The header of any facsimile should identify the sender's name, date and telephone number of the sending fax machine. For the questioned documents, we assume that the name is Kinko's in Abilene, but I have not heard anyone give the date or telephone number. The date obviously should tell us when the documents were faxed, that is whether done recently or some months ago. The date should also be the starting point for an examination of Kinko's telephone records (assuming no legal impediments) to show where the fax documents were sent. There may be several telephone numbers for faxes sent that same day, but it would not be an insurmountable number to winnow through to narrow the number of viable possibilities. Kinko's records should also show who paid for the telephone charges in sending the faxes (if a customer paid for the service). If a fax machine was used directly by a customer, there should still be a telephone record of the destination for the transmission of those documents. This all assumes, of course, that telephone and billing records at Kinko's are accessible.
I can't help but believe that someone has already made this inquiry, but if not, it might be a worthwhile endeavor.
Why would anyone in their right mind put the poor shop's fax number out on the internet for every crackpot to call?
Why should a legitimate business like Kinkos be subject to revealing such information?
> This all assumes, of course, that telephone and
> billing records at Kinko's are accessible.
No problem, just create some grounds for a criminal
complaint, and get the local DA to ask a local judge
for a court order.
As matters presently stand, Kinkos has probably already
blabbed too much.
I frankly don't expect to see much further development
along this line of inquiry. Bush isn't gonna sue CBS
for defamation. CBS isn't likely to sue Kinkos. The
Abilene DA is probably hoping it will all go away
quietly.
If CBS fires Rather, there may not even be a Congressional
inquiry (but if there is, all the laundry will get aired).
welcome aboard!