The Buzz: Snail mail

But did they send any telegrams? A couple of conservative groups want ABC to pull the plug on a prospective sitcom because gay activist, Seattle-area resident, doorknob-licker and “Santorum” redefiner Dan Savage is involved with the production.

The groups say their members mailed more than 21,000 postcards and placed more than 4,000 telephone calls asking ABC to ditch the series. Perhaps Savage, in a fence-mending move, can introduce the organizations to those newfangled online petitions.

Not lovin’ it: The former CEO at McDonald’s took a 20 percent pay cut during his final year running the struggling fast-food behemoth.

The company told shareholders that performance under Don Thompson “fell significantly short of expectations,” which is corporate-speak for “the high school dropout running the fryolator at the Peoria store would have done a better job.”

Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1921, Iowa imposed the first-ever state tax on cigarettes — 2 cents per pack.

However, Iowa stopped short of requiring the first-ever health warning on cigarette packages. It read, “Please allow us to suggest that perhaps smoking might not soothe your throat.”

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff

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