While icing the knee after a nice little hike yesterday—the first since surgery, thank you—I just came across a column in the Yorkshire Post by Bill Carmichael, a fellow whose columns I’ll now keep up with. Here’s his intro to Friday’s column:

A FEW years back, for a bit of a laugh, I invented a character for this column. I dubbed him “Clipboard Man”.

The idea was to lampoon petty officialdom that has reached ridiculous levels in the UK.

Oh, were the UK the only place the likes of Clipboard Man runs unfettered! Carmichael cites some amazingly dotty adventures of Clipboard Man from years past, and reports that Clipboard Man has recently re-surfaced, “more intrusive and creepier than ever.”

Ahhhh…sounds like Clipboard Man has been taking lessons from his counterpart on this side of the pond, “Counterintelligence Man,” so dubbed because he exhibits true counterintelligence; and on this side of the pond, in cooperation with the big telecoms, he specializes in “more intrusive and creepier.”

Counterintelligence Man has quite the little tussle on his hands these days, however, but still hasn’t given up on the idea of retroactive immunity for the telecoms so the he may produce ever more that’s counter to intelligence. As TPM reports, despite the Democratic leadership in Congress declaring that immunity is off the table, the Republicans are still pushing the idea. TPM quotes John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) spokesman, Michael Steel, delivering a bona fide fox-guarding-the-henhouse line. Referring to Blue Dog Democrats, he asked, “Will they choose to protect their constituents or will they back the Democratic leadership in kowtowing to trial lawyers and liberal special interests?”

So far it seems the Blue Dogs are choosing to protect their constituents–from Counterintelligence Man! May it continue to be so.

Carmichael ends his Clipboard Man segment thus:

These bureaucrats should remember – they are there to serve the public, not the other way around.

Reminding them of that is our unending duty, and I thank Mr. Carmichael for doing his bit.

Peace.

Deborah Alicen