• BURNT TOAST to the Sudanese government for arresting Paul Salopek, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning American reporter, and charging him “with espionage and writing ‘false news,’â€? allegations which appear patently false and are likely intended to “discourage reporters from visiting…[and so] diminish worldwide attention to government-caused suffering in Darfur.â€? The U.S. State Department needs to take action to ensure that Mr. Salopek is not harmed and gains his release and that Sudan is held accountable for incidents such as this and its continuing role in the genocide in Darfur. more…

• BURNT TOAST to the mindless bureaucrats at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who have declared that the cats residing at The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum are exhibits and, as such, cannot roam freely there, as generations of the felines have for over 40 years. According to the USDA, “the museum is violating the Animal Welfare Act and subject to a daily fine of $200 per cat.â€? They want the cats contained. (Frankly, it’s the bureaucrats who should be contained—preferably in a dank dungeon reeking of cat urine.) more…

• BURNT TOAST to the Florida Elections Commission for forcing a small-town newspaper, the Wakulla Independent Reporter, to halt publication, ostensibly because it was “an ‘electioneering communication’ subject to campaign finance disclosure laws.â€? As reported in the Tallahassee Democrat, “the FEC investigated…after a Panacea resident complained that the four-page broadsheet, which includes book reviews, nature photographs, and community news, was a political arm of ‘anti-growth’ candidates.â€? The ACLU has taken up the case and “plans to argue that portions of the state election law that define campaign documents are too broad, and an exemption for newspapers is too narrow.â€? Stay tuned. more…

• BURNT TOAST to Ron Price, who serves on the school board in Dallas, Texas and believes the city has a serious crack problem. Butt crack, that is. Price “wants the City Council to look into banning the oversized trousers that often slip so low as to show underwear.â€? Although the Council has “asked the city attorney to look into the issue,â€? there are some who “are raising concerns about police attention being diverted to fashion.â€? Gee, you think? Hopefully, Price’s proposal will only be considered briefly. more…