The US is going crazy. Shouldn’t this be in The Onion, and not on CNN where I found it this morning?
FBI urges police to watch for people carrying almanacsWASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning.
In a bulletin sent Christmas Eve to about 18,000 police organizations, the FBI said terrorists may use almanacs “to assist with target selection and pre-operational planning.”
It urged officers to watch during searches, traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying almanacs, especially if the books are annotated in suspicious ways.
“The practice of researching potential targets is consistent with known methods of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations that seek to maximize the likelihood of operational success through careful planning,” the FBI wrote.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the bulletin this week and verified its authenticity.
Next week: FBI alerts police to maps, phone books, encyclopedias, all non-fiction books, and people carrying library cards. Special caution urged with people who can read and write.
Posted by kuri at December 30, 2003 01:01 PMtwo words:
ben franklin.
poor benny boy is probably rolling over in his grave right now.
this guy wrote an almanac, and are we supposed to consider him a terrorist? hmm, maybe not the best diplomat this country has ever seen, but after all, he was a radical and a founding father, but certainly not a terrorist- or at least how our government chooses to define it, for that matter.
yes, and stay away from people that can read and write !
it’ all secular humanisim and witchcraft.
happy new year america from old europe
And certainly watch out for people with blogs. Who knows what sort of subversive things they’re planning.
-Jason
Posted by: Jason Cha on December 30, 2003 10:05 PMHoly paranoia, Batman! I was just perusing some vintage Almanacs at an antiques store yesterday. I wonder if that makes me suspect.
Posted by: fran on December 30, 2003 11:46 PMComing soon from Reuters:
FBI surrounds middle school library in a huge almanac roundup.
“I was just looking up the capital of Wyoming, when they stormed in through the double doors. Everyone was screaming,” said a young student. “I mean, weren’t the local police just in here not too long ago teaching us what to do in the event of a gunman in the school? Now the FBI barges in and takes all our reference materials. I wasn’t sure whether to get under the desk, go to the hallway and face the wall or wait for the next announcement on the loudspeaker.”
Sweet wheezing lord. What’s next?
Who is winning the war then?
Posted by: SouthamericanBoy on December 31, 2003 01:17 PMI’m just glad I’m no longer studying for College Bowl tournaments. My strange notations would have got me arrested as a suspected enemy combatant for sure!
Posted by: Liz on January 1, 2004 06:57 AMInformation is bad, m’kay?
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/101801/news.godfrey.shtml
lyd
Posted by: lyd on January 9, 2004 01:06 PM