LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Is everybody fed up yet?
Are any of the readers of the News & Press as fed up with calls from telemarketers as I am?
Seems as if at least 65% of the calls are Robocalls and the other 35% are actual live humans. I ask the live ones to please don’t call back, and on the Robocalls, I answer the questions just to be connected to a live person and ask them not to call back. Nothing works. Of course, if pressed, or sued, they would claim 1st Amendment rights.
But the fact is, the 1st Amendment works both ways! They have the right to call you ONE time, but when you ask or tell them not to call back, they lose that right. If they keep calling time after time after time, that’s harassment. Starting at 8:30 a.m., I’ve even had the same robocall three times in a row, fifteen minutes apart, on Sunday morning. That’s beyond harassment.
The reason I pointed out that the 1st Amendment works both ways in this is because if you’re listening to a speech and you don’t like what you’re hearing, you can get up and leave. If you’re reading a magazine or reading something on the internet and disagree or don’t like it, then you can put the magazine down or simply sign out of the internet. Or if you’re in a store and the salesperson keeps pestering you to buy something, you can turn and leave. You have exercised your 1st Amendment right by not wanting to read something that you disagreed with, or didn’t want to purchase. No harm, no aggravation!
So I hope that some of our state representatives, Senator Graham and Senator Scott, plus our representatives in congress, read this! Because it’s past time to help not only your constituents out, but all Americans. Put together a law that absolutely requires these companies to have a statement at the end of the call that says, “If you want your number taken off this list, please press 9.” That will return our rights to us and get rid of the 12 hours of harassment we have to endure every day.
Regards,
Francis Parnell
Darlington, SC