German Parliament’s Email System Taken Down With A Single Click

What happens when you reply to an email in which the entire German parliament is looped in? You send that mail server into complete and utter chaos, which, I would assume, brings der legislative machine to a screeching halt.

Reuters says that a staffer by the name of Babbette sent an email to a list containing 4032 people, which in turn spawned replies from other people on the list which really just messed everything thing up.

A spokeswomen of the Bundestag confirmed that there had been a flood of emails in response to the errant email and that it was possible, as German media reported, that emails in the parliament were delayed by up to a half an hour due to the high volume.

Furthermore, they should promote the person who took the initiative to reply “I’d like to take this opportunity to say hello to my mother.” [Reuters/MSNBC]

Image: Pablo H Caridad, ayzek, bioraven