Mad #401 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Dumbest People 2000 Issue - January 2001

Survivor is still on our televisions.  J.K. Rowling is now the wealthiest non-queen in England.  And, Microsoft still rules the computer software world.  But who remembers Napster or Darva Conger or John Rocker or Dennis Miller?  Nineteen of "The 20 Dumbest People, Events And Things of 2000" proved to be short-term irritations but the the #1 Dumbest ("Election 2000: Putting a Square Peg in the Oval Office") caused massive worldwide headaches that are still felt today.  The 2000 U.S. presidential election proved that we do not live in a democracy; some votes count more than others; and the Electoral College is a giant, antiquated joke.  One person (Sandra Day O'Connor) selected a dysfunctional president (George W. Bush) who would ignore intelligence reports, wage a preemptive war, kidnap and torture prisoners, erase billions of personal retirement dollars, crash the U.S. housing market and nearly cause the greatest worldwide depression in history.  Ms. O'Connor decided to ignore the Constitution and the concept of states rights by halting the recount vote in the state of Florida.  Four other SCOTUS judges joined her gang of five but SDO was the only one of the five who was formerly viewed as someone who would make a rational decision.  My copy of Mad #401 shows Al Gore taking the oath of office on page 18.  Alas, it was the second version of this Tom Richmond drawing that eventually came to pass.  [JAM 1/2/2014]

Departments:
Byte Christmas - Technology Carols for the Holiday Season
Missed Manners - Mad's Parental Etiquette Guide for Kids' Sporting Events
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Angster's Paradise - Monroe & ... The Fishing Trip
The Mad 20 Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2000
Sects Education - A Mad Investigative Report: Doomsday Cults in America Today
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Christmas
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Merry Xxxmas - Santa Claus, Porn Star  [Fake Department]
The Traits of Wrath - Spot Your Parents!
Assail to the Chief - How Bill Clinton Will Stack Up Against Other U.S. Presidents
Grieving Las Vegas - Mad's Celebrity Cause-of-Death Betting Odds  [Jeff Probst]

Fold-In - Scooter Accident