Well hell, Steph. I didn't receive anything from KOS, but I did receive an e-mail from "HipRecallInjuryCenter" warning me that my hip implant has been recalled.

I'm not sure who issued the recall, but since I have the same hips I was born with, I can safely assume who it likely is and I'm duly impressed with the connections the sender of the e-mail has :-)

Stellaa,
That WAS odd. My OS pen name in the subject line certainly caught my eye.
Not sure. I don't think my name would leap to the editor's minds to recommend.
Joan ::thud:: Kerry ::thud::
I was supicious and searched for him on the site and he is who he says he is. I have been wondering how to get more than tink and SBA to read my political posts, so it seems like a good thing.
I belong to a lot of activist orgs who send me emails on my university account. But there is still the pen name.
The only OS post that I have recommended on facebook was yours on the breast feeding fatwa, so maybe they traced me back through you.
SO, it could be YOUR fault for getting me so fired up that I revealed myself.
However, that seems too work intensive.
Facebook privacy issues?

Boomer,
You never fail to make me belly laugh. (The family yells: "What are you laughing at?")
You know, the same folks called me about my new car waurenty *spelling* about to expire. Puzzling since I have never owned a new car... I called them up and asked the young man who answered if his mother knew what he was doing for a living in my best school teacher voice.

So, I emailed Mr Bowers to ask him how he did connect my pen name with my university email address.
I will let you know what I find out.

Well, Stellaa, who knows? It would mean more exposure which is really not anything that I have personally sought as you know. But there are some topics for which I would love to have a wider audience. And I am a Bearer of the Standard on a few ideals close to my heart. And it may just represent a way to make a difference in these elections. The idea is orginal.

Jane,
Thanks so much, woman-with-four-gorgeous-names. It is really an opportunity for activism more than anything, I think.

Read more about it and am not sure that they really wanted bloggers per se. (There goes fame...) Just folks who generally know how to look up reputable links.
They want you to find articles online from news agencies to send to them so they can boost them on Google searches.

privacy? whats that?

I'm in like Flynn. I'm going underground like Woodward chasing a story about Nixon. I think my book will be called All of Scanner's Men!

Its all part of the librel conspiracy. Y'all get together in a coven, eat babies and chant stuff from the NYTimes. This is what happens when ya sell your soul.

Brian,
Well, I thought I was having protected blogging. You know, I guess I should have asked for a blogging history. You know what they say, you are blogging with everyone they ever blogged with.

Scanner,
It is definitely something to do. This has started me thinking about casting around for an Oregon blog. One of our Republicans is on the KOS list. Got a hot governor's race too.
I ordered a lawn sign too.

Tim,
I hope you showed up in your jeans and "beat up John Deer (sic) hat".

I think it sounds very interesting, but I also wonder how they got your e-mail. Please keep us posted! R

probably nsa tipped them off, as industrious and harmless.

libmomrn,
I will let folks know how this happened. Even if it turns out that it is somehow my own fault. All things are possible.

Al,
You are probably right. Sounds like satellite spying to me.
I am certainly industrious (you should see my emerging chicken shed!) and harmless.

I fooled around with SEO just enough to know they're ain't no place to hide from the dark side. Your only hope (slim) of anonymity on the Net is to devote your life to developing serious hacker skills -- and even then if someone wants to find you bad enough, they probably will. Fortunately, most of us ain't worth the bother, tho spammers are happy to fill in the void.

Tom,
SEO sounds pretty dark. Looking under boards for slugs. The most recent polls are looking pretty damn bad so I suppose anything they can do, they will do.
Yep, I suppose privacy online is an illusion. I may never get an answer. If I figure out the HOW, I will let everyone know.

Steph - you deserve a laugh, glad I could give you one. I bet that guy was a bit confused when you returned his call.

A couple weeks ago I received an e-mail from some scammer trying to get personal information that included my mailing address and telephone number so they could "send me my free Dell Laptop." I responded, sending them Dell's corprorate address and phone number. I haven't heard back from them, maybe Dell was pleased to receive a free laptop :-)

Boomer,
Sounds like a post in that. Messing with scammers. Our city police department actually has a man who handles these kinds of things. He was vastly amused when I told him I had lectured the scammer.

Sounds exciting, I hope you give it a whirl. They waited long enough.

Republicans are FlAWED??!!!! Someone should tell them. I don't think they know.

I think Kos would be better off looking for falsehoods in the reporting of that right-winged 24/7 foghorn of an agency (notice I didn't put news in front of agency) over at Fox Noise.

If they didn't allow and perpetuate the utter BS that the right spews like grease from a duck's ass, the GOP's lies and hateful rhetoric couldn't gain an ounce of traction. Fox gives the crazy people on the right validity because they put them on the moving picture box and nod their heads in agreement, regardless of how idiotic the comment might be.

Sadly, many Americans believe that everything on TV must be true. By giving people like Hannity and Beck a platform to lie like a roadside armadillo, Fox passes it on to the public as Gospel.

It's like the way they beat the Patriot drum as if only Republicans are fighting in the wars and no Democrats are suffering. So if you're not a Republican or a Tea Partier, you can't be a Patriot or love your country. It's not true, but that's what they're pushing.

Fox is the wedge that divide. Get rid of Fox and the GOP would drop 25 points in every poll. I'm not saying the Right shouldn't have a platform, I'm just saying it should be an honest (fair and balanced?) platform and it ain't.

I think I'm going to vote for a Republican this time. The retiring Democrat was a lump who never answered my phone calls or letters requesting a meeting to talk about funeral legislation. The current nominee from the Dems is his office manager. The Repub candidate seems like a decent fellow. Gotta push the good Repubs as well as expose the incompetents. Same for the Dems.

Ontheotherhand, as a non-blogger, non-writer, it dawn(s)
on me that if one is 'possibly' too old to apply as an intern
at *Harper's*, or to dwell on that wonderfully angst(y) scene in the *Longest Day* wherein Robert Redford is paddling across the ____chanting, "Hail Mary, full of Grace..." a few might, you know, seize the day.

I did get the e-mail, but it was via the account I opened (but never used) at DK. Very intriguing (about your case).

Hey Fay!
Yeah, here in Oregon where we vote by mail the majority of votes are cast long before Election Day. That is another great thing about vote by mail--it dents that last minute push by candidates.

Michael,
My use of "flawed" was too kind by far.
So right about Faux news show. David Plouffe pointed out that if all the 2008 repug presidential candidates run again there will be job openings at Faux.

geezerchick,
I am voting a straight Democrat ticket. I usually do as the lines are drawn in cement, not sand. But your state sounds strange...

JP,
It's early here, man...

Kanuk,
You are the only other poster who has checked in who was "asked to dance.".
I told Ablonde (as we conjectured about OS giving out my email--which I think is highly unlikely) that, if OS had done such a thing, there would be more of us because they would have had to bundle us at a nickle a piece to make any money...
(Damn, I love punctuation..!)

See, this post alone gotten more than me or SBA to read it!! Sheesh!!

:( **Wanders off dejected**

Because I didn't get an email from KOS but did from some online university that wants me to become a criminal investigator!! :D

Tinkertink,
I apologize to both you and SBA. Guess was feeling a little lonesome. I am a late bloomer so most of my posts are too. Did rate your Obama post but will go by to comment upon. (I actually gave him some $$. Just a little bit.)

Still thinking about how my OS pen name and email got connected. Kanuck got the email too so perhaps it is having an "edu" email account? I would fully believe that my university would sell me to the first buyer.

I think this must have happened to all of us. One of the common direct marketing ploys is to make people feel wanted and chosen. Still, it's really disappointing coming from a place like the Daily Kos, which really has some good stuff. I wish I could say definitively that this was beneath them, though sadly it might be that the opposition does it too and that it's necessary to keep pace.

So far, Kent, only you and Kanuk have copped to getting an invite. I am thinking a university email addie...

There is definitely a dark quality to the work. With the repugnicans outright lying--even about voting records which can be readily checked, the first nasty thing said is the most remembered.

How about blogging on OS about blogging for KOS and perhaps blogging somewhere else about blogging on OS about blogging for KOS? Sort of a blog version of those Russian dolls where the biggest one holds smaller and smaller ones.

Actually, I didn't get an invite here. I've gotten lots of similar invites elsewhere. To things like "who's who" things, to various job offerings, to advertisers wanting a place to host their ads, etc. It's easy for a place to grab a random bit of context and compose something that looks real. A variation of phishing. Sorry I confused you with my prior statement, but I've gotten nothing from the Daily Kos. (alas) Maybe someone actually took some personal step to select you but the message they sent was just automated. There are lots of tools that work that way. LinkedIn makes up dorky statements as suggested text. So do most of the political action sites. I'd be embarrassed to send the canned text they suggest.

Hawley,
I like the idea of nested blogging. (Reminds me that I should be working on my chicken house.)
Sounds like a good line a subject line for my next email.
It will likely turn out that I somehow gave them this information two years ago and have simply forgotten.

Kent,
Even if it was automated, they still used my non de plume (plume being apt for my feathered appearance).
Maybe THAT is it! They want BIRDS!!