Gullible.

This is my rant for the hour. We've had about a decade or so to get really proficient at the e-mail and internet thing. Some of us even have grandmothers who are quite adept at the forwarding of e-jokes and such. (Shout-out to "Nanny Peepot"--also known as Evelyn Philpot--Shannon Williams' grandmother...for those of you who need an introduction!) Heck, these days even children are easily navigating the web. (Shout-out to my nephew, Logan, who is a genius. And I brag because he's mine and I love him.) Insert picture here:
(Libbey & Logan, Georgia Aquarium, June '07)

Young or aged, the fact is most of us have a "lick of sense," as we are fond of saying in the deep south. Why is it, though, that there are still those people who completely believe every forward and/or sob-story they receive via e-mail? Talk about a lack of a lick of sense! Just this morning I received a message informing me that if I pray to God, forward the e-mail to 9 of my closest friends and really believe with all my heart, my phone would ring within 2 minutes. It took 2 seconds to hit the delete button. I pray...I have more than 9 close friends...and I really believe (in Jesus, that is). End of story. Why do ya gotta involve the computer in all this?

People, let's get serious and face facts...neither Bill Gates nor Steve Jobs is standing by waiting for you to forward their "tracking" e-mails so that they can send a nice monetary reward for your efforts. There are thousands of sick children all across the world...can't we just pray for them? That would mean far more than a mere message forward. Applebee's and Macy's aren't giving out free giftcards if you post an ad on your My Space page. And that nice gentleman from Africa who wants to give you a percentage of his fat check if you'll just wire him some money first? He doesn't exist. Except in some tenement complex in Brooklyn, and he's actually a dude named G-Money...and he's smoking a fat doobie that YOU helped fund. Yeesh, people. Wake up and get a clue, please!

So, as I climb down from my enormous soap box, let's just remember to use whatever bit of common sense God has bequeathed. And please don't forward any of these needy e-mails to me. I get tired of hitting delete! Feel free to drop me a line, ask about children, inquire about my health. Or if you're a super-geek, let's discuss the newest Losties...that's a way to warm my heart.
YES! Jeff Fahey is now on the island as pilot Frank Lapidus. Fahey ROCKS!

And this is all I have for now. The soapbox is empty...climb on board if you wish and rant away.