When Mother Nature isn’t cruel enough, some fool creates a mirror website of CNN and spreads what appears to be a false rumor that a group called Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MECha) was claiming responsibility.  Making matters worse, the rumor has spread with some very reputable bloggers (and some not so reputable and a few “unknowns” - at least to me), running with the ball.  Its a hoax people!  And its being spread by people without checking facts.  This one made a correction thankfully given its large readership.  Corrective action is always admirable.  Another retraction came from this one, even if grudgingly inexplicably, so.

COMMENT:  I find that the real tragedy and lunacy of this HOAX is that people were quickly willing to believe a post that perpetuated the HOAX, spread it, believe it, use it as justification of their inborn hatreds - how many people read the BOGUS “information” about MECha and then immediately agreed and started calling them all sorts of names?  All too many, that’s how many!  So it leads to a conclusion of utter stupidity by a commentor to one of the perpetuating sites, even after the HOAX was somewhat corrected.  Here is what this intelligent human being wrote:  “You know…maybe the important thing here is that even though the site is a hoax, the threat was believable. Consider _that_!” Ladies and gentlemen, we need to be afraid for this Country if people, even after being told that hoaxed information was spread (inadvertantly, if albeit sloppily), then go on and justify it based on their own prejudices.

Using a website titled CNNheadlienews.com (note the spelling of headline - aside from the fact that the real CNN Headline News’ URL is http://www.cnn.com/HLN/), the hoax makes a travesty of the law enforcement effort to determine who is actually responsible for the tragic and horrific fire that has claimed lives, property and displaced millions of people.  This also does an injustice to the Hispanic community by falsely spreading information that a group such as this could have set Southern California ablaze.

While I truly dislike CNN as a news source, this is the real article on CNN.com -  Fire chief: 25,000-acre blaze was set

ORANGE COUNTY, California (CNN) — One of the larger fires in Southern California was deliberately started by someone with apparent knowledge of arson, a fire official said Thursday.

artsantiagogi.jpg

Firefighter Luke Perisin sets a backfire Wednesday against the Santiago Fire in Live Oak Canyon, California.

The Santiago Fire in Orange County was started in two places along a little-traveled road, according to Chief Chip Prather of the county’s fire authority.

The fire, which has burned more than 25,000 acres, was started in brush just off Santiago Canyon Road, not close to homes. It spread rapidly, indicating the arsonist had some knowledge of winds and other factors.

“It is a confirmed arson. There was evidence found at the scene. That is the purpose of our early declaration of it being an arson-caused fire,” Prather said. He would not describe the evidence.

Personally, I think that in what can only be described as the Internet syndrome, there are people who are reading the hoaxed information and then believing it.  This follows today’s earlier reports of Fox being irresponsible:  California Firestarters Killed & Arrested - Idiots at Fox Spread Rumors and my first post on this subject, Southern California Fires - Natural Disaster, Not Terrorism

Technorati , ,
Powered by Gregarious (42)
Share This Sphere: Related Content