Frightening Absurdities

This week's roundup of things that make me confused, befuddled, stunned, and totally frightened. It seems the U.S. gov't has taken an unhealthy interest in what its citizens read:

Law enforcement officials have made at least 200 formal and informal inquiries to libraries for information on reading material and other internal matters since October 2001, according to a new study...In some cases, agents used subpoenas or other formal demands to obtain information like lists of users checking out a book on Osama bin Laden. - NY Times (Registration Required)

Meh, civil liberties are over-rated anyways. The federally sponsored high-rewards-for-complete-incompetence/idiocy program continues to make the world a better place:

The U.S. Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, is considering new top command assignments that would possibly include promoting Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the former American commander in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, U.S. military officials say. - Herald Tribune

And, on a final note, Walter "Freedom Fries" Jones has changed his tune on Iraq:

...the Republican congressman for North Carolina who was also the brains behind french toast becoming freedom toast in Capitol Hill restaurants, told a local newspaper the US went to war "with no justification". - Guardian Unlimited

Jones was seen earlier today on the steps of Capitol Hill eating a "Moron" Sandwich (formerly called a Reuben).