# Gov. Schwarznegger Hides an FU Message in a Veto: How Likely An Accident?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 29, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542 "2009-10-29T01:28:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![A\_Man\_A\_Plan\_A\_Canal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/839c29/32.png) [@A\_Man\_A\_Plan\_A\_Canal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Man_A_Plan_A_Canal)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542/1 "2009-10-29T01:28:46Z")

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Hello, Straightdopers; AMAPAC here.

UPI, et al., are reporting that California legislators have discovered that if you read vertically starting with the first letters in the lines of a veto that the Governator sent back to them, it contains an eight-letter, two-word message in which you is the second word and the first word begins with an f and rhymes with muck.

My question: What are the chances of this happening by accident? I think it would be 26 to the eighth power (if we allow for repeated letters), which is about…umm…208 billion and change.

Right?

Thanks…AMAPAC

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542/2 "2009-10-29T01:44:28Z")

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Eight letters?

Fruck you?  
Fluck you?  
Füuck you?

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**Author:** ![TJVM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@TJVM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJVM)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542/3 "2009-10-29T01:54:09Z")

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The letter is question can be seen [here](http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/28/arnold-schwarzenegge.html).

I’m not sure exactly how to calculate the odds of that happening by accident, but they’ve got to be very, very small.

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542/4 "2009-10-29T02:00:22Z")

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Already being discussed here: [Did Schwarzenegger compose a "Fuck You" acrostic in a veto letter? - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=537712)

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-schwarznegger-hides-an-fu-message-in-a-veto-how-likely-an-accident/515542/5 "2009-10-29T02:03:43Z")

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> [@Terminus\_Est](#):
>
> Already being discussed here: [Did Schwarzenegger compose a "Fuck You" acrostic in a veto letter? - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=537712)

And, since it’s already in motion, let’s close this one.

**samclem** Moderator, General Questions
