are from direct marketing firm Response Unlimited, opt-out here

Citizens United
Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee selling themselves out to Citizens United

RNC & DNC
Mashed up political parties

Other political junk mail
Other random political junk mail. Including:

Sarah Palin poem
The Americans for Sarah letter is just to good this week. It has part of a speech she gave at CPAC in March. It is a parody of Green Eggs and Ham, but for conservatives.

I do not like this, Uncle Sam.
I do not like this healthcare scam.

I do not like these dirty crooks
Or how they cry and cook the books

I do not like when Congress steals
I do not like their crony deals

I do not like “oh yes, we can”

I do not like this spending, spree
We’re smart, we know nothing’s free

I do not like reporters’ smug replies
When I complain about their lies

I do not like this kind of hope
And we won’t take it
Nope, nope, nope

 

Big envelopes
Giant envelopes. Including:

Charities
7 Charities. Including:

Scams
11 scams.

Scam
Including one of the most long winded pyramid schemes I have seen. 6 pages double sided. All trying to convince me to send $97 to one person and $100 to another. If you can’t tell me your pitch in 1 page you are a terrible sales person.

I won’t be sending out any form 1500’s this week. None of them qualify. I have either already sent them out, or It is the first time I have gotten them. I hope the guys in the New York office don’t miss me.

Stuffed and ready to go
Here are 11 pre-paid envelopes stuffed and ready to go.

Scam from Australia
You should recognize this little scam from PO BOX 17 Varsity Lakes QLD 4227 Australia. I get it almost every week. Now with both her new and old address. As I am writing this, the mail for next week has already come, and I just got 3 more. Because it is international, I can’t use a from 1500 to make it stop. Or I would have stopped them months ago. I have sent every one back stuffed, not stuffed, nasty notes, crazy notes, and they still come. So this time I am trying something new. Instead of just “Take me off your mailing list” I have put “Deceased, She is dead” next to her address. I have not done this before because, she is in fact not dead. I also don’t want to mess up her Social Security and Medicare. But this one is international and they just can’t take a hint.

 

Drowning in Junk Mail – This Week in Junk Mail 53 pieces

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All 53 pieces

Just as I thought, the holiday week affected the junk mail last week. It looks like 50 is my new average. That is great, I have shaved off 100 pieces of junk mail since my high of 154. This week I sent an email over to the Consumerist about Kingsley, Harper & Hatfield and the fantastic response they had to my Prohibitory Order. The Consumerist loved it as did their readers. I had lots of great comments, and over 300 people went to DMA Choice page. I hope most of them signed up for the service.

Club 2 in 1 day

Club 2 in 1 day. The most exclusive club in my mailbox.

Response Unlimited junk mail

7 from Response Unlimited including:

Citizens United junk mail

2 from Citizens United.

Allen West

2 from Allen West and the Congressional Prayer Caucus Opt-out here help@CPCFoundation.com

Other political junk mail

Other political junk mail including:

big envelopes

Giant Envelopes including

Charities

9 Charities including

Calendars

3 calendars this week. They were from

Calendars

That makes 8 so far. The only one I use is the little one in the middle from the Humane Society. It helps me keep track of when junk mail from different groups will stop.

Scams

15 scams. I will only be sending in 1. The rest are either international or I have already sent in a from 1500.

Dr. Fred Pescatore's Logical Health Alternatives

The one going in is Dr. Fred Pescatore’s Logical Health Alternatives and his “Halo” Cancer Cure PO Box 925 Frederick, MD 21705-9913. Check out the free postage I got from National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Thanks guys! It is generous donations like yours that make this blog possible.

Shredded paper and glitter

I got some free newspapers while I was at my favorite taco stand this week. I ran them through my shredder, and now I have a new fun way to stuff envelopes.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

This is the pre-paid return envelope for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine they are the medical wing of PETA. So for them, I pulled one of the ads from the Publishers Clearing House mailpiece I got this week. It is for stuffing burgers. Burgers are a no,no if you are a member of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine envelope

A note telling them to remove her from their mailing list, a little shred paper and a sprinkle of glitter.

Stuffed and ready to go

11 envelopes a stuffed and ready to go.

leftovers

Here are the leftovers.