Writes Gary Barnett:

I just walked down the street in my little home town of Lewistown, Montana, to the local coffee shop called “The Rising Trout” to get a cup of coffee. On the door was a new sign that read: "Open Mic Night is cancelled until further notice due to an ASCAP [American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers] order." Apparently, some member of this asinine protectionist non-profit organization found out that a few local patrons of this little coffee shop were singing songs in public. Unless this small shop owner forks over a large sum of cash to this extortionist operation, no one in my town is allowed to sing.