Current Netlore: Petitions, Politics & Protest
Internet hoaxes, email rumors and urban legends
Nancy Pelosi Quotes
Circulating via email, purported statements by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi condemning stock market profit-taking and advocating redistribution of wealth via a 100% windfall tax.
National Firefighters Day - Petition
Was this email petition in favor of a National Firefighters Day to honor those who died during the rescue effort after September 11 really written by the son of a fallen fireman?
Nickelodeon Show Promotes 'Gay Lifestyle'
In spite of protests, the show in question already aired on June 18, 2002, rendering this petition drive outdated and pointless.
Nike: 'Sweatshop' Not Allowed on Personalized Shoes
Nike has confirmed that this email exchange between the company and a customer with an agenda really occurred.
'No Fear' Bumper Stickers Are Racist
Email rumor charges that the stickers promote David Duke's National Organization for European American Rights.
Not One Damn Dime Day
'Not One Damn Dime Day' email flier urges citizens to protest the war in Iraq by refusing to spend money on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2005.
NPR / PBS / NEA Petition
"The Case of the Pointless Petition" - a cautionary tale.
One-Time Federal Phone Tax Refund
Email flier accurately describes a one-time IRS tax refund for consumers and businesses who paid a federal excise tax on long-distance phone service between March 2003 and August 2006.
Origin of the Word 'Picnic'
Email contends that the origin of the word "picnic" is connected with lynchings of blacks by white people in America.
Oscar Mayer Refuses to Send Hot Dogs to Marines
Forwarded email urges "patriots" to boycott Oscar Mayer hot dogs because the company allegedly refused to ship its products to U.S. Marines stationed in Iraq.
Pastor Joe Wright's Prayer in the Kansas House of Representatives
Text of 'politically incorrect' prayer given by Pastor Joe Wright before the Kansas House of Representatives in 1996.
Pat Boone: CBS & 60 Minutes Are 'Modern Benedict Arnolds'
Did Pat Boone call CBS and 60 Minutes II 'modern Benedict Arnolds' for their role in revealing the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq?
Pennsylvania Cell Phone Ban
"Legislative brief" circulating via forwarded email claims the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a bill on September 11, 2007 banning cell phone use in moving vehicles.
Pep Boys Firing All Military Employees
Email rumor falsely claims that Pep Boys, the national auto parts chain based in Philadelphia, is summarily firing all reservist and National Guard employees called up for active duty in the Iraq war.
Pepsi Omits 'Under God' in Patriotic Can Promotion
A false and even more pointless variant of the Dr Pepper protest.
Petition Against Appointment of W. David Hager to FDA Panel
Outdated email petition opposes President Bush's appointment of anti-abortion physician Dr. W. David Hager to the FDA Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee.
Petition Against Pascua-Lama Gold Mine
Email petition expresses opposition to a Barrick Gold Corporation mining project in the Andean region of Pascua-Lama calling for the removal of glaciers that supply water to local farmers.
Petition to Deny Social Security Benefits to Illegal Immigrants
Email petition addressed to President Bush advocates a citizenship requirement for immigrants receiving Social Security benefits and other government services.
Petition to Keep English as Primary Language
Email petition addressed to President Bush and others claims the U.S. is in danger of being 'conquered' by Spanish-speaking immigrants and urges the adoption of English as the primary language.
Photo of Pres. Bush Fishing in Flooded New Orleans
Emailed photo purports to show President Bush and his father nonchalantly fishing in the flooded streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Photo of Pres. Bush Hugging Daughter of 9/11 Victim
Emailed photo shows President G.W. Bush hugging 15-year-old Ashley Faulkner, the daughter of 9/11 victim Wendy Faulkner.
The Pledge of Allegiance (Petition)
U.S. Court of Appeals declares the Pledge of Allegiance "unconstitutional." Online petition drives promise to deliver "millions" of names to elected officials in protest.
Post Office Prohibits 'In God We Trust' Posters
Did U.S. post offices in Texas require posters bearing the motto 'In God We Trust' to be removed?
Procter & Gamble Boycott (Homosexual Rights)
American Family Association email flier urges 'pro-family' readers to boycott Procter & Gamble due to the latter's support for repealing Cincinnati's anti-gay rights charter amendment.
Prominent Democrats Born 9 Months After Roswell Incident
Forwarded email names several prominent Democrats supposedly born 9 months after the 'Roswell incident' in 1947.
Racial Indicators in Social Security Numbers
Did the government secretly "color-code" your SSN? Plus, alleged racism in Microsoft software.
Rain Forest Petition
This petition to oppose a deforestation measure before Brazilian Congress is outdated and useless.
Ray Reynolds: The Rest of the Story in Iraq
Emailed letter written by Army National Guard SFC Ray Reynolds while on leave from duty in Iraq notes positive developments in that country since the start of the war.
Religious Broadcasting Petition
This petition, alleging that the FCC is under the spell of atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, is just as false now as it was 25 years ago.
Remus Rodham: A Horse Thief by Another Name
Email euphemistically summarizes the life and times of 'Remus Rodham,' supposedly the great-great uncle of former First Lady Hillary Clinton and a horse thief and train robber to boot.
Rice for Peace
2003 email flier urges recipients who object to a U.S. war with Iraq to send small bags of rice marked "If your enemies are hungry, feed them" to President Bush.
Robin Williams' Plan for Peace
Sarcastic "peace plan" circulating by email since March 2003 is falsely attributed to comedian Robin Williams.
Roll Your Own Blackout
Another email-driven protest, this one advocating power conservation through a voluntary blackout on June 21, 2001.
Rumsfeld to Kennedy: 'You're All Wet'
Satire mistaken for news: Donald Rumsfeld allegedly calls Senator Ted Kennedy "all wet" over accusations that the Bush administration misled the public about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction.
Sarah Palin Banned Books List
Forwarded email purports to list books Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin attempted to have banned from the public library when she was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
Sarah Palin in Bikini with Rifle (Photo)
Emailed image purports to show Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin posing for a photo wearing an American flag bikini and carrying rifle.
Sarah Palin Quotes
Circulating via email, a series of preposterous quotes attributed to Repubican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on the subjects of evolution, oil drilling in ANWR, and Alaskans serving in the military in Iraq.
Save Robby the Military Dog (Petition)
A sincere but misinformed effort to save a Marine Corps attack and detector dog from euthanization.
Save NPR and PBS (It's Real This Time)
AUTHENTIC: 2005 email flier from the political action group MoveOn.org urges recipients to sign an online petition to save NPR and PBS from defunding by Congress.
Send a Christmas Card to the ACLU
Forwarded email urges recipients to bombard the ACLU offices in New York with Christmas cards because "they are working so hard to get rid of Christmas."
Shakira's Anti-Israeli Slur
Did Latin American pop star Shakira really refer to Israelis as "pigs" during an MTV interview?
Starbucks vs. Israel
Is it true that specialty coffee chain Starbucks has closed all its stores in Israel, while still doing business in surrounding Arab countries?
Starbucks Refuses to Donate Coffee to U.S. Marines
Email flier accuses Starbucks of refusing to donate free coffee to U.S. Marines on the, er, grounds that the company is against the Iraq war "and anyone in it."
Starving Dog as Art (Photos)
Forwarded email urges recipients to sign a petition preventing artist 'Habacuc' Guillermo Vargas (aka 'Habakkuk') from participating in the Central American Biennial of Art because he created an exhibition in which a stray dog was allegedly starved to death in the name of art.
Statue of Liberty Is a Tribute to Black Slaves
Internet rumor prompts new research into Lady Liberty's past.
T. Bubba Bechtol on the Torture of Iraqi Prisoners
Email flier claims T. Bubba Bechtol, supposedly a part-time city councilman in Pensacola, Florida, was ejected from a radio studio for remarks defending the torture of Iraqi prisoners.
A Tale of Two Houses - Gore vs. Bush
Email flier compares the eco-friendliness of Al Gore's Nashville, Tennessee mansion to that of President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Target Bans Salvation Army Bell Ringers
Email fliers criticize Target Corporation for not allowing Salvation Army bell ringers on their premises at Christmas time.
Target Corp. Subsidiary Sells FCUK Brand Products
Email flier criticizes Target Corp. subsidiary Marshall Field's for marketing 'FCUK' brand fragrance and clothing to teenagers.
Target Stores vs. Vietnam Veterans
Does the Target Corporation consider Vietnam Veterans unworthy of its charitable support?
Teresa Heinz Kerry Contributes Money to Radical Left-Wing Causes
Email flier falsely alleges that Teresa Heinz Kerry, heiress to the Heinz catsup fortune and wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, contributes money to radical left-wing political causes.
Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants
Emailed quotation in which Theodore Roosevelt insists that every immigrant must become 'an American, and nothing but an American,' forsaking their native language for English and all other flags for the American flag.
Thomas Sowell on the Presidential Candidates
Bigoted, poorly written email rant attributed to conservative black columnist Thomas Sowell trashes Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Tom Daschle's Left-Handed Flag Salute
A Photoshop prank circulating since September 2002 purports to show Democratic senator Tom Daschle saluting the flag with the wrong hand.
Tommy Hilfiger Made Racist Statements on Oprah
That's what the email rumor claims, at any rate. This outright lie dates back several years.
The 'Truth' About Martin Luther King
Forwarded email purports to reveal "Four Things You Didn't Know About Martin Luther King, Jr."
Tyson Foods Drops Labor Day for Muslim Holiday
Forwarded emails say a Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Tennessee has dropped the traditional Labor Day holiday for its workers in favor of a paid day off on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
U.N. Petition to Stop World War III
This email petition purports to originate from the United Nations, which, curiously enough, disavows all knowledge of it.
Veterans' Dividend Hoax
Bogus offer to U.S. veterans involving alleged dividends on insurance policies.
Wall Street Bailout as Nigerian Scam
"Dear American, I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude."
Wal-Mart Contributes 5% of Sales to Homosexual Group
Email flier from the American Family Association claims Wal-Mart contributes 5% of its sales to a homosexual group promoting same-sex marriage.
Wal-Mart Makes Employees Pay for Flag Displays
Is Wal-Mart too greedy and unpatriotic to pay for American flag displays at its stores?
Wal-Mart Partners with Gay Marriage Group
Email flier notifies Christians that retail giant Wal-Mart has formed a partnership with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
WWII Memorial Inscription Omits 'So Help Us God' from Roosevelt Speech
Email flier claims the words 'so help us God' were purposely omitted from the World War II Memorial inscription of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous 'Day of Infamy' speech.
Yahoo Messenger Petition
It was only a matter of time...
