MOSCOW (UPI) -- The coup against Mikhail Gorbachev is reported late
Thursday to be a misguided prank.
The nominal leader of the abortive coup, Gennady Yanayev, reported
early this morning that the supposed coup was actually a practical joke gone
awry.
Yanayev apologized this morning saying that the ``emergency council''
``did not mean to upset the people of the Soviet Union or the people of the
world.''
In a tearful apology to Gorbachev and the media, Yanayov explained that
he and the other members of the ``emergency council'' had been reviewing
American reruns of ``The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' for broadcast on Soviet
television and came up with the idea of playing a prank on President Gorbachev.
``Our broadcast was never to be sent to outside media,'' explained
Yanayov. ``President Gorbachev complained about his lumbago and we think we can
make him laugh because laughter is the best medicine. We never meant to make
people hurt, we meant them to laugh, ha ha.''
Yanayov further explained that they had persuaded aides in Gorbachev's
Crimean resort to hide his jet as part of the ruse.
Unfortunately for ``the Gang of Eight'' as they are being called now,
``icompetant bureaucrats'' of the government-controlled Russian Television
network broadcasted the feed meant for Gorbachev alone to the whole of the
world, transmuting a harmless joke into an international incedent.
Yanayov explained further that he thought that orders given by
``General Badenov'' for ``Operation Fearless Leader'' would be seen for the
joke that they were.
Yanayov concluded his apology by tendering his resignation and
appealing to President Gorbachev not to hold the Communist party responsible
for the actions of the Gang of Eight. ``Rest of Party has no sense of humor,''
explained Yanayov. ``If Party could laugh, this would have been funny.''
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 91 14:22:10 +0200
From: Jean-Alain Le Borgne <jalb@ccv.fr>
Message-Id: <9108231222.AA12493@jekyll.ccv>
To: subgenius@mc.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: SubG influence on Science Fiction
In Harry Harrison's (and David Bischoff's) "Bill, the Galactic Hero on
the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure", p. 35, it is said that Bill's
religious upbringing comprises studying of the "Neo-Koranic Texts
According to the Subgenius Bowb of the Zoroastrian Nabobs". In
previous volumes (this is the third) Bill's religion is simply stated
as Neo-Zoroastrian, if I remember well. Strangely, "bowb" stands for
both "shit", "fuck" or whatever in the particular slang of the
(future) era described... Hmmm...
[jalb]
Fortune Of The Hour:
Never call a man a fool. Borrow from him.
------------------------------
End of Subgenius Digest
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