Subject:	Pollyannas Are Liars at Herat Who WANT To believe Lies
Date:	1999/09/24
Author:	Paul Milne <fedinfo@halifax.com>
	Posting History

This is from Y2KNEWSWIRE (Sept. 24).   * * * * * * * * * * * * *   In a nearly-unbelievable display of "journalism by press release," the Washington Post publishes a story that ignores almost every pessimistic sentence in the 100-Day Senate Report. Post reporters saw the report, apparently, but somehow failed to tell their readers what the report really said. Y2K Newswire compares Washington Post story text with the 100-Day Senate Report to reveal a content chasm of stunning proportion. . . .   Washington Post Staff Writers Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Eric Lipton and Stephen Barr apparently had a copy of the Senate Report (they quote from it), but managed to miss such blockbuster admissions as, ".the likelihood of disruption in oil imports is high due to the lack of preparedness in key oil-producing countries." A disruption in oil imports, of course, leads to severe economic difficulties -- the kind that put people out of work, bankrupt businesses, and result in severe inflation. Yet the Washington Post story doesn't mention this at all.   In fact, the Washington Post neglected to mention dozens of astounding statements contained in the Senate Report. Instead, the story emphasizes points that imply everything is fine. Y2K has been solved! But nearly all the good-news evidence cited in the story is self-reported, taken from government and private organizations that have every reason to exaggerate their state of compliance. . . .   Consider these staggering disparities:   Washington Post: "With 100 days to go until the world's computers face their long-awaited moment of electronic judgment, most large U.S. corporations and government agencies say they have almost completed the painstaking and costly chore of inoculating their machines against the "millennium bug."   Senate Report: ".many organizations and industries remain unprepared. Many projected Y2K readiness deadlines are dangerously late. Organizations with late completion dates are not leaving sufficient time to address unexpected problems."     ---------------------------------------------------------------------   Washington Post: ".technology specialists, industry executives and government officials alike now are increasingly confident that ordinary Americans will enter the new year with few electronic disruptions in crucial public services, including electric power, water, telecommunications, transportation, banking, food distribution and important government operations."     Senate Report:     "Many public transit systems have ...failed to aggressively address the Y2K problem, which makes service disruptions likely for some transit systems."   "...the maritime shipping industry has not moved aggressively toward compliance, leading to the likelihood of disruptions in global trade."   "...healthcare, oil, education, agriculture, farming, food processing, and the construction industries are lagging behind."   "...the Y2K problem still has the potential to be very disruptive, necessitating continued, intensive preparation in the time remaining..."   "...911 calls remain at risk of Y2K disruptions; as of June 1999, only 37% points were compliant...   "...approximately 500 of the 8,000 oil and gas companies -- and 30 of the 103 nuclear power plants -- project completion dates after September 30, 1999..."   "...local and regional outages remain a distinct possibility depending upon the readiness of the 3,000 utilities serving any given area."   "Further clouding accurate assessment, only 25% of electric utilities routinely disclose Y2K information to the public..."   "Nearly 500 [oil and gas] companies do not plan to complete repairs until late 1999, which makes disruption possible for some domestic oil and gas billing, production, transportation, and distribution..."   How, exactly, can Washington Post staff writers read these sentences and not include a single one in their Y2K story? Perhaps you know why. . . .   ===========   Most people think pollyannas are just 'innocently' mistaken.  'Sincere' but mistaken. This is NOT true. Some may be, but the vocal one sare NOT.   This Washington Post Article proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can not trust the media to tell you the truth.   There is no way that an 'honest' person could read the senate report and write an article like was written in the WP.   The writers and EDITORS of the WP have gone out of their way to distort the report and to flat out lie to the public.   But, pollyannas, being what they are, people who do not want to know the truth, people who care not one whit about their families, will go blithely on.   There is no way to maitain a Pollyanna posture in light of the senate report.   Except, if you are  a self-decieved pollyanna at heart   http://www.y2knewswire.com/feature.asp?id=74     -- Paul Milne "If you live within 5 miles of a 7-11, you're toast"

-- a (a@a.a), September 27, 1999

Answers

95 days.

Y2K CANNOT BE FIXED!

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.~net), September 27, 1999.

Swing those pollies round and round;

Tilt minds brainwashed to the ground;

Dosie-doe with hollow sound;

Blame those doomers, who'll be drowned.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 27, 1999.

Forget the 95 days...there are now just...29 Federal Days 'till Turkeyday!

History suggests that minimal productivity can be expected between T Day and year's END!!

IT'S OVER, FOLKS.

-- K. Stevens (kstevens@ It's ALL going away in January.com), September 28, 1999.