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To: EL KABONG!!! who wrote (1940)	2/20/2002 2:20:16 AM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 12465

Re: 2/15/02 - [EnronOwnsTheGOP.com] AP: Texas GOP Wants Spoof Site Shutdown February 15, 2002 Texas GOP Wants Spoof Site Shutdown By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 8:25 p.m. ET HOUSTON (AP) -- An attorney for the Republican Party of Texas has demanded that a Web site spoofing the party's own site -- with an Enron twist -- be shut down. But Kelly Fero, operator of www.EnronOwnsTheGOP.com, said Friday he has no intention of eliminating the site. ``The legal precedent is very clear that parody is a protected right,'' said Fero, who also works for the Democratic group Texas '02, which promotes Democratic statewide candidates. Neither Texas '02 nor the satirical Web site is financed by the Texas Democratic Party. Visually, the spoof site is strikingly similar to www.TexasGOP.org, the Texas GOP's official site. It features Enron's trademark diagonal E superimposed on the Republican elephant logo and cash contribution figures from Enron superimposed over top state Republicans. Fero said the site was created to encourage them to return the money they accepted from the company mired in bankruptcy. ``There are former Enron employees ... struggling to make ends meet,'' Fero said. ``So that's the main message. We wanted to encourage them to reconsider how they use their money.'' But in a letter delivered Wednesday to Fero, Texas GOP attorney Jonathan Snare said the site was clearly intended to mimic the party's trademark symbol and Web site and mislead the public. ``I would say that we see the humor in the site, since the charges they make are totally laughable,'' said Ted Royer, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas. ``But violating federal law is no laughing matter.'' nytimes.com