The things you get in e-mails never cease to amaze me.
I checked my e-mail today, as usual, and received one that was titled, “DR. DOBSON’S PLEA FOR ACTION.” Upon reading it I was moved by the information which was presented. In short, Madalyn Murray O’Hair was petitioning the FCC to remove all content that has the word “God” in it. This would include church services and a show entitled, “Touched by an Angel”. The e-mail asked the reader to sign the petition and forward it to others.
Being in the I.T. industry for ten years, I am skeptical of all e-mails, especially ones that ask to be forwarded. So what am I to do? ‘Snope‘ it of course!
While doing my research I was shocked that I didn’t know who Madeline Murray O’Hair was. She was the forerunner in the anti-god movement that started in the sixties. in 1963, through her efforts the Supreme Court banned all organized prayer in schools. As a Christian I knew this happened but was not aware of who Madalyn Murray O’Hair whas or her participation in the ruling.
Was Madalyn Murray O’Hair still at work with anti-god actions? Not at all, matter of fact, in 1995, Madalyn Murray O’Hair went to be with her maker, whom she didn’t believe existed.
The FCC petition that was referred to in the e-mail was defeated in August of 1975! So the e-mail was a complete hoax that was preying(no pun intended) on peoples good intentions. It just goes to show that we should never believe an e-mail that has a petition on it (what makes a signature on a petition valid is the signature and a valid postal address therefore e-mail petitions are really of little value to the powers that be) or asks to be forwarded.
Madalyn Murray O’Hair was the focus of a mystery for over five years. In 1995, she along with her son and granddaughter came up missing from her home one morning. They were taken in a conspiracy that involved the extortion of money from her fortune made from her anti-god efforts (go figure!). There is even talks that she had stashed millions of dollars in foreign accounts.
Nearly three decades — and more than 10 million letters, e-mails and phone calls later — the agency that deregulated the telecommunications industry and helped usher in the communications revolution seems to have met defeat in its fight against this one rumor. Since 1974 — when the rumor first surfaced — the commission has spent untold dollars and employee time responding to citizens worried that the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the leader of a well-known atheist movement, is trying to halt all religious references on the radio and TV.
Just to be clear: There is no O’Hair broadcast petition. In fact, O’Hair — the founder of American Atheists Inc., best known for championing a ban on prayer in schools — has been dead since 1995.
Nothing else at the FCC rivals this rumor, in both its longevity and its bizarre ability to withstand the commission’s repeated attempts to convey the truth. Every year, around Christmas and Easter, something breathes new life into it. Last month, the FCC received 108 O’Hair-related correspondences. In October, it received 249, in September, 124, and in August, 91.
It’s nothing short of exasperating for K. Dane Snowden, who heads the FCC’s consumer bureau and wishes he could finally dispel the rumor.
“It is one of the most fascinating urban myths that continues to grow. The FCC has no authority to ban religious programming. It literally is a myth,” he said.
Source: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/enf/forms/rm-2493.html, http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/fcc.asp, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madalyn_Murray_O%27Hair
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