>THE "STATE" OF IDAHO: THE CASE FOR OPEN DEBATE
>
>If you would ask any schoolchild how many states there are in the
>United States, you will get the same answer: 50. Fifty states
>in the Union. It is simply an accepted "fact." If you would
>disagree with this supposed "fact," you would be branded insane
>or worse.
>
>However, mounting evidence shows that there are in fact only 49
>states in the US, and the "state" of Idaho is a baseless myth.
>
>We have been trying to distribute and publish this information
>for over *two years*, but our scholarship has not been given
>any respect. We have been censored, vilified, ridiculed and
>spat upon by the "traditional" geographers and historians, but
>WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED! 
>
>All we ask is that the existence of the state of Idaho be debated, 
>as every other historical and geographic "fact" can be debated.
>Time after time, our opponents have refused to debate us on the
>FACTS. This alone should tell you something about the people who
>support the "existence" of this "43rd state."
> 
>Please read the following evidence VERY CAREFULLY, and you will be 
>astonished at the veracity of our cause. 
>
>THE POPULATION MYTH
>
>Do you know anybody from Idaho? Do you know anybody *who knows
>anybody* from Idaho? According to the 1990 "census," there are
>over one million (1,000,000, or 1 x 10^6) people living in
>Idaho. But if there are so many Idahoers, where are they?
>
>Some people have come forward and claimed that they were born
>and raised in "Idaho." But *every single person* who made this
>claim have been shown to be frauds and charlatans. These "Idahoan
>wannabes" are invariably inconsistent with each other about the 
>size (in square miles or square kilometers) of "Idaho," about
>various town and village names, and even about the names
>of "Idaho's mighty rivers." 
>
>THE SIZE FARCE
>
>According to traditional geographic sources (created entirely
>by people who believe in the existence of Idaho, and probably
>the Tooth Fairy, also) the "State" of Idaho is more than twice
>the size of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, 
>Connecticut and Massachusetts *combined.* Isn't it strange that
>a state with such vast land resources has so few people?  And
>even of you look at a map (created by the Idaho-centric 
>cartographers) the "State" of "Idaho" is dwarfed by its much
>larger neighbor, Montana. 
>
>SATELLITE EVIDENCE
>
>Recently declassified weather satellite information, showing
>the entire continental United States, shows absolutely *no
>evidence* that there is any state where "Idaho" is supposedly
>located. Noted experts in the field of interpreting these
>pictures unanimously agree that, from outer space, it is
>impossible to determine the borders of this elusive "state."
>Yet meteorologists and cartographers routinely overlay
>these satellite pictures with the outline of states that
>would seem to indicate Idaho's existence.
>
>PHOTOGRAPHIC "EVIDENCE"
>
>Many people, skeptical of the clear evidence that Idaho
>does not and never did exist, point to photographs that they've
>seen in encyclopedias and postcards seeming to show parts of the 
>state of Idaho. 
>
>It is important to note that a photograph without a caption
>is often meaningless. A picture of people in boats surrounded
>by mountains could have been taken in Colorado or Nevada, 
>but when the holy *caption* says that this is a picture of
>the "Salmon River" in "Idaho," gullible readers tend to
>swallow this information whole *without any further examination.*
>
>We have examined literally hundreds of these "photographs," and
>the ones that are not outright fakes are all clearly taken in
>other parts of the nation.
>
>ASK THE JAPANESE
>
>It is well known that Americans are woefully ignorant about
>geography, which is one reason why it is so easy to fake an
>entire state here. Not surprisingly, most of the effort to
>create the illusion of Idaho has been expended in the USA.
>
>But if you would ask a typical Japanese or French schoolchild
>about what he/she knows about Idaho, you will usually get a
>blank stare. People who are much better at geography than 
>Americans have never heard of this "great state." 
>
>THE POTATO MYTH 
>
>Any given supermarket in the United States has sacks of potatoes
>clearly marked "Idaho Potatoes." People make the assumption, that
>when they are buying these potatoes, that they were *grown* in
>the "state" of "Idaho." 
>
>Actually, "Idaho" is a type of potato, just like "McIntosh" is
>a type of apple. The FACT is that *many* states have potato crops,
>as well as foreign countries, and potatoes that say "Idaho" on
>them are no more from Idaho than Baltimore Orioles all come 
>from Maryland.
>
>SO, WHAT'S THERE?
>
>Nothing. THERE IS NOTHING THERE. We have been so brainwashed
>by the traditional mapmaking community to think that if Idaho
>doesn't exist, then there must be some sort of vacuum there
>instead. This is nonsense.
>
>The very shapes and positions of the states, and indeed of
>every nation on the planet, is only known through "information"
>provided by cartographers. It is akin to asking "if Santa's
>house isn't at the North Pole, then what's there instead?"
>
>THE CARTOGRAPHER CONSPIRACY
>
>The *only evidence* that there is a state called Idaho comes from
>maps. Everybody has maps, in almanacs, in encyclopedias, and
>on the walls of every elementary school classroom in America.
>
>Astonishingly, *over 99%* of all maps are created by *cartographers!*
>If any clearly defined set of people would control any other
>important industry to that degree, everybody would be up in arms
>about the undue influence given to a meager few. However, for
>some reason, Cartographers are immune to such criticism. Any
>mention about the Cartographer influence over the mapmaking
>industry (and, as a natural extension, OUR VERY THOUGHTS!) is 
>dismissed as "lunacy." 
>
>As an indication of how insidious is this influence, just think:
>have you ever questioned a map? Maps, being graphical objects,
>require much less effort to assimilate into our very psyches. 
>Behavioral studies show that people can much more readily understand
>maps than printed descriptions of geographical areas; in fact,
>the images on maps tend to go directly into the subconsciousness
>of Man (Homo Sapiens) without the critical thinking that accompanies
>reading. In a very real way, Cartographers are the *real* Thought
>Police. 
>
>But they do not work in a vacuum. There are much too few of them 
>to do their real damage unaided. Mapmakers have conspired with the
>editors of almanacs and encyclopedias to create a fantastic illusion
>of space where there is none, people where there aren't any, and 
>ski resorts where none exist. 
>
>ONLY THE BEGINNING
>
>This is only the tip of the iceberg. We have much more material
>on this conspiracy, and we have yet to uncover one iota of evidence
>that Idaho has ever existed. All of the so-called "evidence" is
>a mixture of falsifications, coersions, lies and exaggerations.
>
>The Cartographers would like nothing better than to silence us.
>If you do not see any more postings on this subject, then you 
>have clear evidence that their Conspiracy of Silence on Idaho 
>has succeeded, and that Freedom of Speech has been curtailed by
>the Cartographical Thought Police. 
>
>What can you do? All we ask is that you be open minded. Of course,
>you cannot trust any of the second-hand evidence that you would
>find in libraries, maps (!), airline schedules or street signs.
>All you can trust is what we have written here. We are confident
>that once you evaluate all of the valid evidence, you will be
>angered by this conspiracy, and motivated to do something about
>the scum who perpetated this hoax. 
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>I hope that you have found the above interesting.  
>-- 
>               		Alan Lustiger
>    |_ | |             	AT&T Bell Laboratories ERC, Princeton, NJ
>     /   |( 		attmail!alustiger or att!pruxk!alu or lustiger@att.com

Tony Q.
   (darn, the Cartographical Thought Police must have swiped my .sig)