Canning spam.(Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service)

The following editorial appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on Thursday, Oct. 31:

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The biggest roadblock standing in the way of meaningful anti-spam legislation has long been the Direct Marketing Association, a powerful and well-financed lobby group that believes marketers should have a virtually unfettered right to pitch you products via mail, telephone or e-mail. For years, the DMA has opposed anti-spam bills, arguing that spam, or junk e-mail, could be managed through self-regulation.

So it was a surprise when the DMA did an about face earlier this month and announced that spam had become a serious problem that must be addressed ...