----- Forwarded Message Follows -----

From: STAN PHILLIPS <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: interesting observation!
To: [log in to unmask] (Multiple recipients of NFBnet BlindLaw Mailing List)

Mr. Steve Hurd,
Secretary Bonnie, on behalf of Mr. Phillips;  Who is out of Town with an
exploited child case he is working on.
I have read your messages as exchanged by and between yourself and Bill
Reif;  For which Mr. Phillips, has instructed me to transmitt the following:
Gentlemen, I find these messages regarding the name "Blink Link
Tele-Communication Corporation," to in all honesty have used the time and
energy of two who appear to be rather wise Gentlemen defending an issue
that I believe need not have so much of your valueable time.
I would as The Founder of Blink Link Tele-Communications Corporation, give
the facts of how this business named actually came about.
By way of background, I being a totally blind person and not liking the
treatment being given me at my public high school, did in 1971, walk out
for good.  I proceeded to enroll in adult continuing education at a
community college, graduated on time, thereafter finished my four year
degree at California State, then three more years in law school.  Because I
had dropped out of high school, I got no aid from any government or charity
entities whatsoever.  I bit the dust more times than I care to remember.
Thereafter I have by the grace of GOD enjoyed much success in the business
banking profession.  Here today I am able to retire from my law practice
and give this worthy enterprise all my best;  Not only abilities, but
substantial financial resources.
OK now that I have told you where I am coming from, I would like to tell
you where I am going and why:
I was just a couple of months ago granted one of a few telecommunications
licenses being offered by The F. C. C.  I gave a great deal of thought to
simply taking one of the rather desirable offers made to me by a couple of
the major phone companies and walk with my profits.  However I spent allot
of time just thinking about how this might better help some people enjoy
the blessing of GOD as I have.  As I thought back on my life I said to
myself, remember those blind students you left behind in that "special
education class?"  That made me decide I was going to search out a few
visually impaired people who have enough going for themselves without being
mad at the World to give an opportunity for success.  I had zero contact
with other blind persons in some twenty five plus years.  Actually I had no
idea how I was going to find these blind people to help me enjoy this
blessing from GOD.  So while I was running that through my mind, I
contacted an advertising agency in Chicago, and a survey company in New
York.  I told them I wanted to start a new telecommunications company, and
to find me a name for the business.  Neither of them knew me, nor had they
ever met me.  Furthermore I did not even tell them I was blind.  I simply
paid them twenty thousand dollars to telephone survey one thousand people
and interview some professionals in the long distance phone company
business.  Frankly, I myself had never known the term "blink" was
associated with visually impaired people;  And I am certain blind people
were the furthest thing from the minds of any of the several people working
in both Companies.  After a great deal of research in the public market
place they came up with the idea of "making a connection in a blink of any
eye, link up and save money with your long distance."  In need of making a
business name short and that could be associated with that marketing fraze
we all mutually agreed upon "Blink Link Tele-Communications Corporation."
I proceeded to file my identity documents with The Federal Government, as
well as articles of incorporation with The State Department of Commerce.
Once I was ready to go, I then started to search out some visually impaired
people.  I knew there could never be any financial contribution by them, so
I together with a couple of my Clients who own an off shore Bank, invested
the joint venture capital needed.  I just by a stroke of luck  while buying
my first ever screen reading software and over the phone met my first blind
friend in many years.
As he proceeded initially to put the word out for me in to "The Blind
Community," he in about our third conversation made a rather shocking
statement:  "OK Stan, I got your private name and number going out to a
bunch of blinks."  I said, "What the hell is blinks."  He then proceeded to
inform me of the fact that this  identity tag some blind persons used it.
When I told him that was the name already licensed to the new phone
company, he did not believe me.  I had to send him a photo copy of the
license and he had somebody sighted verify it for himself.
So when I hear my honorable Associates trying to defend the name, it makes
me sad and also reminds me of the blind persons I left behind so long ago.
If the word "blink" appearing in a business name is offensive, then I refer
you to a copy of The A. T. and T. yellow pages for toll free business
listing.  According to my Secretary just this evening, there are nineteen
pages of business in the alpha section which start with the word blink, and
GOD only knows how many others have the word blink in their names otherwise.
To relate a verb such as "blink" to an offensive nick name like "nigar" I
find obserd.  Also to have a sighted person make such a statement calling a
blind person a "blink" I find rather remarkable.  I am myself blind and in
twenty eight of my years of being blind, I never knew that untill just two
months ago.  Further, when in a telephone survey by a very respected survey
company calling one thousand people did they not have it come up?  Frankly
the fact of the matter is, most of the real World associates the word
"blink" as a rapid eye movement or opening and closing of a lens.
My choice of the words "Blink Link" was in no way connected to blind
persons.  I did not just give all that money away to the advertising agency
and survey company;  I took their advise and put it to use.
If anybody thinks for a minute that Blink Link Tele-Communications
Corporation, will be successful serving only visually impaired persons,
think again.  I have a bit more business experience than that.  The fact
is, I intend to enter the long distance telephone market for all users and
honestly believe I have a name that the sighted World will relate to just
as I want them to;  A fast hook up to quality long distance service at a
competative rate.
Now I believe if those few people who were objecting to my use of "Blink"
were to look at my business from a reasonable and fair view, I believe you
will agree that I made a good business choice.  If you sincerely believe
visually impaired people have been denied opportunities, then why now when
the once in a nearly life time the chance comes along for them without
having a penny to invest get to become owners of a license that already is
worth millions, why not enjoy the blessing from GOD?
In closing Gentlemen, I want to thank you for helping me remember how those
blind students were I was a part of so many years ago.  I am grateful to
GOD that HE let me escape having nothing to do but find things to complain
about or bad mouth HIS blessings to another person.  I would like to offer
as food for your thoughts:  Leave behind the negative and live the
posative.  I actually learned braille with Stevey Wonder, and we lived only
a couple of blocks from each other in Detroit as children.  I wonder if his
success had anything to do with not searching for reasons to associate his
blindness with anything else, such as failures and negative issues.  He
once said to me many years later at a dinner in Los Vegus, "Stan I caint
get off on that blind trip.  They spend to much time talking about their
vision when they should be playing drums."  Gentlement, I could not have
agreed with him more;  As that is just what I honestly believe brought me
to the level of success I enjoy;  I left all that behind and live in the
posative world.
Ask yourself this:
What possible difference does it make if I or any of the other thousands of
business use blink in their name?
Actually if I had said something like, "Phones For Blinks," or "Blinks
Serving You," then I might understand somebody saying we are picking on
blind people.
However since that is not true, I rest my case.
End of dictation of Mr. Phillips;
With Bonnie, on behalf of:
Respectfully With Best Regards,
Stan Phillips
phone 1-8 8 8-7 7 6-7 8 2 6
e-mail [log in to unmask]
May God bless all of us always.