A spammer with gall

I just received a lovely piece of e-mail from someone who claims his name is David Van Nuys, President of e-FocusGroups.com. Of course, he wants me to take a survey, in exchange for which he will enter my name in a contest where I will have a chance to be one of five lucky people to earn $200. It’s a common racket, of course, and I ignored it, as I always do. But my favorite part of the e-mail was this:

Your privacy is extremely important to us. You are receiving this promotional message as a member of Permission!
[URL deleted] By continuing to receive emails from Permission! you agree to the Permission! Privacy Policy at [Web site address deleted].

Imagine that. By continuing to receive their e-mail messages, I agree to their privacy policy, even though I never asked to be put on their list. Takes some nerve, doesn’t it?

I decided to visit David’s Web site, where I read this profile of David Van Nuys:

David’s skills are not only technical. He is, even more importantly, a “people” person. A professional psychologist, David has extensive training and experience in such areas as organizational development, group dynamics, and psychotherapy. Having led groups of one sort or another all his professional life, he is good both at creating a supportive atmosphere and at “cutting through the bull” to get at key issues.

Guess what? I’m pretty good at cutting through the bull, too. David, you’re an asshole. And a spammer. I’d love to tell you that via e-mail, but your e-mail address isn’t on your Web site. Isn’t that ironic?