Apparently, as part of the reorganization of American intelligence services we’ve been hearing so much about, counterterrorism will be handed over to the Keystone Cops. It appears that the controversial TIPS program is now forwarding its incoming calls to America’s Most Wanted. Yes, the Fox TV show. Really.

At first, I was reminded of John Stossel’s speech [PDF] at Cato’s 25th Anniversary Bash, where he observed that programs like that “Emergency Broadcast System” that never seems to get used during emergencies, are otiose because information travels through the private sector more effectively than through government. But doesn’t AMW just forward the tips they get to the FBI anyway? And don’t we keep hearing that the Justice Department dare not release any information about illegal prisone… sorry, “detainees,” because it’s vital to antiterror investigations that a tight lock be kept on the relevant information? Ah well, I suppose that Fox is practically a subsidiary of the Bush administration anyway.