| Rumor still around: Put it to rest BY MELISSA LAUBER UMCONNECTION STAFF No one is quite sure where the urban legend came from or why it refuses to die. However, the Federal Commission on Communications is renewing efforts to lay to rest the rumor that atheist Madalyn Murray OHair is trying to ban all mention of God from the airwaves. OHair died in 1995. The FCC has been dealing with this problem for the past 28 years. It is not unusual for them to receive 100 communications a month about it. But thats an improvement. In 1976, the commission received more than 4 million letters protesting OHairs nonexistent petition. It began, an FCC press release reports, in 1974 when two community radio advocates, Lorenz Miliam and Jeremy Lansman, who did not belong to OHairs American Atheist Inc., filed a petition asking the commission to inquire into the practices of stations licensed to religious organizations. The petition was denied, but a rumor was born and the FCC is continually deluged with letters, e-mail and phone messages from people asking the FCC to deny OHairs petition. According to the press release, the FCC has no authority to ban religious programming, nor any interest in doing so. They are hoping churches at the grassroots level will begin to spread this new message. More information on this issue can be found at www.fcc.gov/mb/facts . | 
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