you're from outta town, so you really couldn't know, but "Goebbels like distortion & 'mis-truths'" have been standard operating procedure around here since, oh, about the middle of January, 2001.

It's just that it has become more transparent recently, and the level of indefensibility (and therfore, the need to fabricate biggern and more fantastic "truths") has escalated beyond even our wildest fears.