Sucker Born Every Minute

[Earth Walker]

Dennis Hope, CEO of Lunar Embassy, claims to be the sole and
legal owner of real estate on the moon and eight other planetary
bodies. This would be funny, except that he has actually been
selling this real estate, and suckers out there are buying it.
What gives? Apparently, for US$20, you get an acre on the moon,
a deed, constitution, property map, mineral rights and a copy of
the original Declaration of Ownership.
This con artist claims to have sold over 450 million acres of real
estate on the moon, Mars, Venus and Jupiter.
Among his clients are George Lucas, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan,
Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Frickin' morons.

eightballmagazine.comhttp://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/contrib/blackeye/deal.gif

[Danustouch]

Yep. And people bought Pet Rocks, too. :rolleyes: I guess if you're rich, you just dont' care what stupid things you spend your money on. Just as we "common folk" buy fad items, such as pet rocks, and mood rings. People will always pay to have "oddities". I'd even bet that the people who bought these things, knew it was a con. They just liked the "oddness" of it all. A conversation peice, an eyecatcher..etc.

I wish I had money to spend on such silly things. lol. Instead, I have to worry about buying food, and toilet paper, and feminine products, and clothes, and ....the list never ends of necessities which must be paid for.

I think it's given me a rather cynical eye about "fad" items ;)

[Earth Walker]

And if that twerp selling lunar land wasn't bad enough, here's
one that will really make you a wretch.
A company out of California is charging US$15 for its "Ticket to
Heaven," which, as the name implies, is a ticket into heaven.
The ticket comes with a "certificate of authenticity" (whatever
that means) and a wallet-sized testimonial card.
Predictably, the company, Ticket To Heaven Inc., "makes no
warranties or representations" as to whether or not this ticket
will actually get you into heaven or not.
The ticket also includes a disclaimer absolving the company of
any responsibility if you don't actually get into heaven.
Hey, fifteen bucks for a piece of paper which proves I'm a
gullible sap! What a deal!

ticket2heaven.com

http://www.egri.co.uk/smileys/toiletclaw.gif

[Old Witch]

"Insert diety here" save us!!!!.......*Walks away shaking head slowly*

[Demeter]

Never heard of a joke gift? :D

I have one of those lunar deeds ... somebody gave it to me as a gag gift. I don't think anybody thinks it's real.

As for the "Ticket to Heaven ..." again, it's a gag gift, and I don't think anyone's actually taken that sort of thing seriously since, oh, the last "indulgences" went off the market. People can put it in their wallets right next to the "Get Out of Hell Free" card.

http://www.thisistrue.com/goohf.html

On the other hand, recently I read of a case where a woman made a hefty donation of land to a church on condition that Jesus Christ himself would personally come and thank her for it ... when he didn't, she sued to get her land back and won .... (Can't find the link right now, unfortunately.) So I guess there are a few of P.T. Barnum's favorite people still floating around ....

[Azure]

None of it's new. The medieval church sold indulgences, which were essentially "get out of sin free" cards to pay for their expensive churches and so on.

And why do people still send money to Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and oral Roberts, who put it to their personal use in turn? Because they think they can buy their way into the Divine's good graces.

Probably why even the Bible warns that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven. . .

[Amemphis]

*Wants a ticket into Heaven* That wouldbe SO funny!