Robo-trolling for your votes

Our View

Robo-trolling for your votes

Among some of the many annoyances we encounter during election time may be just when we, as a family, are just sitting down for dinner after a long day at work or school and the telephone rings, and it happens to be a recorded sales pitch from some desperate politician begging for our vote.

It’s called “robocalls”, these annoying automated political calls politicians like to use as one of their tools to make voters aware of their political position and reasons why they should get our support.

Fortunately, in Arkansas this so-called “robocall” political tactic is outlawed based on Arkansas Code Annotated 5-63-294, which has been on the books for many years and makes automated telephone solicitation, political or otherwise, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by civil penalties.

Unfortunately, there are some critics who complain that the state law wasn’t strong enough to actually deter these annoying automated political calls.

Furthermore, we learn a Virginia political consultant has filed a federal challenge to an Arkansas law that outlaws “robocalls in Arkansas, saying he wants to make automated calls on behalf of unspecified clients.

Opponents of the law claim it just might not survive a federal First Amendment challenge, and it isn’t clear whether the law is preempted by one or more federal statutes that frown on state laws restricting interstate calls.

Our point to all this, as a regular citizen and voter, is the simple question, what about how we feel about these annoying political calls? Oh sure, we can put on names on the federal “no-call” list but even at that these cleaver promoters find ways to circumvent the call block.

And, then there is the growing problem of these opportunists tapping into our cell phones.

Let’s face the fact that most of us don’t want to be bothered by these unsolicited phone calls, and while many of us have abandoned our land line telephones we have become cell phone targets for all types of promoters, politicians and others peddling their products or propaganda.

Again, we pose the question, just exactly are our rights to privacy? This is a legitimate question we would certainly hope the judicial decision makers take into account when determining the outcome of this litigation.

This Virginia political consultant wants to place automated telephone calls in Arkansas of a political nature that would include automated telephone surveys, getout- to-vote messages, advocacy calls and other related to political campaigns.

This political opportunist contends that he has been “unlawfully restrained from engaging in political speech, which in our opinion, is unwelcome and uninvited.

It is clear that this out-of-state political consultant has self-serving motives that totally disregards the concerns of those of us who find this annoying and certainly unwanted.

Again, we would certainly hope that the federal judge in this case takes into account the opinions and views of those people affected by this annoying political practice.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

BIBLE VERSE

6:19-21-24

Matthew