Nuclear Option Response - People for American Way

[Democrat 4 Ever]

email received - asking for our help in contacting Congress if Frist pushes the red button. Sounds interesting...and effective.

Their email is as follows -

We’re down to the wire—and we’re going to need IMMEDIATE response to stop Senator Frist when he attempts to trigger the “nuclear option” to shut down debate about judicial nominees. So, we’re trying something new and groundbreaking—and we need you to be part of it.

It’s called Mass Immediate Response (MIR) and it allows thousands of people to contact the Senate and make their voices heard all at the same time.

Here’s how it works: As soon as Senate Republicans trigger the “nuclear option,” we’ll send a text message to your cell phone. Embedded in that text message is a link to a Senate phone number based on your state. With the push of a couple buttons, your call – along with thousands of others – goes right through to the corridors of power demanding preservation of the filibuster. (Very simple instructions about how this will work on your phone model will be made available when you sign up.)

Join our massive immediate response!

This is a brand new technology, and this is the first time it is being used for activism on a large scale. (Don’t worry: we will NEVER send your cell phone spam or disclose your number to anyone else – and if we use MIR in the future, you will have to opt-in again on that specific campaign in order to receive messages.)

Picture it: by pushing the button, tens of thousands of American patriots are making their voices heard in Washington at exactly the same time, flooding the Senate with simultaneous calls to save the filibuster.

Sign up here

Please join this great innovation in speaking straight to those in power. Click here to be notified to act the instant Bill Frist tries to pull the trigger.

Thanks. We look forward to texting you.

Sincerely,
Ralph G. Neas
President

Sign up for our "Nuclear Option" Mass Immediate Response Initiative:

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/autogen.aspx?oid=18708

Support our campaign:

http://pfaw.kintera.org/pfaw_courts

Watch our latest PFAW ad:
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=18629

[OneBlueSky]

1. great for those with cell phones . . . leaves me out, though . . . n/t

.

[Peachhead22]

2. Could that...?

Could that overload the phone system at the Senate (or Executive Office Building) and possibly be counterproductive? In other words, if the phones are messed up we wouldn't be able to get through to make our objections known. Plus the PR could be problematic in the event of an overload.

Or are the relevant phone systems that robust? Or if the phone systems aren't robust enough, and they overload, is that spike in traffic itself meant to send our message?

I like the idea of a large simultaneous reaction, but I'm curious whether it'll have the intended effect.

[Sentath]

3. Technical answer only

I have some little experience with phone systems, so take with a small grain of salt.

Having said that I have to mostly discount your fears. The worst that I would expect to come of this is lots and lots of people getting an 'all circuits busy' on their cell phones. In some under-engineered parts of the country there may even be problems securing a 'channel' to make a cell call.

Basically the phone system is pretty well engineered, and as each termination point fills up it signals back to the previous point on the network that it can't take any calls right now.

[Peachhead22]

4. Thanks, Sentath

:)....n/m

[satya]

5. Thanks for reminding me--got the email, but was buried in my inbox. n/t

[atommom]

6. Kick!