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FindThoseWeapons.com Offers Unique Treasure Hunt Based On the Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction

Like many Americans, Shane Messer has spent the past year glued to the TV, trying to figure out whether those promised weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s) really do exist. Now, wondering whether the actual weapons will ever be found, Messer has spent his college savings to have a $5,000 piece of gold molded into a missal trophy and hid its whereabouts in the midst of nearly 3,000 public domain WMD documents downloaded from dozen of government agencies. The reason? To pay for college.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.December 2, 2003 (www.findthoseweapons.com) -- Like many Americans, Shane Messer has spent the past year glued to the TV, trying to figure out whether those promised weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s) really do exist. Now, wondering whether the actual weapons will ever be found, Messer has spent his college savings to have a $5,000 piece of gold molded into a missal trophy and hid its whereabouts in the midst of nearly 3,000 public domain WMD documents downloaded from dozen of government agencies. The reason? To pay for college.

The treasure hunt Messer has created is aptly titled FindThoseWeapons.com – The Hunt for the Real WMD. The contents of the game, consist of a cluebook, CD-ROM, a “puzzle matrix” and a map of the Middle East. After the proper mix of ingenuity and frustration is added, a path leading to the “weapons” will open up and the lucky treasure hunter can claim their prize. If the prize goes unclaimed on Election Day 2004, it will be sent to George W. Bush.

UN resolutions, speeches, key figure biographies, propaganda leaflets dropped on Iraq, photos, satellite images and maps are all included on the CD-ROM. The documents all come from government sources except for the Al-Queda training manual which explicitly states, ‘it is forbidden to remove this from the house.’ “We’ll take our chances,” Messer jokes.

FindThoseWeapons.com has been engineered so that individuals in 65 major cities can play locally.

“Devising a way for the US to play a game where only one prize exists was one of the most difficult challenges. When working on a shoestring budget, creativity becomes necessary,” comments Messer. “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 the treasure hunt.”

Solving the puzzle does not require a big brain. It will take time and some clever thinking, but anyone should be able to solve it. “Win or lose, you come out the other end with a better understanding of government and politics. That alone is worth the price,” states Messer.

FindThoseWeapons.com – The Hunt for the Real WMD can be purchased online for $39.99 from http://www.findthoseweapons.com. The game will start shipping December 8, 2003. Ten-percent of the profits turn out to be a “bag of cash” that is also part of the grand prize and another 10% will be given to charity. The remainder of the profits will go to Messer’s pursuit of a law degree.