Idiot of the Year
By Bob Barr

The Second Annual Idiots of the Year award’s First Place Winner is the City of Newark, New Jersey. The city topped the 2005 list because of its decision last year to use federal anti-terrorism monies to buy a bunch of garbage trucks.

Newark made the news this year when it was singled out for spending their federal anti-terrorism money to help fund the purchase of ten state-of-the-art, air-conditioned garbage trucks that cost $174,804 each. Newark defended the purchase stating that the trucks could “be used as barriers to protect possible targets” in a time of crisis.

Full Story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/31/
60minutes/main684349_page2.shtml

2nd Place goes to Taxpayer-funded Pentagon Researchers, who, it was revealed in 2005, conducted research into a “Sex Bomb” during the mid 1990s. War planners tried to develop a weapon that would make enemy soldier turn homosexual in the foxhole, dealing them a “non-lethal” drop to moral.

Full Story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146087,00.html

In 3rd Place is Randy Washington of Dolton, Illinois who made headlines in 2005 when he called into KISS 103.5 FM to brag about his successful robbery of a bank. Authorities listening to the radio contacted the station and eventually tracked Washington down through the cell phone he used to make the boastful call. He was arrested, eventually pled guilty and faces over a four year sentence.

Full Story: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=News&id=2785890

4th Place goes to a Ukrainian identified as “Konstantin, aged 22” who was mauled when he decided to wrestle a grizzly bear in a drunken stunt. He was attacked after he climbed into the local zoo’s bear cage and started smacking the resident grizzly.

Full Story: http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?
fSectionId=272&fArticleId=2624245

The 5th Place winner is Thomas Budnick of Springfield, MA, who appealed his assault conviction claiming he had incompetent legal counsel, after he had represented himself at his own trial

Full Story: http://www.legalreader.com/archives/002439.html

6th Place is won by Terrence Smit who drove up to the main gate of the CIA to ask for directions. He was arrested for DUI and then appealed his case saying his Constitutional rights were violated.

Full Story: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/4th/034957p.pdf

7th Place is taken by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Service who discontinued a successful Baptist children’s home, because the home took the children to church on Sundays.

Full Story: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=13043

In 8th Place is an Illinois Resident who drank ten beers and then blew his house up while setting off a mortar shell for entertainment. Both the man and his female companion were seriously burned.

Full Story: http://forum.americasarmy.com/viewtopic.php?
t=163895&sid=8133473c425e94020e8186898e82285e

9th Place goes to Glen Germain, Jr. who used a lighter to see better while he tried to steal gasoline from a dump truck. The resulting fire caused burns to his face and hands and he was subsequently arrested for larceny and criminal theft.

Full Story: http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3428175

Finally, 10th Place is taken by Christo Art Fans were duped when they bought into the farce of the over-hyped Central Park fabric display that cost $20 million dollars.

Full Story: http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/tg.html

Bob Barr’s Laws of the Universe airs Sundays from 6:00-8:00 PM EST. The talk show, a light hearted look at the world of politics, airs Sunday evenings and is carried nationwide on the Radio America Network ( www.radioamerica.org).

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