NEWZMANIAC NOTES FROM THE FRINGE www.Newzmaniac.com October 17, 2004 Everybody has heard the famous quote from the great showman of yore, P.T. Barnum: "There's a sucker born every minute". Mr. Barnum found a way to entice folks into parting with their hard-earned money - and their common sense - for a glimpse at the elephant woman and the two-headed cow and the amazing rubber man. How could people be so stupid? Maybe "stupid" sounds a bit harsh, but come on - there's no other way to describe people who would actually believe what this guy was selling them! Speaking of P. T. Barnum, when exactly was his Second Coming? I didn't see the advertisement, and it wasn't in any of the news that I read. But, obviously, he has returned, and in big places. It seems that the restless ghost of Mr. Barnum has returned to possess the people in the highest echelons of the U. S. government. You don't believe me? Take a look around! Only a month ago, 70% of Americans still believed that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the 9-11 attacks, and based on what? Not the facts, that's for sure. No, they based it on whatever they heard spilling from the mouths of Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, etc. Mr. Barnum's work is written all over that poll! It's embarrassing to know that there are still Americans out there who, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary, will still believe Bush's pre-war lies, simply because he repeats the lies! (...repeats the lies...repeats the lies...repeats the lies...) Soon after that poll was taken, the results of the next poll were reported, which showed Bush's numbers suddenly taking a nosedive. Why was this? Because the mainstream media had finally shown some guts and started printing all the lies, the deceptions, and the distortions. Instead of the usual corporate-run media that slogged its way through the Iraq occupation (oh, sorry....I mean, the "war"), we finally saw a media that didn't require supportively-warm fuzzies to be attached to every story about Iraq or Bush or "the war". According to the polls, Bush was getting beat like a -[censored]-. So what happens next? Please show Mr. Barnum to the Oval Office, thank you. Whispering his famous quote into Bush's ear, P. T. says with a grin, "Georgie, old boy, there's a sucker born every minute", and Bush hits the road to test that quote. He heads to New Hampshire, and speaks before an enthusiastic crowd of National Guardsmen (who apparently are the only ones left in the world who haven't heard the news that they're next in line to be the targets in Bush's "bring 'em on" shooting gallery). Bush repeats the same old tired pre-war lies about all of Saddam's weapons (which don't exist) and the threat that he was to his neighbors and to us (which he wasn't). Same old lies, proven false a long time ago. And Bush stayed on the road and replayed his soundtrack of pre-war lies and hype to any gullible crowd who would listen. The reaction was predictable in a land of suckers: applause for the catchy slogans, the big-boy tough talk, and the fluff. Mr. Barnum then conducted a new poll, and the results were released this week. Gee, Beav, the president's approval ratings "suddenly" went up after his Sucker Tour! Imagine that! When did Americans become so...well...stupid? Has it become that easy to fool some of the people, all of the time? If I were to buy a full-page ad in a major newspaper, telling you that you're supposed to find a way to make me rich, and I had it reprinted over and over again, would you make me rich? Would my ad become true simply on the basis of repetition? You do it for Bush and his package of pre-war lies. He offered them before the "war", and they've been proven to be lies, so he simply repeats them....and you fall for it! He's found a recipe for success (or suckercess): "I'll just tell them whatever I want to - they'll believe it sooner or later". America, land of the gee, home of the afraid. "Step right up..." P. T. Barnum would be having a ball. Steve Editor, Newzmaniac.com