Now I understand why Mr. Rather jumps the gun wanting to be first to
report a story even if the facts may not be correct!  ;-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Denys Beauchemin [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 7:45 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: 60 Minutes Documents on Bush Believed Fake

That was cute.  Now, try this one:


Rather, the Sequel
A parody. Or perhaps a premonition?

By George Conway

6 of 30 DOCUMENTS

Copyright 2004 Amalgamated Press
All Rights Reserved
Amalgamated Press Online

These materials may not be republished without the express written
consent of The Amalgamated Press

September 25, 2004 Saturday

HEADLINE: CBS Stands By Claim of Bush National Guard Payoff

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:

Faced with the second major controversy this month about its reporting
on President Bush's National Guard service, CBS News on Friday defended
its report that President Bush had used $3 bills to bribe Texas Air
National Guard officials in 1973.

The latest dispute erupted after the CBS News program "60 Minutes II"
reported earlier this week that Bush had used several thousand $3 bills
to buy the silence of National Guard officials who were questioning
whether he had met his service obligations. The program featured color
photocopies of some of the currency allegedly used to pay the bribes.

Conservative critics on the Internet immediately cried foul, claiming
that there was no such thing as a $3 bill, and some news organizations
later quoted "experts" as expressing doubt that such a denomination ever
existed.

Claims were also made that the bills were "doctored" versions of recent
$5 dollar bills. Some of the bills, while containing 3's in each corner,
bear the text "FIVE DOLLARS." The bills contain portraits of former
President William Jefferson Clinton that appear roughly one centimeter
left of center on the face of the bills.

The right-wing critics contend that the Treasury Department did not
begin printing currency with left-of-center portraits until the
mid-1990s. They also argue that Clinton's portrait would not have
appeared on currency in 1973, 20 years before he became president.

The critics also assert that the copies of the bills were produced by
color imaging and printing methods that weren't available three decades
ago.

CBS has declined to say where the bills came from, but has said they
came from "solid sources."

On Friday's "CBS Evening News," anchor Dan Rather said that "no
definitive evidence" had emerged to prove the currency was not
authentic.

"As with the earlier memos, if any definitive evidence comes up, we will
report it," Rather said.

The show broadcast an excerpt of an interview with Terry McAuliffe, a
currency expert, who said that the $3 bills were genuine. In Friday
night's report, McAuliffe said, "I've handled a lot of cash in my life,
and I can't say that I've never seen a $3 bill. These bills look real to
me. But if they aren't real, then I'm sure Karl Rove had something to do
with them."

The CBS report stated "with absolute certainty" that the disputed
currency could have been produced by the government in the early 1970s.

According to CBS, its sources in the United States Bureau of Engraving
and Printing had confirmed that the government had the capability of
producing $3 bills in 1973. Rather said that "Treasury officials
acknowledge that the government was able to print a '3' just as easily
as it could print a '1', '2', or a '5.'"

Independent experts consulted by the Amalgamated Press appear to share
this view. A leading practitioner of numerology said that "the number
'3', like the other Arabic numerals, has been around a long time."
According to the numerologist, who requested anonymity, the number '3'
dates back to at least the 6th century AD, and perhaps earlier. "There's
no question the United States government was aware of the number before
1973 and easily could have put it on legal tender," she said.

The CBS program also pointed out that several of the documents found in
Bush's official National Guard files used the number '3'. The number
appears, for example, in the date "1973," the year some of the documents
were created.

"These documents demonstrate conclusively that the number '3' was
available for use by the government in the early 70s," said CBS's
Rather, who reported both the Friday segment and the earlier "60 Minutes
II" piece.

Noting that Clinton was born in 1946, CBS's consulting experts also
stated that it was entirely possible that the future president could
have posed for a portrait before 1973.

Nevertheless, the network's right-wing critics continued to deny the
possibility that the $3 bills were real.

One blogger's online post exclaimed: "It's RIDICULOUS that we're even
DISCUSSING the possibility of a $3 bill. Haven't you ever heard of the
phrase "queer as a $3 bill"? It only makes sense because there is NO
SUCH THING as a $3 bill!!!"

Responding to this claim, a CBS spokesman said, "The credibility of our
news organization should not be called into question by the homophobic
rants of people in pajamas."

Reached by telephone late last night, the blogger declined to comment on
whether was wearing pajamas.

- George Conway is an attorney in New York City who is familiar with the
default settings in Microsoft Word.


Denys


-----Original Message-----
From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Larry Barnes
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 9:02 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [HP3000-L] OT: 60 Minutes Documents on Bush Believed Fake

 Here's another link on the subject:

http://www.fakeconstitution.50megs.com/

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