Posted on 06/11/2003 9:20:46 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
THE FIRST IN LINE GUY
ROFLMAO!!!!!!
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company The New York Times
June 10, 2003, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section B; Page 4; Column 1; Metropolitan Desk
LENGTH: 822 words
HEADLINE: Senator Says Bill Clinton Read It and Recommends It
BYLINE: By JAMES BARRON
BODY:
First there was Barbara Walters. Then there was Katie Couric. And then there was Greg Packer.
Hillary Rodham Clinton did interviews with the first two about her memoir, "Living History." For Mr. Packer, 39, a highway maintenance worker from Huntington, N.Y., she did autographs.
Mr. Packer had spent much of Sunday night and most of yesterday morning outside a bookstore in Manhattan, waiting for her to sign the title page in a somewhat sloppier version of the same handwriting that appears in gold print on the book jacket.
After he got the three-word autograph, in black ink, he headed outside to do some interviews of his own. Reporters wanted to know why he had wanted to be at the head of a long line of book buyers on the day the 562-page volume (Simon & Schuster) went on sale at a list price of $28 a copy.
"Because, you know, I wanted a chance to see her on a more personal basis than saying 'hi' to her at the Puerto Rican Day Parade" on Sunday, he said. Several hours later at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, he explained, he became the first person in the line for the book signing at the Barnes & Noble store at Fifth Avenue and 48th Street.
Thirteen and a half hours later, the television cameras were packed in tightly and Mrs. Clinton was answering questions from reporters crouching in what was supposed to be a walkway.
Had her husband read the book? "He has read it," she said, "and he's urging everyone to buy a copy." He did not have to wait for publication day: He had read the manuscript, draft by draft, she said.
Did she plan to run for his old job in 2008? "That's obviously flattering," she said, "but I have a wonderful job."
Soon Mr. Packer was across the table from Mrs. Clinton, who had pen in hand. And a few minutes after that, having left by a side door with not one but two copies of "Living History" (and two autographs), Mr. Packer was fielding questions as coolly and confidently as anyone who ever sat down with Ms. Walters or Ms. Couric.
"I'm a big fan of Hillary and Bill's," Mr. Packer said. "I want to change her mind about running for president. I want to be part of her campaign."
.....
________________________________
The New York Times, January 1, 2002
Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company The New York Times
January 1, 2002, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section A; Page 1; Column 4; Metropolitan Desk
LENGTH: 1059 words
HEADLINE: A Subdued Hurrah for 2002 In a Patriotic Times Square
BYLINE: By DAVID W. CHEN
BODY:
The ball still glittered atop Times Square last night, but this year, some of its crystal triangles honored the World Trade Center, the hijacked planes and the Pentagon. The party paraphernalia were as ubiquitous as ever, but this year, the colors were red, white and blue.
The crowds still complained about the bitter cold, but they didn't gripe about the extra security or the metal detectors. And though plenty of smiles could be spotted, it also was not hard to find people whose faces betrayed introspection, if not a tear or two.
If 2000 was the year of millennial hype, then New Year's Eve 2001 in Times Square had an altogether different texture, dominated by the aftermath of Sept. 11: an occasion that felt less like a boisterous party and more like a muted gathering to remember, respect and reflect.
Patriotism was the dominant theme this year. From Anchorage, where a Canadian rock band played "The Star-Spangled Banner," to an interfaith service in Baltimore, the events of the last four months -- the terrorist attacks, the anthrax scare, the war in Afghanistan and the would-be shoe bomber -- all weighed on many people's minds.
Some celebrations, including Denver's citywide party and First Night events in almost two dozen American communities, were scratched because of terrorism worries or a lack of money and volunteers. Other events had a much more intimate or low-key tone, with many people opting to celebrate near their homes, with relatives and friends.
Perhaps nowhere was the celebration more anticipated or more scrutinized than in Times Square, the traditional epicenter of New Year's Eve.
Some people said that it felt almost disrespectful to party too heartily. A few who had come to New York thinking that they would watch the ball drop at midnight even changed their plans and chose instead to devote most of their sightseeing to ground zero.
Others, though, said that they decided to spend their first moments of 2002 in Times Square precisely because they wanted to demonstrate their support of New York City and America, in numbers and in spirit. But many said that they were just not sure how to feel, or to act.
"I was so torn, because it's one of the best years to come, and one of the worst years to come," said Donna Larkin, a 26-year-old resident of Maplewood, N.J., who, with her fiance, Scott Jenkins, took advantage of a hard-to-beat (and readily available) New Year's package at the W Hotel.
"We want to show support for the city, but when that ball comes down, I'm going to start crying."
Like many revelers, Greg Packer, a Huntington, N.Y., resident who has been to the last 10 Times Square ball-dropping parties, said that he would scale back his normal routine out of respect for Sept. 11.
Instead of accessorizing with his usual kazoos, horns and other noisy doodads, Mr. Packer wore three pins: "NYC Stronger Than Ever," "God Bless America" and one in the shape of the twin towers.
Even his "2002" glasses, in red, white and blue, were the smallest size possible, he said, because big and loud didn't feel right.
"It should be quiet and simple, because we're here for a feeling of togetherness, of unity, to celebrate the spirit of America," he said.
Asked if he minded that the police were confiscating alcohol from revelers in Times Square, Mr. Packer, 38, said: "There should be more candles than beers this year. Normally, if I see a beer, I'll grab someone's bottle and take a swig. But tonight, if I see a candle, I'll grab it."
Beyond that, there were plenty of signs that this would be an atypical New Year's Eve.
.....
___________________
The New York Times, December 31, 2001
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company The New York Times
December 31, 2001, Monday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section B; Page 5; Column 1; Metropolitan Desk
LENGTH: 752 words
HEADLINE: A NATION CHALLENGED: THE SITE; A Viewing Stand Brings Pilgrims to Ground Zero
BYLINE: By MICHAEL COOPER
BODY:
The days of craning necks and peeking through gaps in plywood fences ended yesterday when the city opened its first official viewing stand for the World Trade Center site, and thousands of New Yorkers and tourists braved frigid winds and six-block-long lines to get their first unobstructed looks at the devastation.
They wore New York Police Department and Fire Department of New York hats and American flag scarves. They sobbed, prayed, whispered, gawked, snapped pictures and bought souvenirs. And by midday the crowds of people thronging lower Broadway had grown so large that the police set up new rules: people walking downtown were asked to stick to the west side of the street, and people walking uptown were asked to use the east side.
When people finally made their way up the long wooden ramp to the new viewing area, which is on an elevated platform on Fulton Street between Broadway and Church Street, they found a site transformed, even from the days after Sept. 11. The four-story piece of jagged steel that had been the last recognizable section of the towers was taken down weeks ago. The low black building that once housed a Borders bookstore was gone as well.
Had it not been for the pockmarked buildings lining the perimeter, the area would have looked almost like a giant construction site, or, more accurately, a demolition site.
The bells of St. Peter's Church were ringing out "The First Noel" shortly after 9 a.m., as the first people made their way up to the platform. The line was already several blocks long.
The first to set foot on the new platform was Greg Packer, 38, of Huntington, N.Y., who said that he arrived at 5 a.m. It was not too surprising, given his history. In recent years, Mr. Packer had appeared in dozens of newspaper articles for being the first in line to get tickets to the opening day of baseball season, to the World Series, to a Sheryl Crow concert.
This experience, Mr. Packer said, was entirely different. "You feel violated looking at that, and knowing that thousands of people perished," said Mr. Packer, who wore red, white and blue sunglasses in the shape of the numbers 2002, a hat with the lettering of the Police Department, the Fire Department and the Yankees on it, and a "W.T.C. 9/11/01" pin. "The thought of it angers me. I wanted to really take a good look for myself."
.....
_______________
These are the 3 Greg Packer citiations that I found in the NY Times archive. Repeat: I searched only the NY Times. According to Ann Coulter, however, Packer is cited by other papers.
The guy appears to be real and a publicity hound.
The Hotline has the dope:
The Hotline June 10, 2003 Tuesday
Copyright 2003 The National Journal Group, Inc. The Hotline
June 10, 2003 Tuesday
SECTION: WHITE HOUSE 2008
LENGTH: 2501 words
HEADLINE: CLINTON: NH DEMS THINK LEMMINGS IN WASHINGTON ARE SPREADING THE; WH STORY
...
"More than 1,000 New Yorkers clamored" for HRC's book "and a chance to meet" her as she launched her "rock-starlike tour." Her scheduled one-hour appearance at a Midtown Barnes and Noble "stretched to more than 2 1/2 hours." First in line was Greg Packer, who said: "I'm a big fan of Hillary's and Bill's"(Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/10). "Near the head of the line" was Packer, who said he expected to read every page find out "how she handled everything, right down to the juicy details"(O'Donnell/Roth/Klein, USA Today, 6/10). "Mr. Packer had spent much of Sunday night and most of yesterday morning outside a bookstore in Manhattan" (Barron, New York Times, 6/10). "Packer, 39, a road maintenance worker, planned to buy two books because Mrs Clinton 'has a lot to say'" (Usborne, London Independent, 6/10). Packer is "a bachelor from Huntington who wanted to be No. 1 so badly that he arrived at 9 p.m. Sunday carrying a folding chair and a cardboard box." Packer: "I would vote for her for president. She is a smart woman" (Duggan, Newsday, 6/10). More Packer: "I just want a simple answer. It's the question everyone wants to know. It would be history: the first female President" (Bone, London Times, 6/10). More Packer: "I'm glad she brought her style of politics to New York" (Barrett, AP, 6/10). Still more Packer, to MSNBC's Banfield, on waiting for the book: "It is absolutely worth it" (MSNBC, 6/9).
Do a google search. He turns up anywhere there's a line.
First in line for Hillary's book at Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Center on Sunday night was Charles Greinsky, who told the New York Daily News he rushed out at midnight to get one of the first books because he supported Hillary's health-care plan. A few years ago, the Associated Press identified Greinsky more fully. It turns out he is "a longtime Clinton campaigner" from Staten Island, who has been the Clintons' guest several times both at the White House and at their home in Chappaqua, N.Y.
Hmmmmmmmm
As usual, freepers smelled a RAT regarding the Barnes and Noble "trailing line of fans" setup.
Unfortunately, I'm going to sign off today with another one of Mr. Packer's taste, demonstating that the man is not too discriminating after all:
Actually, just reading what I'm going to post right now, and not trying to be funny, it does appear that Mr. Packer is somewhat disturbed:
______________
March 1, 1994, Tuesday, NASSAU AND SUFFOLK EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 8
LENGTH: 517 words
HEADLINE: PEOPLE
BYLINE: Anthony Scaduto. Ben Kubasik
BODY:
Roseanne Arnold
Author's Pitch: Signs Baseballs
Roseanne Arnold spent two hours at B. Dalton on Fifth Avenue yesterday, signing thousands of books, audiocassette abridgements of the memoir that she recorded herself, copies of the February Vanity Fair on which she was covergirl - and baseballs.
"Wow, this is the only town I've ever been asked to sign baseballs," she said to Chuck Tarantino, who sells baseball memorabilia in Hamburg, N.J., and three of his bodies, each of whom had her sign several balls and books.
Arnold sat at a table flanked by security guards, store officials and public relations specialists. She chatted amiably with her fans, followed shouted orders of photographers without complaint, and noshed on hamantaschen. A fan had picked up the Purim pastry for her. Other fans, most of whom bought several copies of "My Lives," brought her bouquets, candies, even a mug, "in case she needs tea or coffee," said Greg Packer of Huntington. Packer, a Huntington Town highway worker, also gave her a dozen roses. "I'm a real fan," he said. "I wouldn't miss her show at any price."
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