Someone, please, remind me what country I'm in

If you happen to see Dick "Sith Lord" Cheney giving some face time in your neighborhood, you might want to think twice before telling him to go fuck himself. Just check out what happened to Denver resident Steve Howards:

On June 16, Steve Howards was walking his 7-year-old son to a piano practice, when he saw [Vice President Dick] Cheney surrounded by a group of people in an outdoor mall area, shaking hands and posing for pictures with several people.

According to the lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Denver, Howards and his son walked to about two-to-three feet from where Cheney was standing, and said to the vice president, "I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible," or words to that effect, then walked on.

Ten minutes later, according to Howards' lawsuit, he and his son were walking back through the same area, when they were approached by Secret Service agent Virgil D. "Gus" Reichle Jr., who asked Howards if he had "assaulted" the vice president. Howards denied doing so, but was nonetheless placed in handcuffs and taken to the Eagle County Jail.

The lawsuit states that the Secret Service agent instructed that Howards should be issued a summons for harassment, but that on July 6 the Eagle County District Attorney's Office dismissed all charges against Howards.

My highly esteemed BARBARian colleague, King of Zembla, draws an interesting parallel. Go check it out.

Bananas, man. Freakin' bananas.