The CIA’s World Factbook. Want to know how many cell phones
there are on the South Seas island nation of Vanuatu, population 202,609 (not
including the marooned cast and crew of Survivor)? Can’t remember which
equatorial African nation El Hadj Omar Bongo rules with an iron fist? Don’t
have a clue about the Ashmore and Cartier Islands (hint: they’re near Australia)?
The answers, and more, free from the CIA, in unbiased and sometimes surprisingly
unvarnished prose. And you thought that the agency was useless. www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

“Why Do I Have To Pay Taxes?” IRS. A soupçon
of guile, lawlessness and loopiness, which includes notes on “how filing
a Form 1040 violates the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination”
and on “taking a vow of poverty” to avoid taxation. www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2105.pdf
and www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/friv_tax.pdf

The House Ethics Committee Memorandum reprimanding the shady
Congressional Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas. Read it, and a few accompanying
documents, and see how your elected representatives make a hash of propriety.
The sordid trail begins with DeLay’s second censure in one week by the House
for selling access and ends when the Ethics Committee issues a mind-boggling
rebuke of Representative Chris Bell, a Texas Democrat, for having the nerve
to raise the misconduct allegations against the crooked GOP leader. In between,
see the House Republicans jettison their own rules so that DeLay can stay on
as House majority leader even if he is indicted in Texas for campaign-finance
violations. www.house.gov/ethics/DeLay_memo.htm

The Federal Procurement Data System. The old adage “follow
the money” still applies. The FPDS, maintained by the U.S. General Services
Administration, includes all federal contracts worth more than $25,000. In the
most recent data available, for the 2003 fiscal year, there are 692,966 contracts
documented, worth more than $290 billion. That’s a lot of money, and a lot of
data, including all those weaselly no-bid contracts in Iraq the Pentagon granted
Dick Cheney and friends. www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases/fedcontacts/

The Congressional Budget Office report “The Outlook for
Social Security.” A bland title, issued last June, that disappeared
but packs a wallop. The Social Security shortfall isn’t as large as Republicans
make out, undercutting the president’s prime argument for privatizing (i.e.,
pulverizing) your retirement. Too bad John Kerry couldn’t have put it so simply.

The Pledge Protection Act of 2004. This legislation aims
to keep “under God” where it has been since 1954 — when it was added
to distinguish ourselves from the Godless Soviet Union. It seemed back then
God needed some assurances. This year’s bill, which passed the House on September
23, would prevent federal courts from mucking around with the invocation of
the Almighty, who’s evidently been won to our side by -millions of sincere schoolchildren
uttering His name for 50 consecutive years. https://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_reports&docid=f:hr691.108.pdf

Random readings of congressional hearings transcripts.
A sample gem: Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), last May, expounding on
the benefits of marriage. “In fact, is marriage a public good that government
can just simply choose to continue to ignore, or is it something that is a public
good that we should cease to be neutral on and try to, in fact, encourage, support
and enhance as something that is beneficial to children?” Is this a multiple-choice
question? Can the Honorable Gentleman speak English? Can a marriage be beneficial
if a couple is childless? https://finance.senate.gov/hearings/95266.pdf

“Non-Lethal Weapons: Terms and References.” Compiled
for the Air Force Institute for National Security Studies, and available through
the Defense Technical Information Center, a thick handbook on “barriers,
batons, biochemicals,” listing dozens of so-called non-lethal weapons.
Among the 12 entries for “acoustics” is the Curdler Unit, “a
device which produces a shrill, shrieking, blatting noise. It is used to irritate
and disperse rioters . . . [and] in night operations to produce a ‘voodoo’ effect
and effectively breaks up chanting, -singing and clapping.” For a summary,
see www.the
memoryhole.org/mil/nl-weapons_terms/

The “Vehicle Inspection Checklist.” A 128-page
guide to inspecting vehicles for what the U.S. government calls “improvised
explosive devices,” i.e., bombs. Printed on waterproof paper, spiral-bound
and “suitable for field use.” Available from the Technical Support
Working Group, one of those homeland-security outfits, at $138 per package of
10. You might have a spot of trouble getting ahold of a copy, since it’s restricted
to officially sanctioned counterterrorists. www.tswg.gov/tswg/prods_pubs/VICPress.htm

The United States Constitution. Contained therein the quaint
republican notion that “The Congress shall have Power . . . To declare
war.” The founding document includes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s least-favorite
phase, i.e., “natural born Citizen.” Plus 10 essential amendments.
www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.