Next time you hold a console LAN party down in El Paso, you better be careful who shows up. Either that or maybe install an airport metal detector at your front door. If you aren’t prepared, you could easily end up with a large gathering criminals with warrants out for their arrest.

U.S. Marshalls in El Paso, Texas tested this theory recently with what some might call the oldest trick in the book. You may already be a winner… yeah - of jail time. 115 arrests were made and 129 warrants cleared as criminals responded to a letter informing them that they had won an Xbox 360. On top of that, over $25,000 in back traffic fines were also collected.

This entire story begs for increased membership applications to the National Association of Retarded Citizens. Here is a newsflash for our slower friends down in the large southern state. It is also coming from someone who is in Marketing, and would be in charge of running various contests and campaigns such as this. You will never be randomly selected from the phone book to win an Xbox 360, a Television, a Boat, or any other cool prize. I don’t know how many letters or calls were made to inform these Mensa members that they had won, but the fact that any more than ZERO people even showed up brings more tears to my eyes than any World Vision commercial showing me a bunch of flies with a child on them.

What is even more surprising is that I was aware of this method for catching criminals when I was about 5 years old. Are these criminals new to Earth? Have they been living abroad on Neptune for the last 20 years? Oh no wait, they are just Texans. I certainly hope no one from Texas ends up running your coun - oh wait.

Hey - at least they make a damn good BBQ down there!