Front page of USA today.

Y2k jitters head for main stream.

www.usatoday.com

Martin

-- Martin Thompson (Martin@aol.com), January 27, 1999

Answers

Feverishly buying into the Y2K bug

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), January 27, 1999.

Another ?clue? into Koskinen's mindset? This one seems to be a completely personal observation/opinion - not requisite PR flak. Does this mean he really thinks preparation is unnecessary? He's the man with the most facts, after all....

Scare tactics that spur bulk buying also are worrisome to the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion. "Too many people are spending money they can't afford to waste on expensive goods they won't use," says the council's John Koskinen . "Who wants to eat freeze-dried dinners for six months?"

-- Lisa (lisab@shallc.com), January 27, 1999.

Y2K jitters head to Main Street

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), January 27, 1999.

Quote from Jitters article and comment by moi:

"Not everyone is hoarding provisions. Stu Rasmussen, a software engineer in Silverton, Ore., anticipates ''tiny glitches' here and there. But he sees misinformation about the extent of the problem, and an almost willful refusal to accept the facts. In Silverton, the water system is gravity fed from the Abiqua Creek. ''Even if the sun stopped working we'd have water. But there's still people in town saying you need to stockpile water,'' he says."

This Stu fellow really needs a reality check. If the sun stopped, NO they wouldn't have water, nor the need for it since we'd all be dead. So that in and of itself is one of the stupidest comments one could make to hold up their pollyana view of things. Yes, they may well have water from gravity fed source. HOWEVER, will that water be drinkable? Will the chemical purification and testing process work properly? Will they even know if it doesn't work properly until folks start getting sick?

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), January 27, 1999.

There's a more-worried-or-less-worried about Y2k poll just implemented at cnn.com.

Should we skew it down - that is - pollyanna it, so that our gummint will quit being so paranoid that we're catching on to Y2K?

-- Lisa (lisab@shallc.com), January 27, 1999.

Hi Martin & Lisas :)

Why are so many idiots hired as reporters? The govt doesn't need to waste tax $$ hiring public relations firms to allay the Y2K panic -- which isn't even out there -- the media is doing a fine job trivializing Y2K into a fools' hysteria laughahoot.

Well, noticed that USA Today certainly has improved their web site. Saw it about a month ago and it was awful. It's getting spruced up; now if they could just get some intelligent factual pertinent writing.

Both articles about Y2K in today's paper are hogwash with more or less the same inaccurate sources. The dolt quoted from Silverton, Oregon, for instance, TOTALLY misrepresents that little farming town. I've been to the Silverton Y2K Task Force meetings and that dolt would be in the minority. (Am checking to see if he was at the meetings -- there was a software engineer in 911 there, but that person was intelligent. Drastic misquotes?) Silverton is populated with nice large Russian Orthodox farming families who come to the meetings and are preparing. The only idiot we encountered was a fireman who said, "I'm not getting any comedy on cable now so let's watch this meeting for a while." Silverton has well-attended meetings.

Also, there are other Oregon sources cited, and Oregon has a reputation for wilderness survivalist individualistic types, so the image fits well for the wacko slant. (Notice word close to Waco). We've been to many Oregon meetings and the concern is meet with sober, reasonable, ecologically-focused grassroots community preparation.

These USA Today articles are disinformation, to say it politely.

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia

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-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), January 27, 1999.

It isn't any of John Koskinen's business how I spend my money or what I eat after 1/1/00. Asshole!

-- Vic (68rdrunneris@compliant.com), January 27, 1999.

USA Today must be working with Koskinen now, it appears. Just a few quotes from this piece of garbage article:

"The real disruption is not from computers," explains professor Stephen O'Leary, author of several books on millennium fever. "It's from peoples' panic."

OK, so there will be no real disruptions from the Y2K bug, just real disruptions caused by people panicking. MORON!!!

Shortages because of public stockpiling could happen even if nothing at all goes wrong on Jan. 1.... "We're doing everything possible to make sure it works like the consumer wants it to work. And the consumer is a part of that. We do need reasonable buying patterns," says Michael Sansolo of the Food Marketing Institute.

Preparation is BAD! You folks who are preparing are going to have to maintain "reasonable buying patterns."

Not everyone is hoarding provisions....

Those of you who are purchasing outside of "reasonable buying patterns" are HOARDERS! You must stop it or the system will collapse; not because of Y2K, but because of YOU!!!

Any optimism I had about responsible media reporting in '99 is about gone. The President and his spinmeisters apparently will have as willing allies the mainstream press. Tune this noise out and focus on what you need to do to protect your family.

-- Nabi Davidson (nabi7@yahoo.com), January 27, 1999.

Nabi, we already are inundated with "Know Your Shopper" programs.

Most stores now have 'member club' cards which electronically record exactly what you buy, exactly when.

If the idiots would just *think* for a change. The more we prepare now, while the system is up and running, the more we Help The Economy :), the more we stimulate the producers, the more we lubricate the supply pipeline; the more prepared we become earlier so there's LESS panic later. :) :) :) :) Duh!

We need to get these simple factual truths out to the disinformers. Pop their propaganda program with the fact-pinpoints of light.

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia

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-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), January 27, 1999.

"Who wants to eat freeze-dried dinners for six months?" says the council's John Koskinen .

I do, for one you government dumb fuck ... it's better than dying!

On the other hand Koskinen, if you can guarantee me that McDonalds will be open, with plenty of burgers and fries, and no waiting in lines, then I promise not to buy freeze dried food.

Otherwise, take your fucked-up government agenda driven opinions and blow them out your fat lazy ass!!! Ha!

-- (@@@.@), January 27, 1999.