Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"I love humanity; it's people I can't stand." -- Linus van Pelt in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz (born 1922-11-26, died 2000-02-12)

I just found out that Congress is considering a law to ban urban legends. "The bill would punish individuals who create or spread this type of information. Penalties range from fines of $500 for sending an urban legend e-mail to 90 days in jail for creating and publishing one." While I do get tired of debunking the various hoaxes that are forwarded to me by friends and relatives, I have to agree with the ACLU on this one: "The ACLU contends that this law would violate free speech rights. 'Congress cannot limit constitutionally guaranteed rights, just because they are too dumb to realize something is a piece of fiction. We are confident the law will be overturned,' said Chief Counsel Elliott Spence." It's also not clear from the article whether traditional, pre-email methods of urban legend would be penalized, nor whether scholarly discussion of urban legends by folklorists and sociologists would be exempted. This could be as big a threat to the Internet as the email-tax! This is important, folks. Go check out the link and read it very carefully, then take appropriate action! And don't forget to read the fine print at the very bottom of the page for crucial contact info to voice your opposition to this bill.