Letter writer fools (SF) Bay papers with various noms de plume

[Newsjock]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/counties/contra_costa_county/11477229.htm

By Sarah Krupp
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

SAN RAMON - Batswala Dala, France Amoore and Tom Shane all have published letters to the editor in Bay Area newspapers. Trouble is, none of the men exist.

Under dozens of pseudonyms, Kyle Vallone has orchestrated the publication of scores of letters to the Times, San Francisco Chronicle and the Tri-Valley Herald during the last decade. A Times investigation found that the San Ramon man submitted more than 100 letters under fictitious identities to the three newspapers. Vallone estimated that he has had a hand in 200 bogus letters published in Northern California newspapers.

Vallone said the idea occurred to him while he was working on a Republican campaign in 1994. He and other workers would write letters on behalf of a candidate and send them to a "tree" of supporters who would sign their names and send them to newspapers. It occurred to him that he could skip a step, make up fictitious identities and send the letters via e-mail. He used free e-mail accounts and various voice-mail systems, his cell phone and home phone numbers to pull off his hoax.

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[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. Amazing.

He actually freeped LTTEs?

[mike_c]

2. this doesn't surprise me at all....

The SF Chronicle's LTTE section can usually be counted on to contain one or two conservative letters that are so transparently talking-point driven that I've often thought-- jokingly-- that they seem to be churned out by the same republican letter droid. Damn-- turns out many of them were. This is republican integrity at its finest, folks-- propaganda, concealed identity, and at its base, a foundation of lies.

[musette_sf]

6. But it still doesn't explain

Cinnamon Stillwell (if that is indeed her real name). Why'd they boot Harley and put this twit in, as if Debra C For Conservative Saunders wasn't enough?

[mike_c]

8. I dunno....

:shrug: You must admit that it's occasionally fun to watch Debra Saunders trying to deal with the Bush administration. These are not the best of times for intelligent conservatives. They shoulda been careful what they wished for....

[davidinalameda]

12. Debra C. is a more libertarian

the other one is just a hard core con

[Rose Siding]

3. Better tell DeLay about this conservative "syndicate"

snip>Vallone's letters preached conservative politics or ideologies on topics ranging from boosting missile defense to ousting Gov. Gray Davis. They often provoked readers to write response letters.

As his reputation grew, Vallone said people began to send him letters they had written, but didn't want to be associated with. He said he also acted as a "ghost writer" for friends who weren't adept at writing , and submitted the letters under their names.

[SoCalDem]

4. Astroturf letters are not new..

It's surprising they are just now figuring it out :eyes:

google some phrases, and you can see it's all over the place..

[merh]

5. Guess that explains why Dr. Pastor alleged that "6 or 7" people

had been harassing the Election Committee. They just can't conceive that real citizens might be willing to voice their concerns because both sides for years have used tactics like this.

WAKE UP LEADERS OF BOTH PARTIES -- the people are not happy with how you are destroying our nation and we won't put up with it.

One by one, folks are wising up to the lies and are making themselves heard.

One by one . . .

[proud patriot]

7. This is local for me , I wrote this letter in response

Hopefully it will be published .

Re: letter writer fools paper

Vallone's practice of deception is abhorent . I have had
4 of my letters published in the Contra Costa Times
over the last 2 years , some of my submissions have
not been published . I follow the rules and expect other
activists to do the same . It seems to Vallone winning is all that
matters. I find it sad that someone would lower themselves to
such a degree . Perhaps if Vallone thought Republicans could win
without deception he wouldn't Cheat his fellow Americans .

I'd rather lose an election than lose my Integrity and dignity .
I may not agree with my opposition , but I honor those Republicans
who play by the rules . People like Vallone make Republicans all look
like Cheaters . I know My grandfather a Republican would never
stoop so low . It's My Republican Grandparents values that I live by
because they raised me . It is also why I could never call myself a
Republican today. The party has changed from it's once Honored
Conservative Values . It's seems the Republican party is full of
Tom DeLay Believers . I guess we will see how far those DeLay
Ethics take the party . I have Faith in the American people to make
correct choices when given an Honest debate , Why have the DeLay
Republicans lost their faith in Americans ?

my name
city , state
phone number

[Joy Anne]

9. on astroturf and newspaper editors

A friend of mine writes a couple of long, intense, detailed, creative letters to his local newspaper daily. He's now writing to various other newspapers and last week was rather vituperously accused of copying his letter off a website or otherwise sending a letter not his own by a small daily.

It was an absurd accusation; this man writes with lots of semicolons, and he's progressive.

[daleo]

10. Neo-conservative values.

There is nothing wrong with lying by claiming to be seven different fictional people, as long as the lies come from a Republican source. But Clinton's irrelevant sexual untruths were grounds for bringing down the government.

[fasttense]

11. Repukes pick and choose which

of the ten commandments they follow. It's so much easier than doing all ten at once.