Jury Cat, Penny Pursuers, Racist Rhyming, and Mind-Reading Policemen

It's NCAA tournament time, so here's a few quick stories you can skim while Verne Lundquist struggles to pronounce "Mouphtaou Yarou" and "Othyus Jeffers".

• A Boston couple's cat is summonsed for jury duty. The owners filed the appropriate paperwork for disqualification, but were denied exemption. Reminder: These are the people we're being asked to trust to run our health care system.



• IRS agents (multiple) descend in person last week to collect past-due taxes from a Sacramento businessman. Tax amount: four cents. Penalty amount: $202.31. The taxee has an October letter from the IRS stating his taxes were already paid in full.



• An East Sussex (UK) man was arrested, fingerprinted, and DNA-sampled after someone else in his office used the phrase "do-as-you-likey attitude" in an email to the district planning department. Sussex Police said the man was arrested on "suspicion of committing a racial or religious-aggravated offence" because "likey" rhymes with "pikey", which is a derogatory term for gypsies.
  
  Think the US will never slip down this slope? Really? Really? Really? Really? Really:



• Oregonian David Pyles woke up to two SWAT teams pointing guns at his home and demanding he surrender himself. Police admit he had committed no crime. But, Pyles had recently been placed on administrative leave from work, then legally purchased firearms (which he collects) with his recent income tax return.
  
  Police say Pyles was "disgruntled", but did not bother to seek a warrant for either the arrest or the search of Pyles's home. Chillingly, Oregon State Police Sgt. Jeff Proulx proudly explained: "Instead of being reactive, we took a proactive approach."

I don't know about the rest of you, but I need a drink. Enjoy the games!