I am SO tired of people who start stuff that’s not fully true and then scare others into passing along their “info” full of half truths.

Case in point, I just got this email:

Now you know “the rest of the story”… Unfortunately the damage has been done.

———————————————————————–

This is unbelievable

Be sure and watch this video which was not allowed in America .

This video shows that George Bush tried to warn Congress in 2002 that this economic crisis was coming, if something was not done. But congress refused to listen, along with Barney Franks. This video says it all.

Also that the liberal AMERICAN media did not want this video on You Tube, so they had Time Warner threaten a law suit (proprietary rights) if it was not taken off.

This link is of the same video but is routed through Canada . Everyone in America needs to see this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM&NR=1


Can you already see how laughable that is? I’m not even talking about the merits of the video…. I mean, whatever. I’m just looking at the email itself. Whoever first wrote this claims that the video is “not allowed” in America (therefore censored), even though it obviously came from American station Fox News. (Don’t let the blue bar at the top fool you, that was added later by the person who uploaded the video.)

They also claim that the link is “routed through Canada” (what the heck?) but it’s clearly just another YouTube link that does nothing but take you to the video.

The email claims that “the American liberal media did not want this video on You Tube, so they had Time Warner threaten a law suit (proprietary rights) if it was not taken off.” Now, I could be wrong about this, but from what I can tell Fox News is owned by Fox Entertainment Group which is a subsidiary of News Corporation which has its roots in, I believe, Australia. From what I can tell, they have no connection to Time Warner, especially not in the way to make Time Warner the owner of the copyright on the video. Looks like Time Warner owns AOL, New Line Cinema, Time Inc., HBO, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW, UBU Productions, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Cartoon Network, CNN, DC Comics, Mohawk Productions, and more… but, gasp, no Fox News! Therefore, Time Warner would have no rights to bring forth a lawsuit about some video from Fox News being on YouTube! Not to mention, even if I’m wrong and they do own copyright, all they have to do is serve a DMCA and YouTube will automatically yank the video, no lawsuit needed.

Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised if the person who started the email was the same one that uploaded his video and is purposely trying to scare people into watching some big conspiracy just for his YouTube views/ratings.

I know these are small potatoes, but it’s been really bad lately. I’ve been getting tons of emails like this. Of course, I never forward them, I always check them out, and I sometimes respond with proper information. Also recently I’ve received one that said if you are ever being held up at the ATM, enter your pin in backwards and it will call the police (omg!!11!!1!!). Not. True. Apparently some dude tried to pass a law like that but it was deemed non-effective. (Try thinking of your pin backwards when you’re under stress, at gunpoint, or knife point, or whatever. Yeah, can you even remember your pin forwards? Not to mention by the time the cops get there, he’s either gone or you’re dead or both.) And it took me all of 2 seconds to find this out on Google. Then there was the heartwarming story I got about the mother tiger who lost all her baby tigers and was in depression so the zoo found some motherless pigs, put them in baby tiger fur and miraculously, the mother tiger nursed them! That one turned out to be real as far as the photos went, but fake in that it was just some gimic by a Southeast-area Asian zoo! A form of entertainment.

Now I love the people that forward me this stuff. I really do. Most are family. I just wish that they would stop a second and run a search on whatever it is. Any phrase plus “Snopes” will do it! Then if it’s incorrect, don’t pass it on!

Oh, well. I could have griped about this tonight or you could listen to me rant about Craigslist people again who don’t listen and keep emailing us saying, “I’m interested in xxx call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx” when our listing clearly states NOT to do that, that we can tell you anything you need to know via email. (Steve does not have the time to sit and return all these phone calls and start getting in a phone tag game with these people who are probably just going to try and scam him anyway. After all, he’d rather spend his precious few hours between work and/or school or tutoring and bed time with his family, ya know?)