The article below appeared recently in the Albuquerque Tribune.  Hope some of
you out there in modem land enjoy reading about what can be done.

  ATLANTA (AP)-An Atlanta man angered by a television evangelist took it out on
the Reverand Jerry Falwell, by having his home computer call Falwell's toll free
phone line every 30 seconds for eight months.

  "I realized the best way to tie him (Falwell) up was to call his 800 number,"
said Edward Johnson, who stopped the calles Friday after Southern Bell
threatened to cut off his phone service.

  Johnson, a 46 year old self-employed computer systems analyst, said the con-
stant calls were intended to hurt Falwell's fund-raising organization.

  He said he launched the campaign after seeing an April 7 broadcast in which
television preacher Jimmy Swaggart talkd about AIDS and homosexuals.

  He said he earlier had been angered when his mother contributed to tv
evangelists.

  "She's easily taken in by these people," Johnson said.  "She almost gave the
family farm away."

  He connected a modem to his home computer to have the machine make calls.
When Falwell's operators answered, they heard only silence until hanging up.
Thirty seconds later, the computer would call again.

  "It's taken Southern Bell 's detectives a long time to find me, wouldn't you
say?" Johnson said, adding he is considering resuming the computerized phone
calls from another phone.

  Mark DeMoss, an administrative assistt to Falwell, said the preacher plans to
sue Johnson.  DEMOSS said the calls to the "Old Time Gospel Hour" might have
cost Falwell as much as a dollar each.

  "We do plan to take legal action," he said.  "Our legal people will work on
this next week.  Naturally, toll-free calls in that quantity would constitute a
pretty significant expense for us."

  If anyone is interested in calling Mr.  Falwell's line, don't hesitate.  It is
free, and the number, once again, is 1-800-446-5000.

  u/l by /\/oo\/\ Count Nibble/SWPG -- typed by the anonymous SWPG member