Battle of the Bilge

And not the constitution?

BotB Verdict

Average Number of Times Received Daily at MOAA: 2

Summary
This highly forwarded email cites a source that claims the Department of Defense is concerned about White House requests for military recruits and officers to make their pledge to President Obama, instead of the Constitution.

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This Can’t Be True, Can It?
Every day in MOAA’s Member Service Center, we field hundreds of emails from members, spouses, enlisted personnel, and concerned citizens. A good portion of these messages are forwards that they received from mass mailings that they are either passing on the information or asking if there is any truth to the content. Although this has always been a large part of the MSC’s interaction with our members, the election of President Barack Obama has increased the volume of viral messaging dramatically.

What is Battle of the Bilge and What Should You Expect to See?
Consider BotB your fact brigade on all things military related (plus other issues if interesting enough). We will take what we receive from our members and sift through them to find new and old mass emails and run them through logic, source and history reviews to help you find out what is reliable and what is bilge. We will update this blog with a classic and a current bilge item weekly or whenever there are hot button issues and by special investigation requests. You can contact us when you receive something you’re not so sure about by emailing bilge@moaa.org

Why Are So Many Viral Emails Military Related?
The military community has always been an extremely integral part of American politics. Although not an overly significant statistical voting base, the influence of the community goes far beyond just numbers. A huge portion of our nation has someone in their family or group of friends that provide military service and are keen to follow issues affecting them closely. Conversely, political parties use military issues as steroids in patriotic hard ball. ‘Support the troops’ is not just a motto of the intelligent, it is a weapon of the ambitious cynic. Partisan forces use the American populace’s passion and integrity to spread falsehoods and influence elections.

There are a few other reasons that military issues are transmitted in email form in a disproportional fashion. The retired military community is one of the fastest growing group of inter net and email users, and the ability to efficiently share information on a broad scale makes any spark turn into an e-fire within days. The current political reality of Democratic control of the Presidency and Congress makes this phenomena even more prevalent given the traditionally conservative leanings of viral emails.

What is Our Verdict System?
Along with analysis of the email and links to further information, we will summarize each item with an overall verdict (shown below in order of false to true):


No question that the story is false, and we’ve been able to track it back enough to be sure.

Although elements of the story are true, the source and/or events are fabrications or misrepresentations of reality.

Either the issue is an urban legend that can’t be confirmed or denied, or there’s just not that much information available.

Although the contents of the original email are correct, events have overtaken the issue or the problem has been resolved.

Most of the content of the email is generally correct, but some elements are made up or exaggerated.

As close to a ‘true’ story as can be possible on the internet. These have been passed on from verifiable sources and have had limited injection of personal statements.

Preemptive Apology and Request for Discussion
While this blog is an attempt to dispel rumors and myths, and we will be making every attempt to remain non-partisan, these are by nature contentious issues. It is not our intention to offend anyone, and we welcome discussions and feedback. MOAA members are some of the most intelligent, worldly and experienced citizens in the nation, and there’s no telling how much influence we can collectively exert on the web to fight back against the spread of bilge.

You Can Help
Remember that forwarding a message you read but are unsure of without checking the available resources helps contribute to the Bilge.  Help us battle it, and if you haven’t seen us write one of them up, email it to us here.

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