Writer On Stupidity Charged In Internet Sex Sting

The author of two books on stupidity has been charged with using the Internet to try to arrange sex with a 15-year-old girl, who was actually a male undercover detective. Investigators said the author, James F. Welles, 61, who wrote ''The Story of Stupidity'' and ''Understanding Stupidity,'' was aware of the possibility of a sting. He wrote in one message that he worried about ''the State of Florida looming in the background,'' the investigators said. He was arrested after arranging a meeting at a restaurant, they said. [NY Times]