REAL OR HOAX?

REAL OR HOAX? Every day we receive forwarded chain e-mails with outrageous claims ranging from how information about the Holocaust has been removed from educational curriculum in Great Britain to the latest one about the White House sending out a letter that there would not be a Christmas tree this year but it would be called a holiday tree. I don’t understand why people forward these e-mails without checking their validity. It is very easy to type a few words of the e-mail into Google and see the results on ww.hoaxbuster.com or www.snopes.com. Rush Limbaugh got tricked last week when he quoted a fictitious blog article that claimed that President Obama had criticized the Constitution, the Founding Fathers and the country’s distribution of wealth in a college thesis titled, “Aristocracy Reborn.” “While political freedom is supposedly a cornerstone of the document, the distribution of wealth is not even mentioned," read the fake report on Obama's Columbia University thesis, referring to the Constitution. "While many believed that the new Constitution gave them liberty, it instead fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy." Later in his broadcast program, Limbaugh learned the report was erroneous and told his listeners of his mistake Blogger Michael Leeden had posted the original story on his web site. “The hoax/satire was written in August, so it’s not connected to any current event. I came across it on Twitter, read the blog, found it interesting, and posted on it. I failed to notice that one of the tags was 'satire,'" Leeden wrote in his own defense. Rod Serling, creator of “The Twilight Zone, believed, “It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears.” Which of the two following stories do you think is real and which is fake? Send me an e-mail at Kathy@kathyposner.com with your vote. GIANT ALIEN SNAKES

“According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), nine species of giant snakes alien to North America could become established in the wild and wreak havoc on the ecosystem. National Geographic reports that these snakes can grow longer than 20 feet and weigh over 200 pounds. The slithering giants would be capable of surviving in the wild, and since they breed quickly and lack native predators, they could quickly cause trouble in U.S. ecosystems.

Some of these snakes have already infiltrated Florida, and the Burmese python could potentially spread to the entire lower third of the U.S. While some of the snakes in question have been known to kill people, the real risk is to ecosystems, which have no defense against the alien invaders.” NAKED IN HIS OWN HOME According to a story from WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., “A Virginia man was busted for indecent exposure after he was caught in the buff. In his own home. Alone. Eric Williamson, 29, got up at 5:30 a.m. Monday and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. He was naked, but he was alone in the Springfield house, so he didn't think it mattered. Wrong. A woman and a 7-year-old boy were cutting through Williamson's front yard from a nearby path. Through his front window, they saw Williamson having coffee in his birthday suit. Fairfax County police showed up and arrested him. Williamson said he had no idea anyone could see him, but police said they believed he wanted to be seen by the public. If convicted, Williamson could face one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. He plans to fight the charge. "If I stood and seemed comfortable in my kitchen, it's natural. It's my kitchen," he told the station. “