There are a lot of folks here who seem to think that our fearless leaders and media are not entirely forth-coming...

Does anyone have any ideas for putting them on the spot? If someone like Ko-skin-em says something like "the power-grid is fine, all we have to worry about is those Y2K wackos", is there anyway to make them feel they have to be at "ground-zero" to save face?

Ko-skin-em already said he will be in a plane at midnight on new-year's evil, but does anyone have any ideas for getting more pollyannas to do this? Clearly we can't FORCE them, but it sure would be nice if a few of them could be "shamed" into being someplace like an elevator, hospital or factory-floor on new-year's evil! Naturally, this wouldn't work for "shameless" spin-masters.

With folks like Gary North and even Paul Milne starting to talk to the press, there might be an opportunity for some Y2K gloom-n-doomer to issue a challenge for some of the spin-masters to put their butt where their mouth is.

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@anonymous.com), February 24, 1999

Answers

Yeah there is a way to shame them. Wait until January of 2000 and see what happens. If they were truthful then by that time they would have forgotten about the whole mess. If they weren't then they probably will have a four week headstart from the group of pitchfork bearing angry Americans. Just wait for that magic 1/1/00.

-- (Lancelot @ tavern link. com), February 24, 1999.

Hit 'em with a catchy slogan; perhaps

"If don't call a spade a spade now you'll be pulling a pitchfork out of your ass later".

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), February 24, 1999.

"Wait until January of 2000 and see what happens."

OK, but how, exactly? If there's no power, that means no TV, no radios, no phones, no internet. How will we keep track of what's happening? Smoke signals? Pony express? Unless we live next door to these people, we won't even know if they've been lynched & eaten yet.

-- news junkie (no@more.fixes), February 24, 1999.

Well news junkie, if all that stuff happens are you really going to be preoccupied hunting down corrupt politicians? I for know that even now I wouldn't cross the street to help if one caught on fire. I sure as heck won't be waging a revenge war after the new years or any time before. Hell, leave the government to lay blame all over itself since they do the best job. Have you ever seen the House of Rep.'s on tv? They all but take out clubs and beat each other with them over simple issues. I imagine there will be scapegoats for any Y2k disruptions just like any other thing. That is assuming of course that there is still a government left. But if there is I imagine it would be like an impolding star using it's own gravity (corruption) to fall in on itself. After all, it's a foolish man that builds his house on the sand.

-- (Lancelot @ tavern link. com), February 24, 1999.

Take the opposite approach and e-mail your encouragement to Senators and Congresspeople -- even newsmedia types -- who DO report what they know or investigate.

Swamp 'em with digital appreciation.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), February 24, 1999.

All it takes is a stock of shovels, rope and maps showing the locations of the DC area FEMA bunkers.

Promise to give these items to the sure-to-be-angry mobs on 5 Jan 2000. You might have to explain the maps and shovels, but if the pols realize "me + bunker + mob with map to bunker + shovels + rope = bad news", maybe they will give straight answers.

Just be sure you say this is an obvious tongue and cheek comment. But with enough seriousness to get the point across.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), February 24, 1999.

Ko-skin-em will fly to NYC on New Years Eve. He will return to his FEMA bunker(I mean Washington) on New Years Day. There is no way he will be on a plane at midnight.

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), February 24, 1999.

How about the largest power supplier in NJ that will be 'ready' in 2004 (G.N. post last week). They got 15% of their imbedded chips remediated in '98. Eagle

-- Harold Walker (e999eagle@freewwweb.com), February 25, 1999.