E-mail needs a 'weird propaganda' filter

[ck4829]

"The amount of e-mail "spam" I get on a given day is enough to make me howl "shut ’em down" anytime someone proposes legislation to make spamming illegal. In fact, the death penalty for spammers is probably something I could support at this point. So this year, I got a "spam filter" that has reduced the spam to a manageable amount.

Nestled in with the off-color jokes, soft-core porn and holiday cards are some of the weirdest pieces of right-wing propaganda I have ever seen.

For example, this came from Z (A pseudonym) last week, along with a photo of several Marines in prayer: "If you look closely at the picture above, you will note that all the Marines pictured are bowing their heads. That’s because they’re praying. This has the ACLU up in arms. ‘These are federal employees,’ says Lucius Traveler, a spokesman for the ACLU, ‘on federal property and on federal time. For them to pray is clearly an establishment of religion, and we must nip this in the bud immediately.’ "

"When asked about the ACLU’s charges, Col. Jack Fessender, speaking for the commandant of the corps, said, ‘Screw the ACLU.’ "

This would be a real indictment of the ACLU if it were true. But it isn’t. The Marines can’t find any record of a Jack Fessender. And the ACLU has not made any protest about soldiers praying and has never had anyone named Lucius Traveler working for them. Also, the ACLU only takes on legal battles when an individual complains that his or her civil liberties have been violated. For example, when they defended Rush Limbaugh after police wanted to examine his medical records while investigating how he had illegally obtained OxyContin.

...

These hoaxes fit right in with the right-wing ideology and do a good job of reinforcing right-wing stereotypes and prejudices: that the ACLU hates America, Christians and soldiers; that poor people are poor because they are lazy and/or black; and that our higher education system is designed to be anti-Christian. And, perhaps most important, it inoculates those who believe these stories from exposure to contradictory information that might challenge their stereotypes and prejudices.

All of these e-mails from Z end with the admonition to "send this to all your friends and everyone in your address book." Listen, friends don’t send friends their spam. I know Z might be well-intentioned in his own weird way, but it doesn’t take more than a minute to research these reports and make sure you aren’t forwarding a hoax. Z, please check out www.truthorfiction.com, hoaxbusters.ciac.org or www.breakthechain.org before hitting the send button. Otherwise I will have to invest in a "sucker-filter" next year."

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2006/Sep/20060919Comm002.asp