And Ted rocks. He is not there because of his political beliefs, he's just there because he is the subject of a constantly disproved internet rumor.
Posted on 10/10/2001 11:45:06 AM PDT by Gargantua
SHOPPING MALLS ON HALOWEEN ALERT
(NAME DELETED) ...was dating a guy from Afghanistan up until a month ago. She had a date with him around 9/6 and was stood up. She was understandably upset and went to his home to find it completely emptied.
On 9/10, she received a letter from her Afghani boyfriend explaining that he wished he could tell her why he had left and that he was sorry it had to be like that. The part worth mentioning is that he BEGGED her not to get on any commercial airlines on 9/11 and to not to go any malls on Halloween.
As soon as everything happened on the 11th, she called the FBI and has since turned over the letter.
I may be wrong, and I hope I am. However, with one of his warnings being correct and devastating, I'm not willing to take the chance on the second and wanted to make sure that people I cared about had the same information that I did.
FReepers... please refrain from the pattern of flames and nay-saying justifiably generated in historic response to such unsubstantiated postings as this one.
I post this not because I am sure it is valid, but because if it is valid, we all deserve a chance to hear it now. It comes from a dear friend and colleague whom I trust completely. It won’t hurt anyone if they stay out of shopping malls on Halloween, and this turns out to be incorrect.
However, the converse cannot be said, and hence I post this just for an “FYI.”
FReegards
IF grasshoppers had machine guns, the birds wouldn't mess with them.
And if my aunt had any balls, she’d be my uncle.
sw
Wish I could do that when I get bored.
Description: Email rumor
Status: Unsubstantiated
Circulating since: October 2001
Analysis: See below
Comments: A frightening rumor indeed, but it's crucial to remember that in the absence of substantiating evidence or confirmation from authorities it is only that: a rumor.
This is one of those rare cases where the name and contact information of the actual author of a such a widely forwarded email appears intact on most copies of the text. We have spoken to that author, Laura Katsis, who told us she passed the information on to friends because she believed it to be true.
However, in classic "I heard it from a friend of a friend" fashion, Ms. Katsis admits she is not personally acquainted with the woman from whom the information itself originated. This by no means proves the claims false, but it does give us very good reason to be skeptical until information from more credible sources is available.
And we've already heard from fellow FReepers that this baloney has been traveling around the Internet. Wow.
Let me guess: this dear friend forwards you every piece of e-mail she gets, right, and neglects to delete everyone's e-mail addresses from the forwarded mail, am I getting close? I'll bet she also sends you a lot of virus alerts, little "shits-n-giggles" news stories, and poems written by people with junior high reading levels. Sound like your dear friend?
I will bite my tongue and refrain from making remarks which include the following phrase, "you've got to be," followed by the phrase, "one of the dumbest people I've ever met on FR."
Last year I felt a strange premonition and warned Jesse Jackson to Stay Out Da Bushes!
And for this Halloween, I have a strange feeling that nobody should go trick-or-treating wearing an arab headress and a gasmask!
Feel free to spread my accomplishments and warnings around the world.
And Ted rocks. He is not there because of his political beliefs, he's just there because he is the subject of a constantly disproved internet rumor.
After reading some of the skeptical replies you've gotten, I'd like to caution that terrorist attacks are made all the much easier because responsible people ignore strange patterns of activity and tips.
If you know your information is a hoax, shame on you. But if there is no way for me to verify the information, and I ignore you, and people (including my children) get hurt, shame on me. We each have to make our own decisions based on the facts we have and follow up in the way we see fit. Some choose posting of derisive comments. Others will try to get the facts. And others will simply ignore any information that doesn't fit their own little paradigms.
I'm the Afghani who she dated.
The warning to stay out of malls on Halloween is not because of terrorism, but because nothing is more terrifying than Bratty High-school-age Mall Rats. The ones with the Big Hair are the scariest.
I laughed at this so hard, I bit my tongue. I'm sending you the ER bill.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.