Gone Fishing

The FBI has been playing fast and loose with it’s Patriot Act Powers by fishing for info on U.S. citizens. Between 2003 and 2005, the Bureau “issued more than 143,000 requests for information on more than 52,000 people” about half of whom were U. S. citizens and asked the phone companies for “more than 3,000 phone numbers -- often without a subpoena, without an emergency or even without an investigative case” by using National Security Letters. Washington Post What is a National Security Letter? AP/Houston Chronicle

“First Step:” The U.S. and Iran met with other countries to figure out what to do about Iraq. New York Times Iran may already be in Iraq (not how you might think). And why would they be so happy to get the U.S. out of Iraq? Independent Iran wants to take its nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council. AP/MSNBC Bush asks for more troops for Afghanistan and even more troops for Iraq. He wants to cut some domestic programs to pay for it. USA Today

Good news from the Bureau, considering the top post today: The FBI has set up a task force to prosecute the “last of the lynchers” thought to be involved in Civil Rights Era crimes. Guardian

There are very few ways to escape that 2-year sentence known as a cell phone contract, but it’s not impossible. New York Times

The game of darts is under fire in - of all places - England, where only 10% of bar-goers surveyed have thrown a dart in the last year. Telegraph

It’s NCAA Tournament Time.. And therefore Tournament Pool Time. Here’s the bracket: Sports Illustrated


The criminally-minded folks that used to produce “The Man Show” put a smart-mouthed boy scout in front of a liquor store to see if people would buy him beer. We wonder if a “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” charge followed this clip.