Eric Berg, a Portland activist I've known since high school, took the FBI's warning very seriously that Americans should be on the look out for “suspicious” looking people carrying around almanacs. Almanacs, said the FBI, could be used by terrorists. Willamette Week reports:
The warning sparked one Portland patriot into action. Eric Berg, a 36-year-old soccer fan (see Mailbox, page 4), marched into Portland's downtown FBI office on Jan. 2, intent on doing his patriotic duty--he wanted to turn in his almanacs. And this is a man who loves almanacs. "Some people call me the Human Search Engine," says Berg, who has been unable to translate his skills into gainful employment. "Others, the Man of Knowledge."But it turned out the feds weren't as keen to seize Berg's dangerous portable information banks as might have been expected. After Berg stood in the FBI's lobby for some 15 minutes--holding an almanac in plain sight--three special agents roguishly refused his would-be contribution to the cause. "It must be FBI policy not to crack a smile," Berg notes. The Portland man kept his beloved almanac but says he may take further action with his hastily formed group Americans Against Terror and Knowledge.
For their efforts Willamette Week named the FBI their "Rouge of the Week."
For the record I would like to state that I do not own any almanacs. Though my wife does love maps. She's also a member of AAA. Very suspicious.