Like many Americans, Shane Messer has spent the past year glued to the TV, trying to figure out whether or not those promised WMDs really exist. Now, doubting whether actual weapons will ever be found, Messer is spending his college savings to have a $5000 piece of gold molded into the shape of a weapon, and hiding its whereabouts somewhere in the US, encrypting the clues in midst of nearly 3,000 public domain WMD documents downloaded from a dozen government agencies. The reason? To pay for college.

        The Hunt for the Real WMD consists of a clue book, a CD, a “puzzle matrix,” and a war map. After the proper mix of ingenuity and frustration is added, a path leading to the solid gold “weapons” will open up and the lucky treasure hunter can claim his prize. If the prize goes unclaimed on Election Day 2004, it, along with the barrel of oil, will be sent to George Bush.

        “UN resolutions, speeches, key figure bios, propaganda leaflets dropped on Iraq, photos, satellite images, and maps. It’s all on the CD and comes from government sources that already provide this information to the public,” Messer states. “It’s amazing how much studying we had to do in order to find the clever but simple patterns needed to create this game.”

        The mystery has been engineered so that people in 65 major cities can play locally. Messer states “devising a way for the US to play a game where only one prize exists was one the most difficult challenges. When working on a shoestring budget, creativity becomes necessary. Eventually we devised a solution that utilizes a lot of friends, and deploys numerous ‘fake’ prizes that can be exchanged for the real one. We also have friends in the UK that helped, so London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Manchester can join in.”

        Luckily, solving the puzzle won’t require a scientist’s brain. It will take some time and clever thinking, but anyone should be able to solve it. “We have been watching the largest treasure hunt in the world. Why not join in? Win or lose, you come out the other end with a better understanding of government & politics. That alone is worth the price.”

        The Hunt for the Real WMD can be purchased online for $39.99 from www.findthoseweapons.com”. 10% of profits go to a “bag of cash” that is also part of the prize. Another 10% will be given to Charity. The rest goes to Messer’s college fund.