Employing the theory that one good viral email campaign deserves another, I've decided to start my own (how hard could it be?).  Just copy-and-paste the message below to start the ball rolling!

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The Truth is Out There!

This year Americans go to the polls to choose a new president. It's an exciting time when we celebrate our freedom by exercising our right to vote for the candidate of our choice.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for learning about the candidates and what they stand for. Unfortunately, this tool can be abused. This year, one candidate in particular has been the victim of a widespread and vicious email campaign to smear him. Viral emails have been forwarded to millions of people which attempt to paint Barack Obama as unpatriotic and unAmerican.

Unfortunately, these emails have taken on a life of their own and many voters have been taken in by them. The ridiculous claims in these emails can be easily refuted, but most people don't take the time to attempt to verify their truthfulness (or lack thereof).

There are many excellent sources of verifiable information on the Internet. One site in particular, Snopes.com, has built a solid reputation by painstakingly researching thousands of viral emails and urban legends in an attempt to either confirm or debunk them. They have catalogued and researched a long list of the negative Obama emails that are floating around on the Internet.

The purpose of this email is to encourage readers to use this valuable resource whenever they want to check out the truthfulness of a message that has landed in their inbox. Click on the link below to access the Barack Obama section:

Snopes

So now it's up to people like you to fight fire with fire. Become a part of this viral email campaign to encourage people to learn the truth about Barack Obama for themselves. Forward this email to everyone you know and encourage them to send it to everyone they know.

Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, Americans' basic sense of fairness demands that a candidate be given a fair hearing. Every campaign has its share of negative advertising and messages, but the sort of blatant deceit and lies represented by the current viral email campaign against Barack Obama should not go unchallenged.

As we have all learned from "The X Files": The Truth is out there. Sometimes it just takes a little excavation to get at it.