# Alleged candlelight vigil **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430 "2001-09-18T18:16:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Elvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/1 "2001-09-18T18:16:35Z")
I just received the following: > [@](#): > > \*\*At 10:30 EASTERN TIME… 9:30 Central, 8:30 Mountain, 7:30 Pacific > The United States of America has asked that everyone step out on their lawns tonight at 10:30 and light a candle. They will be taking a satellite picture of the U.S. and posting it on the news tomorrow morning. > > Please pass this on to as many people as possible. > > Let’s unite as Americans tonight – for all the people (especially for any friends and family) we lost in this tragic and horrible act of violence!!! > > GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! > \*\* Does this strike anyone else as being suspect? How, when, and through which branch did the U.S. Government ask everyone to do this? Does anyone really think that candlelight would show up in a satellite picture? What kind of asshole would circulate something like this as a hoax, if it is a hoax? ---
**Author:** ![NotMrKnowItAll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6bbea6/32.png) [@NotMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/2 "2001-09-18T18:31:48Z")
Gee, Sunset tonight for L.A. is 5:55PM according to [NOAA](http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunrise/sunrise.html). Would an hour and a half after sunset be dark enough? I really don’t think so. What kind of asshole? A jackasshole. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/3 "2001-09-18T19:00:56Z")
This would be spread by the sort of person who normally spends his time sending out bulk messages about Microsoft paying for forwards or how ICQ is going to charge unless, for some reason, people forward this message. It’s a way of playing, “Ha! Made you look!” ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/4 "2001-09-18T19:18:00Z")
Nothing wrong with a show of solidarity but… I rather doubt candles will be seen over the street lights, headlights and countless other illumination. – So much for the supposed sat photo. (Look, thats me over at 4th and Main) sheeese. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/5 "2001-09-18T19:36:27Z")
We seem to be in a vicious circle. A search turned up [this](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21307-2001Sep12.html). I received what I belive to be the original version of the spam on 9/13. > [@](#): > > Friday Night at 7:00 p.m. step out your door, stop your car, or step out of your establishment and light a candle. We will show the world that Americans are strong and united together against terrorism. Please pass this to everyone on your e-mail list. We need to reach everyone across the United States quickly. > > The message: WE STAND UNITED - WE WILL NOT TOLERATE TERRORISM! > > Thank you. > > We need press to cover this - we need the world to see. Then we have [this](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20010915/aponline085125_000.htm). Now a new version of the spam. Who knows where this will stop? BTW: [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/candle.htm) has already debunked the version in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Baltoeyegrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Baltoeyegrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baltoeyegrl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/6 "2001-09-18T19:39:00Z")
At least the one you got split it into time zones ---
**Author:** ![Elvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Elvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/7 "2001-09-18T19:46:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baltoeyegrl \* > \*\*At least the one you got split it into time zones \*\* True. I got one yesterday that didn’t even do that, another tip of that it was bogus. I have now also read the snopes debunking and am satisfied that this is well-intentioned nonsense… ---
**Author:** ![seawitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@seawitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seawitch)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/8 "2001-09-18T20:18:29Z")
(Sigh.) I got this at work, from a very kind-hearted girl. In light of recent events, if it makes it feel better, she’s welcome to burn candles every night for a month. Normally, I’d be compelled to point this out - I can’t see a candle from a block away. Why in the hell would you think one was visible from space? Feh. Can’t manage to be cynical and sympathetic at the same time, so I just shut my office door and pretended to be busy. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/9 "2001-09-21T05:01:10Z")
But what about the Simpsons episode where it was Mr. Burns’ birthday? “Ah, I’ve arranged for the population of Australia to join hands tonight and spell your name out with candles…We have a satellite hookup.” ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-candlelight-vigil/82430/10 "2001-09-21T05:25:39Z")
I WAS PART OF THAT!! And my whole family. We were in the curve part of the letter R in BURNS, which meant we were on the outskirts of the township of Hurstbridge, in Victoria. It was a great event down here. We were very excited about it, but disappointed that there was so little international coverage. The government hoped it would be good for tourism. You could definitely see the glow of candles on the satellite. There were monitors, and we were allowed to go and look at the film when the actual date of the birthday had passed It wasn’t the whole population of Australia, of course, just most of the state of Victoria. The people in New South Wales were holding out for more money so they missed out. Ha! If anyone likes I will post pictures of our part of the R. I’m so glad it hasn’t been forgotten. It was a great night… Redboss in Oz.