Fake NYT declares Iraq war over

EARLY yesterday, Americans 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.

The group behind the spoof newspaper said that in an operation six months in the planning, 1.2 million papers were printed at six different presses and driven to prearranged pickup locations, where volunteers handed them.

Articles in the paper announced dozens of new initiatives including the establishment of national healthcare, the abolition of corporate lobbying, a maximum wage for chief executive officers 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 after 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.)

“At this point, we need to push harder than ever,” said Bertha Suttner, one of the paper’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 28 years of hell, we need to start imagining heaven.”

Not all readers reacted favourably. “The thing I disagree with is how they did it,” said Stuart Carlyle, who received a paper in Grand Central Station. “I’m all for freedom of speech, but they should have started their own paper.”

The Manhattan-based Gawker news and gossip website says the volunteers were “rallied online via BecauseWeWantIt.org” and the group behind the spoof was linked to The Yes Men, liberal prank group.