Check out the manifesto of the UK's new MP3 Party—a party devoted not to the protection and legalization of MP3 file trading, but to "protect and promote the interests and ideas of the mp3-generation worldwide".

1. It is a mathematical fact that very complex systems have certain limits after which any increase in complexity makes this system exponentially less efficient.

2.The above conclusion is true for any system: mathematical, molecular, mechanical, atomic, etc.

3. It should be universal also to other social systems: economical, political, legal etc.

4. Therefore those systems neede to be constantly, significantly and forcefully simplified in order to raise their level of functionality and efficiency.

The MP3 PARTY in the UK will make its topmost task to work for and support a significant simplification of the UK economic, political and legal system.

"ELECT US AND WE WILL DELETE ONE REGULATION PER DAY, ONE LAW PER WEEK, ONE SUBSIDY PER MONTH AND ONE TAX PER YEAR."

My first reaction was: If it walks like a libertarian and quacks like a libertarian, it's probably a libertarian. But they make some bizarre departures from libertarianism when you delve into the specifics of the manifesto: IQ tests for Parliamentary representatives, deportation of long-term prisoners to Russia, a royal title for anyone who can get 100 UK citizens to agree to be their subjects—it's libertarianism with a mad-scientist edge.

If this doesn't win the next Turner Prize, I shall be sorely disappointed.

The madness never stops when it comes to Operation TIPS. Remember Operation TIPS?

To refresh your memory, it's a much-criticized nationwide network of citizen informants "who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to see potentially unusual or suspicious activity." Yes, apparently we were jealous of China's paranoia-inducing system of citizen informants.

Now, Salon and the ACLU are reporting that calls to the TIPS hotline are being forwarded to—get this—the hotline for the Fox television show America's Most Wanted.

Because, you know, in the current economic climate, trusting private corporations to do the right thing really seems like the best thing to do.

While we're at it, let's just put Hilary Rosen in charge of copyright legislation. Oh, wait! Shit! They already effectively did that!

Here in Texas, we have Republicans piled higher than the tops of our flash flood gauges. Crazy Republicans are our specialty.

Every once in a while, though, one of them gets a touch of wisdom in his head, popping up like a buttercup in a field of bluebonnets.

Buttercup of the week is DIck Armey, who is introducing amendments to the Homeland Security bill to prevent the establishment of Operation TIPS and nip off a planned national ID card program before it goes to seed.

Not only that, but he also wants to establish a Privacy Officer in the department to help safeguard civil liberties!

Did someone accidentally switch his brain with Lloyd Doggett's?

If that isn't enough, there's also yet another delightful parody of Operation TIPS, this one recruiting people to inform on the informers, and squeezing in a spoof of the "-chalking" phenomenon for good measure. (What's chalking? See Warchalking and Blogchalking)

So join the cause, chalk an informer! And chalk this up as a good day for Dick Armey, Texas Republican with a clue.

Not up to speed on Operation TIPS? Catch up in the archives, here and here.