[blank look]

Not long ago I thought aloud about how "those hectoring Congress in protest of 'government intervention in a private matter' need to reacquaint themselves with the fact that the judiciary is a branch of government." Evidently, so does U.S. District Court Judge James Whittemore. Don't miss the ways in which we'd be royally screwed if Whittemore were right. Among them: "The 'state' can’t compel you to testify against yourself, but the judge presiding over your case can."