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More email hoaxing...

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While I'm on the subject of email hoaxes, I thought I'd address another of these pernicious lies that seem to start with a randomly forwarded email. They then come to take on a life of their own where they become "true" because everyone agrees after having read the same email and failed to even take the most basic checks on it.

This time, I'm talking about the persistent lie about the Presidential dollar coins. I've been forwarded this email twice, both times having been disappointed that the sender (same person) failed to fact check, and apparently forgot that I already replied as to the untruth of the email.

The substance of the email claims that, first, the national motto "In God We Trust" has been removed from the new dollar coins, and it is such an outrage that everyone should refuse them if offered. Further, in the conspiracy-mindset of many in this country, they claim that this is yet another strike in the liberal-atheist "war" on all forms of religion, especially the Christian one.

But wait, put down your pitchforks and torches, this is certainly a false alarm. Snopes.com calls false on this one. Even looking at the coins themselves disproves it, but apparently no one in the email chain thought to even look before they passed it on in righteous indignation.

"In God We Trust", along with "E Pluribus Unum" is inscribed on the side of the coin.

Go figure.

If you ever happen to get this email, but sure to respond and correct the well-meaning but overly-zealous sender. They may or may not believe you (a family member, even upon being showed the coin, still thought it was part of the conspiracy because it would "wear off" faster on the side).

Who sits down and writes these stupid, inane emails?

Oh, and by the way, the email also asks which of the presidents on the dollar coins (the ones pictured are all early Presidents, mostly Founding Fathers) put the motto on and is being shamed and insulted by having it removed. The answer is none of them; the motto was not adopted until the 1950's. Ignorance is bliss, until it meets reality.
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Comments

  1. KremerJanuary 24, 2011 at 3:49 PM

    It was put on the coin, and put in the Pledge, because of all those dirty UnAmerican Communist Atheists. lolz

    You should make it possible to post comments here using a FB account.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brady ClemensJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:16 PM

    I would love to, but I am unaware as to how to make it so...

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    VomSion: Can you here me now?

    ReplyDelete

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