Sorry for the tardiness in getting this week's ScuttleButton puzzle up. Our trusty StateImpact reporters and news directors from around the country were in D.C. this week for an incredibly productive several day fly-in. You should check out the StateImpact web sites of our participating partners to see the kind of collaborative work we are doing. The states are Idaho, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and Florida.
OK, back to the button puzzle. ScuttleButton, as you know, is the once a week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday (wait, what day is this?) I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression. (And seriously, by familiar, I mean it's something that more than one person on Earth would recognize.)
For years, a correct answer chosen at random would get his or her name posted in this column, an incredible honor in itself. Now the stakes are even higher. Thanks to the efforts of the folks at Talk of the Nation, that person also hears their name mentioned on the Wednesday show (by me) and receives a Political Junkie t-shirt in the bargain. Is this a great country or what?
You can't use the comments box at the bottom of the page for your answer. Send submission (plus your name and city/state — you won't win without that) to politicaljunkie@npr.org.
And, by adding your name to the Political Junkie mailing list, you will be among the first on your block to receive notice about the column and the puzzle. Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org. Or you can make sure to get an automatic RSS feed whenever a new Junkie post goes up by clicking here.
Good luck!
By the way, I announce the winner on Wednesday's Junkie segment on TOTN. But with a new puzzle up every Monday or Tuesday, depending on my mood, you should get your answer in as soon as possible.
Here are the buttons used and the answer to last week's puzzle:
Historic Peace Mission/1977/Israel's Prime Minister Menahem Begin/Egypt's President Anwar el-Sadat — The beginning of the historic peace treaty between two longtime adversaries (and which led to the assassination of Sadat).
Let Us Continue/Young Citizens for Johnson — President Lyndon Johnson ran in 1964 promising to continue the work of the late John F. Kennedy.
D'Amato U.S. Senate — A local official from Long Island, D'Amato upset veteran Sen. Jacob Javits in the 1980 Republican primary and went on to win three terms before being ousted by Democrat Chuck Schumer in 1998.
So, when you combine Begin + Let Us + D'Amato, you may just very well end up with ...
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. And yes, we're still trying to figure out how we got to bacon from the head of the Jewish state.
This week's winner, chosen completely at random, is ... Joan Walker of Bloomington, Ind.Joan gets a TOTN Junkie t-shirt.
Don't forget to check out this week's Political Junkie column, which focuses on what Ron Paul really wants (hint: it's not about the 2012 nomination). You can read the column here.
NOTE: There will not be a Political Junkie column or ScuttleButton puzzle next week. All that good stuff returns on Monday, June 4. But if it gets too severe, you can come hear me gab about politics on May 31 in Syracuse, N.Y., courtesy member station WRVO. Click here for info.
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