Idiocy in the news today

They were just out joyriding...
Seven teens, none with licences, stole a car and went joyriding in Troutman, NC, they were swerving, speeding, not wearing seat belts, and didn't pull over for a cop. In the insuing chase, the teens crashed and all seven died. One of the fathers is blaming the cop, saying that the kids "were just out joyriding..."

Joyriding article

In other news, I'm convinced the leaders of the FBI should start their own x-files series. They've told police to consider people carrying almanacs as suspicious. Seriously, this is getting beyond stupid. Sure, carrying an almanac around is a little strange, but really...

Almanacs = suspicious

Patriot Act II, revisited

I mentioned recently an article about "Patriot Act II" and wanted to provide a few more specifics.

First, the actual act is H.R. 2417, the "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004" which the president signed into law on Saturday, December 13. The important part is a small section of the total act, section 334. Here is the entire act, and you can scroll down to the right section with some ease. It makes reference to title 31 section 5312 which defines "financial institutions."

Dilbert page-a-day calendar

from last Friday:

dilbert and a doctor are standing over the (comatose) pointy-haired boss:
Dilbert: I think he tried to meditate.
Doc: That's the problem. You shouldn't mix meditation with management. The mind gets too empty.
Dilbert: What can we do?
Doc: I plan to rifle thruogh his pockets.