Friday random thoughts...

• The government snooping on its citizens is a worlds apart from citizens trying to keep tabs on what their government is doing. One is the tool of a tyrannical state, one is a feature of a democratic republic.

• For the transcript of the Tracy Press v City of Tracy decision, visit Cheri Matthews' blog here.

• Calvin and Hobbes quote of the week: "Virtue needs some cheaper thrills."

• Things don't look to great for our county neighbors to the south: "If the San Joaquin Valley were to become a new state in the country, we would rank last or second to last in per capita income," said state Assembly Member Juan Arambula, D-Fresno. "I think the figures show that our people are worse off even than those in the Appalachians."

• Those Iraq WMDs were finally found — in New York City.

• A sign of the apocalypse? President Bush today uttered these wise and compassionate words in announcing a new government program: "It’s not the government’s job to bail out speculators or those who made the decision to buy a home they knew they could never afford. Yet there are many American homeowners who can get through this difficult time with a little flexibility from their lenders or little help from their government."

• Can't help but wonder if Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and other torture proponents would have the same views if they went through what Sen. John McCain did...

• Hope it lives up to the hype: This year's bean festival sure is getting a lot of publicity. The Saturday "Our Town" is even dedicated to the upcoming celebration.

• And Enjoy the final Saturday publication of the Tracy Press. (Until we decide to change publication schedules again.)