Rumors have it that the Political Vine is, in addition to spreading rumors, spreading e-mail viruses.

PV Responds With A Few Facts: We sent out our Grand Opening Issue in the new format on Monday, December 16. On December 17, this e-mail was sent by someone to his/her political e-mail list:

"DO NOT OPEN THE POLITICAL VINE!!!

If you do, you may also be downloading the W32.Klez virus/worm, which will ANNIHILATE your system folder.

Even if you have virus software, Norton and McAfee will not detect this virus because it disables virus software! My computer was down for three days before I found out that the only way to fix it is with a download tool from Norton at-------"

How can someone's computer be down for "three days" when the issue in question was sent out the day before?

But, rather than argue with illogical people, we'd like to take a moment to explain how our e-mail is handled so you will feel better about receiving it.

1) Neither the e-mail nor anything on our Website was developed using any Microsoft software or derivative software. Why this is significant is because the so-called "Klez" virus is a virus specifically written to attack Address Books controlled by Microsoft-based software, like Outlook and Outlook Express.

In fact, prior to us going to this Website, we used AOL to send out the Vine, and, again, the Klez virus was defeated because AOL Address Books are written in a proprietary language that AOL does not let out like Microsoft does.

Upon conferring with our new Website hosts, we've learned that the e-mail creation and delivery system is written in a language called "CDONTS," and is sent through code, not a visual-based system like Outlook or Outlook Express . All emails sent/received to/from the system are done through a database, so the actual email is never opened, thus never infecting our system. And this doesn't include the firewall protection that is set up as well.

2) When you have, perhaps, received an issue of the Vine that happens to have a virus attachment, the e-mail was NOT sent by us. It was sent by someone who has the Klez-virus infection on THEIR copy of Outlook. And, unbeknownst to the real source of the e-mail, they have no idea that every time they logon to the Web, their Outlook program is busy sending out e-mails with some other e-mail address appearing as the source.

We are aware of a legislator who is contemplating introducing a law that would bring some type of regulation to the e-mail process. What we hope to convince him/her of doing instead is perhaps looking at making it a law that, similar to everyone having to buckle their seatbelt before they drive down the road, everyone is required to have virus protection on their computer if they own a computer within the confines of the state of Georgia.

You know, really, if everyone took the same precaution about acquiring anti-virus protection for their computer (and keeping it updated) that they do for...say, taking vitamins to ward off a cold, we wouldn't be experiencing all of the "down time" and aggravation associated with computers being taken-out on account of virus infections.

In fact, perhaps requiring people to purchase and obtain anti-virus software should become a directive of the Office of Homeland Security. Because, one day, the Al Quaida will likely release an infectious worm that invades our computers and attempts to take-out our methods of communicating amongst ourselves.