Did You Snope Today?

It is a gorgeous July day, partly sunny, partly stormy, with enough heat to make for a sauna-like forecast and lots of cold showers. I never expected that one of these cold showers would be in an email.

I clicked on the email from one of our local activists. He is a dynamo and someone I thought I had really connected with on many levels. He seemed to be going in a very positive direction channeling concerned citizens into constructive community projects from cleanup to attending council meetings. Imagine my surprise to open and find that I was being implored to "send to 20 or more" of my friends because this was so important. What the heck? I felt a chill...

I started reading and then got as steamed up as the July afternoon.

Connecting with friends and businesses is taken for granted if you have a computer. Writing notes are now emails and shopping is no longer physical because you can shop on line. We seem to deal in fast results, instant contact, instant information, sometimes passing on items without a second thought because something makes us mad, inspires us, or is just so funny that you have to share with your bsf.

Today you can look anything up. Writers don't need to keep index card notes. Cooks don't need to keep huge recipe files. Students can find courses and even class notes on line.

Remembering lots of detail doesn't seem to be such a problem now, even if you are a senior and worrying about forgetfullness. (I forgot my keys...so do I have Alzheimers? My doctor tells me that if I forget the keys, not to worry, but if I forget what they are supposed to do....that means a problem.)

We have become demanding and casual in this instant world. Along the way we may have lost the sense of responsibility that goes with decent human interaction. When an email comes in that seems to be just right, relevant to a current social issue or event, something that you really connect with, have to share....please reconsider.

Please check it out.

We are heading into the lazy dog days of summer that will shortly morph into the election-driven days of autumn. The September and October days will be energized by electioneering controversy and for sure there are going to be emails.

When someone you know sends you a post, you open it because you recognize the address. When a group emails you representing a political interest, they will likely be spamm. It seems to me that we have to be vigilant and start now to sort out the crap from the shavings.

When you get an email from someone you know and you think they have more brains than to send you political drivel but something nags at you, it is easy enough to check the questionable information out by going to SNOPES.

www.snopes.com/urban legends.

www.snopes.com has cataloged rumors and urban fables for years. They can show you instantly if your topic is true or false. Accuracy and truth are tools for every really informed voter, probably more important this year than ever before.

One of the current rumors going around now is a request for a 28th amendment to the Constitution with the intent to overturn the present medical bills passed by Congress. It mentions that our elected officials have elected themselves exemptions from law and not beholding to the new plan provisions or even to various laws of sexual harassment, etc. Snopes shoots that down in a hurry and even gives the background that led to the current rumor going around the internet.

Most rumors do die down after a while. Then, thanks to the internet, someone will find one, send it to a friend who considers the source(the first friend) and then sends it on. Like laundering money, it gets harder and harder to detect the start of the story. That is where Snopes comes in. Snopes has the original version, plus updates, so Snopes can tell you what is true and what is false.

Remember the story about praying for the demise of Governor Christie? That joke made the rounds when President Obama was running and the Republicans had used it to pray for "favorite President Obama". Back in those days it seems that Republicans did not object to the joke at Democrat expense, but when a Republican is the butt? There was a call for firing the teacher who started the NJ version. Oh, if they had only "Snoped". Snopes had the joke online for almost forever.

So to all my friends, (especially those of the conservative bent who seem to pass on so much of this stinky stuff) I suggest that you either delete me from this baloney, or look it up first and tell the folks who sent it to you that they are mistaken.

Snopes rocks!