It's going to be a cold winter

[Marlin]

  It's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in South
Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be
cold or mild.

  Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught
the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what
the winter was going to be like.
  Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the
winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the
village should collect firewood to be prepared.
  But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea.
He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather
Service and asked, 'Is the coming winter going to be cold ?'

  'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the
meteorologist at the weather service responded.

  So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even
more firewood in order to be prepared.
  A week later, he called the National Weather Service  again.
'Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'

  'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied,
'it's going to be a very cold winter.'

  The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to
collect every scrap of firewood they could find.
  Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service
again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very
cold?'

  'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and more like
it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.'

  'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

  The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting firewood
like crazy.'

[RDTroja]

  It's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in South
Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be
cold or mild.

  Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught
the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what
the winter was going to be like.
  Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the
winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the
village should collect firewood to be prepared.
  But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea.
He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather
Service and asked, 'Is the coming winter going to be cold ?'

  'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the
meteorologist at the weather service responded.

  So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even
more firewood in order to be prepared.
  A week later, he called the National Weather Service  again.
'Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'

  'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied,
'it's going to be a very cold winter.'

  The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to
collect every scrap of firewood they could find.
  Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service
again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very
cold?'

  'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and more like
it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.'

  'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

  The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting firewood
like crazy.'

I read that joke in a book called "Plato and A Platypus Walked Into a Bar" which is a great book on logic and fallacy. It ought to be required reading for Congressmen and political analysts.