The Thirteen Scariest People in America

I'd like to call your attention to The Thirteen Scariest People in America (Old Trout Magazine). The humor (and scariness) is just what we all need before Halloween.

The list includes:

* Scariest Presidential Candidate: Sam Brownback / Senator (R-Kansas)

* Scariest Judge: Edith Hollan Jones / Chief Justice of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

* Scariest Proselytizer: Rev. Rick Warren / Author of The Purpose Driven Life
(Tied with Brownback on my list, let me tell you -- this man penetrates even into prisons, and reading his book with my inmate tutee made my eyes pop out a number of times. Of course, I couldn't say anything apart from trying to convince him that Narcotics Anonymous really was a much better text on which to formulate a new worldview -- you know, "I am an addict and I'm responsible", as oppposed to "God made me just the way I am, and my harmful inclinations were part of His Plan.")

* Scariest Cop: Joe Arpaio / Sheriff, Maricopa County, AZ

* Scariest Drug Dealer: Billy Tauzin / CEO, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

* Scariest Academic: Kevin MacDonald / Professor of Psychology, California State University at Long Beach

* Scariest Insurer: Edward M. Liddy / CEO, Allstate