Day: March 31, 2005

Tatoo this one to the insides of your eyelids

Yes, it’s come to this. Remember Martha Stewart. Then, read this: What NOT to do – When Federal Agents Come Knocking:

“… Don’t talk to a federal investigator of any kind, for any reason, ever, on or off the record. It’s always on the record. Worden’s Rule 1: Stick your tongue between your teeth and bite down until the blood flows. Do not admit to anything. Especially, do not deny anything. Remain mute, no matter how long they try to drag the interview out. Even if an attorney representing you is present, say nothing unless in the privacy of his/her office.”

I was brought up to cooperate with the authorities, but that’s a thing of the past. More and more the petty tyrants of bureaucracies, law enforcement, all the big and little nosy parkers of government, are becoming less and less ‘servants of the people” and more and more enemies of those they purportedly serve.

When asked by any such for “help,” just shut up. Not. One. Word.

Dan (Riehl World View) “NYTs” Krugman: all the news that’s fit to fake

“Krugman Leaves Times for NRO/Invasion of the Headline Snatchers”

“Fairy tales can come true/It can happen to you… “_*_

🙂

(Apologies to George Carlin)

“… it’s Nine O’Clock in Chicago… In America’s Third World County?, it’s 7:42; time for the Eleven O’Clock Report.” Yeh, I only recall the 7:42 part with anything approaching accuracy. And it was Baltimore. Anyway, a couple of interesting convergent posts in divergent places over the last two days. Both asking (and partially answering) the eternal question: It’s past curfew; do you know where your credit cards are?

This one at The Bleat has James Lileks relating a cautionary tale about a call from his credit card company. Here’s a taste:

“And just the other day I was blithely dismissing worries about shopping on the web. Then again, for all I know someone made an impression of the card at a restaurant; that?s still the easiest way to get someone?s credit card number. Anyway, it?s all a mystery. It can?t be connected to those troubles PayPal is having with their database ? I answered that email right away and entered my information into their new supersecret computers. I didn?t know they were co-located in Bulgaria, but you learn something every day.

(Just. Kidding.)”

This post tells of an identity theft victim turning the tables on the perpetrators (h/t Joe Zeff commenting at Pournelle’s Current Mail) Ovid goes Sam Spade all over some identity thieves:

“I’m so mad about this that the obvious doesn’t sink in for a bit. I have interesting information. You don’t have breakfast mail-ordered. These thieves were at that restaurant and that’s a local zip code….”

Cracks the case and even gets the cops to respond (!!!!). Good on him.