Email Hoaxes

What is it about email that makes people who are for the most part, normal people, suddenly become totally irresponsible gossipers? This past week alone I have received 3 emails that were lies.

1. Starbucks refused free product to G.I.s serving in Iraq, saying it didn't support the war and anyone in it. This statement from Starbucks should set the record straight on their position to our military personnel.

"Starbucks has the deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel. We are extremely grateful to the men and women who serve stateside or overseas. We sincerely appreciate that they are willing to risk their lives to protect Americans and our values of freedom and democracy."

If anyone would bother to read further on the Starbucks homepage under the Corporate Social responsibility section before hitting the forward button, they might also have found this jewel of information about the supposedly anti-American, coffee hoarding Starbucks chain.

"Additionally, we are humbled that the troops request Starbucks coffee. To enhance our partners' outstanding grassroots efforts in support of the U.S. military troops, Starbucks is honored to extend our relationship with the American Red Cross in order to provide more coffee to relief efforts during times of conflict. We are pleased to donate 50,000 lbs of coffee to the American Red Cross for distribution to those troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. The Company is making this contribution through the American Red Cross as part of its long-term, ongoing commitment to share the comfort of coffee during times of crisis."

50,000 pounds of donated coffee. Call me crazy if you want, but to me that doesn't sound like "Starbucks refused free product to G.I.s serving in Iraq, saying it didn't support the war on anyone in it."

I responded to the person who sent this email with the web address where they could verify it was indeed a hoax and get the facts for himself. So far, there has not been a second email sent out correcting the mistake - or if there was, I didn't get that one.

2. A 9-year-old girl named Penny Brown is missing......the email goes on to makes a heartfelt plea that "It only takes 2 seconds to forward this on, if it was your child, you would want all the help you could get." That last part is certainly true - I would be frantic for help. However, it is also true that it only took me about 15 seconds to find out there is no missing child named Penny Brown, nobody can even seem to put a name to the girl in the picture which accompanied the email and there was no need to pass it on.

I responded to the person who sent this email with the web address where they could verify it was indeed a hoax. There was not a second email sent out correcting their mistake - or if there was, I didn't get that one either.

So I don't know if these people did correct their previous email or if they are just OK with the fact that they are spreading rumors.

and lastly,

3. This is what OUR gasoline money buys. This email is accompanied by approximately 15 pictures (I pity the person with dial up) that show a luxurious palace in which the sender also has written (or in this case forwarded) "in case you are wondering what hotel this is, it isn't a hotel at all. It is a HOUSE!

Then you scroll through a series of pictures designed to enrage you against the sheik and I suppose his country for having oil to sell to America. It took me a few more seconds to check this out - mainly because I had to keep flipping screens to see how to spell Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayn, but in under a minute, I had determined that this was not the Sheik's house, but it indeed a HOTEL. The very thing the email pointed out in BOLD that it wasn't.

The HOTEL had a lovely web page, with the same pictures, including the many limousines that were supposed to be the sheiks, for their limousine service. The hotel had the "sheik's" pool, his bathrooms, everything.

Having experienced the lack of correction on the other two emails, I took no chances and replied to everyone who had gotten this email with the correct information.

Some emails are designed to inform you. Some emails are designed to amuse you and some are designed to enrage you - and it is the last ones that we need to be especially cautious about.

It is somewhat irritating to me that we are supposed to be angry about what OUR gasoline money buys. Other countries have oil. We want it. We pay the price. If you personally don't like the price of gasoline - stay home. Walk. Ride a bike. So many options. You can always take the path my dad did when gas prices went up. That worked out so well for him. I have stayed home from trips because of the price of gas. You weigh out if spending the money for gas is worth the trip and make a decision based on your circumstances. You don't try to stir up trouble by sending false emails to everyone you know with the instructions to pass it on.

I'm betting if the people that sent this email were the oil barons, that they would not feel accountable to the general public for how they spend their money. So if this did, in fact, turn out to be the sheik's house - well, it is his money and he is accountable to God on what he does with it - not to the American public.

I haven't seen any emails of professional athletes, movie stars or famous singers arrested for drugs sent around with the subject line - "this is what OUR movie ticket money bought for him to snort" or "look what OUR CD money bought for her" or, "here's how MY souvenir jersey money was spent." I haven't received any emails of their houses with that subject line. Where are those? Why aren't we irritated about that? Why is it only about other countries with whom we have tenacious relationships with that we are supposed to be angry?

Why? To cause conflict. To stir up unrest. To make our nation more on edge - ready to fight.

So if you are a person who blindly thinks that if it comes in an email, then it must be true......

if you are a person who automatically forwards things because the email tells you to......

if you are a person who doesn't bother to check anything out before you pass it on......then

QUIT being so stupid. STOP your gossiping. QUIT spreading rumors, propaganda and lies. STOP trying to create discord and dissension. QUIT slandering people.

CHECK your facts.

It's simple to do. If I can do it - anyone can.