Ed was just minding his own business. According to an article in the News & Advance of Lynchburg, Virginia, Ed wasn't harming anyone, or threatening to harm anyone, or defrauding anyone.

But that didn't stop the state of Virginia from charging Ed with misdemeanors and felonies and booking him into the crowbar motel sans bail.

A SPECIAL NOTE TO THE CLASS OF 2047

Welcome to the Federalized Educational & Socialization Indoctrination System of the Great American Imperium. The Senior Lifetime Bureaucrats in charge of programming your minds to ensure your Obedience and Usefulness to the State have officially prepared this History Textbook "for the children."

Gold opened 2008 with a bang. The price of the yellow metal soared to all-time nominal highs, surpassing $900 per ounce. "So what?" you may ask. "Unless one works for a mining company or a jeweler, gold is a trivial or nonexistent factor in one's life." True. But do you use dollars for your money? If so, then you ought to be concerned about the rising price of gold.

Most Americans, when asked for a photo ID, will pull out a driver's license and not think twice about it. We have to show proof of our identity when we drink, when we drive, and when we fly. Identification can also be required to rent a movie, borrow a book, or write a check. So why shouldn't we be required to show a photo ID to vote? That's the question presently before the U.S. Supreme Court.