MADD-sponsored email petition for the president of the U.S.-Fiction!

Email Petition To The President Sponsored By Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor: This email says it is part of an effort by MADD to get 5,000 signatures to the President of the United States. It then includes an emotional poem written from the perspective of a young person writing to Mom and who who is dying from injuries suffered in a drunk driving accident.

The Truth: Mother's Against Drunk Driving says it is not behind this email campaign. The poem, according to MADD, is titled DEATH OF AN INNOCENT and the author is not known.

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:
We are hoping to get 5,000 signatures for MADD and pass it on to the President. Please help us save the lives of thousands of kids, sign and pass this on to everyone you know. Thank you. "I went to a party, Mom" I went to a party, and remembered what you said. You told me not to drink, Mom so I had a Sprite instead. I felt proud of myself, the way you said I would, that I didn't drink and drive, though some friends said I should. I made a healthy choice, and your advice to me was right as the party finally ended, and the kids drove out of sight. I got into my car, sure to get home in one piece, I never knew what was coming, Mom something I expected least. Now I'm lying on the pavement, And I hear the policeman say, The kid that caused this wreck was drunk," Mom, His voice seems far away. My own blood's all around me, as I try hard not to cry. I can hear the paramedic say, This girl is going to die." I'm sure the guy had no idea, while he was flying high, because he chose to drink and drive, now I would have to die. So why do people do it, Mom Knowing that it ruins lives? And now the pain is cutting me, like a hundred stabbing knives. Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom tell daddy to be brave, and when I go to heaven, put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave. Someone should have taught him, that its wrong to drink and drive. Maybe if his parents had, I'd still be alive. My breath is getting shorter, Mom I'm getting really scared. These are my final moments, and I'm so unprepared. I wish that you could hold me Mom, as I lie here and die. I wish that I could say I love you, Mom So I love you and good-bye. When this petition is full, please return to: MADD P.O. Box 541688 Dallas, TX 75354-1688 info@madd.org 1-800-GET-MADD IF YOU GET THIS PLEDGE AND DELETE IT, YOUR SELFISHNESS KNOWS NO BOUNDS. SUCH A SMALL PROMISE TO MAKE. PLEASE READ THIS STORY AND THEN SIGN THE PLEDGE! SIGN IT AND ADHERE TO IT: How to set it up! 1. Copy the entire e-mail 2. Paste it into a new e-mail. 3. Then send it to everyone you know. By the way, don't forget to add your name to the bottom!