As shock and awe hit Wall Street after the failed $700 billion emergency bid for a bailout, the House of Representatives Web site has been nearly shut down as worried constituents flooded their representatives with e-mails.
An earlier message warned that the site was having trouble bearing the onslaught of messages.
"The House of Representatives is currently experiencing an extraordinarily high amount of e-mail traffic," the message said. "The Write Your Representative function is therefore intermittently available. While we realize communicating to your Members of Congress is critical, we suggest attempting to do so at a later time, when demand is not so high."
"We haven't seen this much demand since the 9/11 commission report was posted on the site in 2004," Jeff Ventura, spokesman for the House chief administrative officer, told AP. "We're being overwhelmed with Web traffic about the bill."
The overload has sent government technicians scrambling to unclog the system.
"Our computer people aren't going anywhere," Ventura said to AP.
Messages all over the Internet have helped spark the deluge, including a video posted on YouTube from an irate constituent.
"I want you to get up from your chairs, go to the phone, and call your congressman, call the White house, e-mail them, fax them," the constituent said. "I want you to e-mail and send a fax to the White House. By midnight tonight, I want millions of e-mails and faxs in the White House and to Congress. I want them wading knee-deep in fax's and e-mails at the White House and in Congress."
