Stupid, stupid email, part two

[roguevalley]

I get a lot of stinkers from my uncle but this one left me gasping more than usual:

Anyone remember this??

No one should ever forget !!!!!!

It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan Administration. There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning! He was being drilled by a senator; "Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?"

Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir."

The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience, "Isn't that just a little excessive?"

"No, sir," continued Ollie.

"No? And why not?" the senator asked.

"Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir."

"Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned.

"By a terrorist, sir" Ollie answered.

"Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?"

"His name is Osama bin Laden, sir" Ollie replied.

At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. Why are you so afraid of this man?" the senator asked.

"Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of", Ollie answered.

"And what do you recommend we do about him?" asked the senator.

"Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth."

The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that was shown of the clip.

(a clip of the WTC burning appeared here)

By the way, that senator was Al Gore!

Also:

Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners."

(Burning WTC picture was here)

However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands, The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released.

Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified.

(Burning WTC picture was here)

It was censored in the US from all later reports.

If you agree that the American public should be made aware of this fact, pass this on.

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Oliver North one is false according to Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/north.htm

[roguevalley]

2. I would tell my uncle but he's retarded and beyond hope.

[CBHagman]

16. Even North debunked it!

Oliver North, the U.S. Senate, various urban legend websites, and others have debunked that thing within an inch of its life. Don't feel you have to apologize for pointing out that it's all lies.

Even the U.S. Senate covers it in FAQs.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/Oliver_North.shtml













"Is it true that . . . Oliver North said during the 1987 Iran-Contra hearings that Osama bin Laden had threatened his life?


"The answer is no. This Internet hoax says that under questioning from an unidentified senator, Col. Oliver North said he had a home security system installed because a terrorist had threatened him and his family. When asked who this terrorist was, Col. North said it was Osama bin Laden.

"The facts: Oliver North testified about a home security system during a July 7, 1987 joint Senate-House hearing on the Iran-Contra investigation. The questioner was not a senator, but committee counsel John Nields. Col. North testified the security system was installed because threats were made on his life by terrorist Abu Nidal."

More links:

http://truthminers.com/hoaxarticles/oliver_north.htm

Even conservative Republicans get into the act of debunking:

http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/lindachavez/2002/01/22/162203.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/oliver-north

Uncle Whoever has NO EXCUSE for spreading this manure. Call him on it!

[bluestateguy]

3. Al Gore was not on that committee

He had nothing to do with the Iran-Contra hearings.

That e-mail has been sent around for three years, and I guess there are plenty of stupid people who just eat it all up.

I had a student last year (who used to doodle pictures in class) who insisted that Saddam Hussein paid money to the 9/11 hijackers. After he said that, I realized why Bush was ahead in most of the polls.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. So is the Atta one

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/atta.htm

Read 'em and weep, Uncle!! :evilgrin:

[tenshi816]

5. The one about Mohammad Atta is false too.

It was a different Atta: http://www.snopes.com/rumors/atta.htm

[DRoseDARs]

6. I love how the $16,000 system has blossomed into a $60,000 system. nt

[Neil Lisst]

7. Ollie got caught stealing and he made up a story.

Ollie got caught using gov. money to put in a security system. He claimed some terrorist was after him, when he got called about it.

I believe it was Abu-Nidal, though, and certainly NOT Osama. Osama was working for Ollie et al then.

[ck4829]

8. Ollie helped terrorists worldwide

He's friends with them.

[Vickers]

9. "He was being drilled by a senator"

:rofl:

Senator Gannon?

[tsuki]

10. Hit reply all, and then mildly rebuke your uncle for not checking

sources before he sends out emails. Include the link to snopes. And if anyone objects to the truth, claim you hit the wrong button. You meant to hit reply.

I don't get these emails anymore.

[xchrom]

11. lol -- ollie HELPED terrorists -- not the other way around.

[zbdent]

12. Not only untrue, but

Ollie himself is getting tired of having to prove this one to be bogus . . .

[ET Awful]

13. Hell, anyone who knows the slightest bit of history wouldn't even need

Snopes to disprove this.

In 1987, Bin Laden had not even formed Al Qaida, nor had he begun his "jihad" against the US. His hatred of the US was spurred by the stationing of US troops in Saudia Arabia which he considered to be infidels occupying the holiest of Islamic holy places.

In fact, in 1987, Bin Laden was still part of the US funded mujahadin fighting soviet forces in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, if I recall properly, 1987 was the year that the tide turned against Soviet forces as the mujahadin started using US manufactured shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles which wrought havok on Soviet helicopters and planes.

[gratuitous]

14. Does your uncle know they took the word "gullible" out of the dictionary?

It's true! I read it in an email.

[CBHagman]

15. Anyone with casual knowledge of recent history...

...would spot that as a fake instantly. Snopes debunked that e-mail literally years ago, so I won't go into that, but you can check their website or any other urban legend website.


First off, the concerns in the '80s were Central America, Lebanon, and the Soviet Union, plus Afghanistan, not al Qaeda. There was no al Qaeda. There were the mujaheddin ("holy fighters") in Afghanistan, who also wanted the Soviets out, just as we did.

Secondly, one focus was on releasing hostages, which for the Reagan administration (its claims to the contrary) involved trading weapons for hostages. Weapons went to Iran (surprise, surprise).

Don't forget that the U.S. was, after a fashion, backing Saddam Hussein. Yes, he got weapons from us, too -- which The Washington Post helpfully pointed out before the invasion. Yet the GOP has the gall to deify Reagan AND claim indignation about the poison gas attacks against the Kurds.

Thirdly, Al Gore wasn't on the Iran-contra committee. That's another way you can spot that e-mail as a fake: it makes North out to be a hero and implies Gore was cowardly and short-sighted. :eyes:

There's more, and I've gotten into more than intended here, but that's the gist. Do consider e-mailing everyone your uncle forwarded that nonsense to. They may get mad and claim you're attacking their patriotism, but it's really only delusion and ignorance you fight.