America today

Here's a good one, courtesy Space Waitress: The FBI questioned a man after someone spotted him reading a news editorial entitled "Weapons of Mass Supidity" in a coffee shop. He rightly concludes: "It seems like a dark day when an American citizen regards reading as a threat, and downright pitch-black when the federal government agrees."

Does everyone remember what to do if the FBI calls, or comes to your door? Here's a nice refresher: Know Your Rights, and another: Just Say No to the FBI and Police.

Do I think cops are a good idea when a drunken neighbor is beating on my front door screaming threats, or when people are running riot after a football loss? Sure. But as the Sf Chronicle's Jon Carroll wrote yesterday, this whole War on Terror thing is way out of hand.

So far, we've cracked down on a whole bunch of visa violators. Now I hate visa violators as much as the next guy, but wouldn't it be great to get actual accessories to the actual terror attack? John Ashcroft: inept fascist. He can't even run a police state right.