I believe this is a very, very important election. Don't get me wrong. And I appreciate that there are hard-working, dedicated Americans trying to get out the word and encourage people to vote. I think that's great.
However.....
About two months ago, I got a flyer on my door from an organization called
America Comes Together (ACT). This flyer encouraged me to vote for Kerry. No problem...that was my intention anyway.
A few days later, one of their volunteers came to my door. They asked who I was voting for, and I told them. They then asked if I was willing to help them go door-to-door to spread the word. I explained that I am disabled, and at this time going through a bad patch, so I wasn't able to canvass the nieghborhood. The gentleman was very insistant, but I made it clear that I was in no condition to join their cause, thanks anyway.
Then the phone calls started.
At first, it was actual human beings. They gave me the exact same (scripted) speech the volunteer did. Once again, I answered thier questions, let them know I couldn't and wouldn't volunteer, and was thanked for my time. I was polite about it....the first three or four times. Then I stopped answering the phone when I saw a number on my caller ID that I didn't recognize. I have no desire to keep re-hashing the same conversation over and over. I finally answered and asked them not to call me anymore.
This did not deter them. They switched to recorded calls, left on my voice mail, sometimes up to three times a day. All of these calls were lengthy and annoying.
They also continued to come to my house. If I wasn't home, they'd leave a large, obnoxious "Vote Early" flyer on my door. If I WAS home, I'd end up once again going through the same damned conversation with them. I was beginning to get pretty freaking annoyed.
They stepped up the ante once the ballots were mailed. The calls increased, and instead of a visit once a week, it became every two or three days! I considered turning off my voice mail, but I get too many doctor-related calls for that...and I have a sick dad and an elderly grandfather (he's 94). I'm not comfortable being without voice mail.
A week ago, the volunteer showed up at noon. I have three kids....I had lunch cooking on the stove and a baby screaming to be nursed and put down for a nap. I was not in a mood to be polite. I listened to the speech...AGAIN...and told the woman nicely to take me off their list and not visit me anymore.
This was ignored.
A few days later, ANOTHER volunteer showed up and (you guessed it) began with the speech again...this time, in the middle of dinner (when I told him this, he said, "Oh, but this won't take a minute!" @@). I was fuming. When he got to the part in the speech about "canvassing the nieghborhood," I looked him straight in the eye and said, "No." "Why not?" he asked. "Because my nieghbors don't like to be bothered at home any more than I do." I answered. I shut the door. I figured that would be the end of it.
I was wrong.
The calls kept coming. Now, they've enlisted pseudo-celebrities to the cause. Today, I woke up from a short, much-needed nap to three messages from ACT....one from a volunteer, one from
Malcolm Jamal-Warner (who moved the rock?) and one from
Edward Norton (who annoys me anyway). The Norton one REALLY pissed me off....he said, in no uncertain terms, that "these annoying calls" will stop ONLY when the county tells ACT my ballot has been sent in!
What the fuck???
First of all, haven't I asked you people a half-dozen times now to LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE? Secondly, I HAVE already voted! And finally, what business it is of thiers when or even
if I vote?
And more importantly...what the hell is the county doing informing these assholes of when or if I vote?
So as you can see, I was already pissed off,when ONCE AGAIN my dinner is interupted by...you guessed it...a volunteer from ACT.
This time, I didn't let the guy get passed, "Hi, I'm Daniel with America Comes Together..."
I decided that since he interrupted my dinner, I'll interrupt his stupid speech.
"You people have called me nearly EVERY DAY for weeks and this is the SIX OR SEVENTH TIME you've been to my house. I've already voted. I've asked you people nicely several times to stop bothering me. LEAVE ME ALONE!" I then slammed the door in his face.
My dinner ruined, I signed on and fired off the following email to the ACT website:
To Whom It May Concern:
I live in Portland, Oregon. For the past two months, volunteers from your organization have called me nearly every single day...sometimes more than once a day, and often with a recorded message. Not a day goes by anymore that I do not have at least one lengthy message from your organization on my voice mail. Your volunteers have also been to my home at least six times. Your volunteers have repeatedly attempted to enlist me in their door-to-door home invasion....despite the fact that I have told your volunteers several times that as a disabled woman, I am not capable of doing so.
A few days ago, I politely asked your volunteer to not visit me again. I mailed in my ballot, and I don't wish to be bothered anymore. Today, yet ANOTHER volunteer interupted my dinner. This time I made it very clear: DO NOT BOTHER ME AGAIN.
One of your insistant, annoying voice mail messages today (from Edward Norton, of all people) informed me that these calls will continue until the county tells your organization that I have voted. This offends me DEEPLY. For one, I HAVE already voted. For another, I have now asked your organization REPEATEDLY not to contact me, and your bullying tactics today have made it clear that you have no intention of stopping. Finally, I do not feel that it is ANY of your business when or even if I vote.
I find it ironic that your website claims to want to rid this country of Bush's tyranny, and yet you persist in harassing a disabled woman!
It is a good thing I already voted....or your inexcusable behavior today might have caused me to rip my ballot in half. Or even worse...driven me to vote for Bush.
I voted, I voted for Kerry.....NOW LEAVE ME ALONE.
Sincerely, as I mean every word of it,
Angel S.
Portland, Oregon
(in my best
Danny DeVito in "Ruthless People" voice....)
Now THAT oughta do it.
