I get a lot of anti-war spam--it comes with the academic territory. With that spam comes petitions, petitions, and more petitions. We academics have not yet worked out that electronic petitions are an entirely bankrupt means of registering protest. Anyone can start a petition about anything, in anyone's name. Anyone can sign anyone's name to such petitions, and anyone can sign as many names as he wants as many times as he wants. It goes without saying that no one verifies the "signatures" that find their way on to such petitions. And yet, they keep circulating. Here's one that landed in my inbox this morning:

If you are against the probability of war against Iraq, please sign this list and pass along.

The U.N. is gathering signatures in an effort to avoid a tragic world event.

Then came the usual instructions about how to pass the petition along. Nearly 500 people had "signed" the version that came to me (at 500, it is slated to be forwarded to Petition Headquarters, which is located at the United Nations Information Centre).

The petition is illiterate (you can be against war, but you can't be against the "probability of war"--unless, of course, you are also against statistics). It's also a hoax. If you actually go to the UNIC website, instead of mindlessly signing a petition whose authenticity is obviously suspect because, in the heat of activism, you wish it were real, you will find the following notice:

Note:Ý We have learned that there is a new petition circulating that claims to have been started by our office -- we have not, nor have we ever, initiated any petition.Ý

You will then be offered a link to this notice:

The UN is NOT involved in soliciting or collecting such petitions. We would suggest that since it is member governments of the UN who will decide on whatever action occurs in various situations, citizens should contact their own government.

Member states of the United Nations decide on the policies and programs of the organization. Citizens wishing to express their views or concerns on any issue, such as international peace and security should consider addressing their views first to the officials of their own government. The General Assembly is the main deliberative body of the UN, where all member states have one vote, and where issues relating to peace and security, admission of new Members and budgetary measures are decided by a two-third's vote. The Security Council with 5 permanent and ten rotating member states has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and has the power to make decisions binding on all members of the organization. Security Council Decisions on major issues require nine votes, including the concurring votes of all the permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The 10 other current members of the Security Council are: Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Guinea, Ireland, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Singapore and Syria.

Your inquiry and interest in the work of the United Nations are appreciated.

Note to the gullible: you do not shore up credibility for your views by affixing your name to bogus virtual protests. Nor do you make a political statement. You do, however, make a powerful statement about where logic fits into your personal political schema. And as such, you do damage to the viewpoint you are trying to support.