and have the name on it read "Muhammad bin-Laden." My life isn't nearly exciting enough.

This is just another case of the government looking like they're doing something instead of actually doing something. It's ridiculous, is what it is.

The avalanche has started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote. -- Ambassador Kosh

Ay, mama. Every time I think I've already seen our reigning geniuses reach the limit of possible human stupidity, the next day proves me wrong.

(By the way, thank you, Albert, for using that lovely little word "almost" in your first sentence. It bugs me  when we describe as "unbelievable" or "incredible" things that we in fact believe; of course I catch myself doing it from time to time and wince. Yes, I'm a pedant. Don't even get me started on "literally".)

Ann Arbor-In an attempt to stem the threat of dangerous terrorism, Domino's Pizza outlets will stop accepting phone orders from callers named Mohammed, Ahmed and Osama.  It is thought that in this fashion, terrorists will be starved out of their lairs.

In a further development, researchers have discovered that certain combinations of pizza toppings are favored by terrorists.  While full disclosure of these combinations would seriously impair the ability of authorities to gain knowledge of terrorist activities, it was divulged that pineapple is one of the toppings involved.  No further information was available.

Sorry, no link available at this time.

 

Fear will keep the local systems in line. -Grand Moff Tarkin Survivor Left Blogistan

It's no different than security at the airport. It's all just an illusion to make you feel better. If you really want to blow up or hijack an airliner, the procedures at the airport only deter people stupid enough to try and take a gun or bomb through the metal detectors. Like George Carlin says, if you can't get a weapon onboard, just wait a few hours and they'll give you a knife and fork.

This way, if people say that they aren't doing enough to prevent against terror attacks, they can say they are "cracking down" on money transfers by terrorists. Best part is, it doesn't cost anything, unlike ACTUALLY doing something.

I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own. ----- George Carlin

All financial institutions in the U. S. are required to file Suspicious Activity Reports whenever there is any "unusual" activity, meaning something out of someone's ordinary transaction pattern.  When these reports are filed, it is up to the financial institution whether they carry out the customer's transaction or not.  They are protected from liability to the customer.

Since 9/11, the number of SARs has mushroomed along with the number of people on the "extra scrutiny" list for air flights.  In the case of the former, any officious bank manager can hold up your transfering funds abroad.  In the case of the latter, any law enforcement agency can add you to the list that will subject you to extra searches and maybe interrogation if you try to board a plane.

And here I thought the Keystone Cops were just a Hollywood movie invention...long dead and gone. Alas it appears not to be so.  I would really have liked to be in on this strategy session to see how this craptacular 'plan' came about.

Might be howlingly funny in some sort of satirical movie but in real life it becomes almost mind numbingly inane waste of time.

'Poverty is the worst form of violence'--Gandhi

A friend told me this tale a couple months ago and I have no reason to doubt her:

She's friends with a man of Mexican origin who has been working hard and saving his money. He wanted to send some  cash to his auntie in Arizona and asked for my pal's help because he had some literacy problems. When she tried to wire the money she was told by a Western Union clerk in Arizona that it was policy not to accept these transactions to or from people with Hispanic surnames because they might take it to Mexico and/or be using it to smuggle people into the US. She contacted the regional supervisor and he denied everything so she was able to complete the transaction.

'soup

Boy, would I love to see a couple of guys named Mohammad and Ahmed file the mother of all class action suits and litigate these asshats into oblivion.

"As a woman, I have no country. . . . As a woman, my country is the whole world." --Virginia Woolf

From slashdot:

FUD(Score:5, Informative)
by bwcarty (660606) on Thursday July 06, @01:12PM (#15668203)
I work for a division of a large financial firm, and we are required to download a list of Specially Designated Nationals [ustreas.gov] from the Treasury Department and compare names from it against new accounts and transfers. The list includes lists of suspected terrorists, and they're not all Arabic (think Irish Republican Army).

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/07/06/1610229.shtml