You're not the only one who got an African e-mail scam (the sad thing is somebody falls for it).
Powell Explains U.S. Belief in Fake Iraq Documents (2003-03-15) -- Intelligence documents that claimed Iraq had purchased uranium from an African nation may have been false, but Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S. and Britain should not be blamed for believing them.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the documents were "obvious fakes," but Mr. Powell said they seemed genuine at first.
"We received what we thought was sound intelligence," he said. "The document indicated Iraq may have purchased 500 tons of fissionable materials from the African nation."
To further justify the Bush Administration's early belief in the documents, Mr. Powell handed out a copy of one, which took the form of an email. Here is part of the text of the formerly-classified message:
FROM:MRS. M SESE-SEKO
DEAR FRIEND, I AM MRS. SESE-SEKO WIDOW OF LATE PRESIDENT MOBUTU SESE-SEKO? I AM MOVED TO WRITE YOU THIS LETTER, THIS WAS IN CONFIDENCE CONSIDERING MY PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCE AND SITUATION...I ESCAPED ALONG WITH MY HUSBAND AND TWO OF OUR SONS TO ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE WHERE MY FAMILY AND I SETTLED, WHILE WE LATER MOVED TO SETTLED IN MORROCO WHERE MY HUSBAND LATER DIED OF CANCER DISEASE. HOWEVER DUE TO THIS SITUATION WE DECIDED TO WE WERE LEFT WITH MOST OF MY HUSBAND'S COLLECTION OF URANIUM...WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS TO INDICATE YOUR INTEREST THAT YOU WILL ASSIST US BY RECEIVING THE 500 TONS OF URANIUM ON OUR BEHALF...I WANT YOU TO ASSIST IN DELIVERING THIS URANIUM TO SADDAM HUSSEIN, IN BAGHDAD, IRAQ, BUT I WILL NOT WANT MY IDENTITY REVEALED..."
Mrs. Sese-Seko could not be reached for comment.
That my friend is from Scrapple Face, an amusing blog version of the Onion.
As for a demented April Fool's day joke, I was thinking of sending my mother a telegram about me being killed by a landmine, but I'm not that evil :)
As for the Oscars, I really could care less about them. Then again, the Nobel Peace Prize lost all credibility with me when Arafat won it.
humor and e-mails
Powell Explains U.S. Belief in Fake Iraq Documents
(2003-03-15) -- Intelligence documents that claimed Iraq had purchased uranium from an African nation may have been false, but Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S. and Britain should not be blamed for believing them.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the documents were "obvious fakes," but Mr. Powell said they seemed genuine at first.
"We received what we thought was sound intelligence," he said. "The document indicated Iraq may have purchased 500 tons of fissionable materials from the African nation."
To further justify the Bush Administration's early belief in the documents, Mr. Powell handed out a copy of one, which took the form of an email. Here is part of the text of the formerly-classified message:
FROM:MRS. M SESE-SEKO
DEAR FRIEND,
I AM MRS. SESE-SEKO WIDOW OF LATE PRESIDENT MOBUTU SESE-SEKO? I AM MOVED TO WRITE YOU THIS LETTER, THIS WAS IN CONFIDENCE CONSIDERING MY PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCE AND SITUATION...I ESCAPED ALONG WITH MY HUSBAND AND TWO OF OUR SONS TO ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE WHERE MY FAMILY AND I SETTLED, WHILE WE LATER MOVED TO SETTLED IN MORROCO WHERE MY HUSBAND LATER DIED OF CANCER DISEASE. HOWEVER DUE TO THIS SITUATION WE DECIDED TO WE WERE LEFT WITH MOST OF MY HUSBAND'S COLLECTION OF URANIUM...WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS TO INDICATE YOUR INTEREST THAT YOU WILL ASSIST US BY RECEIVING THE 500 TONS OF URANIUM ON OUR BEHALF...I WANT YOU TO ASSIST IN DELIVERING THIS URANIUM TO SADDAM HUSSEIN, IN BAGHDAD, IRAQ, BUT I WILL NOT WANT MY IDENTITY REVEALED..."
Mrs. Sese-Seko could not be reached for comment.
That my friend is from Scrapple Face, an amusing blog version of the Onion.
As for a demented April Fool's day joke, I was thinking of sending my mother a telegram about me being killed by a landmine, but I'm not that evil :)
As for the Oscars, I really could care less about them. Then again, the Nobel Peace Prize lost all credibility with me when Arafat won it.