(NAME-MCE) NEWSPAPER BLANKETS U.S. CITIES, PROCLAIMS END TO WAR

[mmmsrnb at igc.org]

November 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPECIAL TIMES EDITION BLANKETS U.S. CITIES, PROCLAIMS END TO WAR

  * PDF: http://www.nytimes-se.com/pdf
  * For video updates: http://www.nytimes-se.com/video
  * Contact: mailto:writers at nytimes-se.com

Early this morning, commuters nationwide were delighted to find out
that while they were sleeping, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had
come to an end.

>If, that is, they happened to read a "special edition" of today's New
>York Times.
>
>In an elaborate operation six months in the planning, 1.2 million
>papers were printed at six different presses and driven to prearranged
>pickup locations, where thousands of volunteers stood ready to pass
>them out on the street.
>
>Articles in the paper announce dozens of new initiatives including the
>establishment of national health care, the abolition of corporate
>lobbying, a maximum wage for C.E.O.s, and, of course, the end of the
>war.
>
>The paper, an exact replica of The New York Times, includes
>International, National, New York, and Business sections, as well as
>editorials, corrections, and a number of advertisements, including a
>recall notice for all cars that run on gasoline. There is also a
>timeline describing the gains brought about by eight months of
>progressive support and pressure, culminating in President Obama's "Yes
>we REALLY can" speech. (The paper is post-dated July 4, 2009.)
>
>"It's all about how at this point, we need to push harder than ever,"
>said Bertha Suttner, one of the newspaper's writers. "We've got to make
>sure Obama and all the other Democrats do what we elected them to do.
>After eight, or maybe twenty-eight years of hell, we need to start
>imagining heaven."
>
>Not all readers reacted favorably. "The thing I disagree with is how
>they did it," said Stuart Carlyle, who received a paper in Grand
>Central Station while commuting to his Wall Street brokerage. "I'm all
>for freedom of speech, but they should have started their own paper."
>
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>
>