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Random Morning Links
- Obama promises 600,000 new federal employees.
- Amtrak police arrest man who says he was taking pictures for an Amtrak photo contest.
- Indiana Court of Appeals strikes down Internet sex sting convictions, finds that in order to be guilty of attempted sex with a minor, the victim must be an actual minor, not an undercover police officer. A solicitation charge against the man will stand.
- Connecticut judge drives drunk, drifts out of lane while in a construction zone, hits a parked police car, and unleashes barrage of racial insults shortly after the accident. Her sentence? An alcohol education program. The charge will be erased if she stays clean for a year.
- Not particularly interesting: Former Ft. Lauderdale city commissioner has his bike stolen. Interesting-er: While in office, commissioner created mandatory bike registration system, on the theory that forcing city residents to register bikes would deter theft. Interesting-est: When reporting the theft, the former commissioner had to admit to police that he hadn't registered his own bike, violating his own regulation.
- Burglars dressed as cops invade home in DeKalb County, Georgia.
LurkerBold|1.5.09 @ 10:41AM|#
Warty,
If all transportation were public we could have more police in more
places. Might require more than 600,000 new Federal employees for
that, but it would be for the greater good.
Other Matt|1.5.09 @ 10:42AM|#
If you do the math: 20 percent of three million means
600,000 new government employees
Aw, now, it isn't fair to confront "Change!" with silly things like
facts. What was Tapper thinking?
|1.5.09 @ 10:42AM|#
Obamanation: Why don't we make every adult
citizen a federal employee? That would help alleviate the social
security mess.
Burglars dressed as cops: Been wondering why this
doesn't happen more often. If the cops succeeded in shooting enough
pets and people in their unannounced, forced entries, wouldn't it
pay great dividends to burglars to pretend to be cops?
LurkerBold|1.5.09 @ 10:45AM|#
PL,
If we had more cops on the street your second example would not be
so easy to get away with.
lunchstealer|1.5.09 @ 10:46AM|#
Burglars dressed as cops invade home in DeKalb County,
Georgia.
I hear that larceny is the new professionalism.
|1.5.09 @ 10:48AM|#
in order to be guilty of attempted sex with a minor, the
victim must be an actual minor, not an undercover police
officer.
I've always wondered about that. Why couldn't you just say you
didn't believe your internet paramour when she claimed to be 16,
and assumed it was all part of teh sexay?
|1.5.09 @ 10:48AM|#
But, on the other hand, if they were to make it illegal to have sex with police officers, I'd be all for that.
thoreau|1.5.09 @ 10:51AM|#
And despite that no-knock burglary by criminals pretending to be cops, the next time some groggy guy fails to put his hands up quickly enough during a 2am no-knock raid on the wrong address, the cops will insist that he should have known they were cops.
|1.5.09 @ 10:56AM|#
Connecticut judge drives drunk, drifts out of lane while in
a construction zone, hits a parked police car, and unleashes
barrage of racial insults shortly after the accident.
Was it Amy Gray*?
* I'd just like to note for the record that I would never watch
that piece of shit show.
|1.5.09 @ 10:56AM|#
In a lot of these raids-gone-bad stories, you hear claims from the police that they shouted "Police" at some point during the raid. I find that claim highly dubious. They may say that as they're standing over your prostrated form or as they are emptying their weapons in your general direction, but earlier than that? Probably not. And, of course, even if they did, does that mean you should disarm and "assume the position" just because someone you can't see claims to be a cop?
MNG|1.5.09 @ 10:57AM|#
"Her sentence? An alcohol education program. The charge will be
erased if she stays clean for a year."
Did she get to be the judge in her own case? Because that would be
TEH AWESOME!
|1.5.09 @ 10:58AM|#
Actually, PL, back in the early 90s cops in Central Fla did some
rethinking on no-knock raids.
A couple of home invasions involving perps claiming to be cops was
part of it. The shooting of a Titusville cop in one (the homeowner
was aquitted) was another.
And finally, it almost seemed like they were feeling bad about the
number of innocent "civilians" they were shooting.
Alas, it was too good to be true. Things were back to normal (read
"fucked-up") within a few weeks.
Ska|1.5.09 @ 11:08AM|#
I miss Neil, he was so much more fun than the new
leftitty.
CT judge - can't wait till she tries her next DWI where the driver
calls the cop a nigger or a pig or something.
|1.5.09 @ 11:17AM|#
"in order to be guilty of attempted sex with a minor, the victim
must be an actual minor, not an undercover police officer. "
I can't wait until the police start using minors to comply with the
new interpretation - then get themselves busted for contributing to
the delinquency of a minor.
|1.5.09 @ 11:20AM|#
The judge allegedly said that she was suffering from
"Negro-itis". She is also alleged to have called the state trooper
at the scene "Negro Washington".
Who, in their right and rational mind would assert that the judge
"unleashed a barrage of racial insults"?
|1.5.09 @ 11:20AM|#
But, on the other hand, if they were to make it illegal to
have sex with police officers, I'd be all for that.
Don't worry. After this ruling, the Indiana legislature is
scrambling to rewrite the law. With any luck, the dog's breakfast
of law that gets passed with actually outlaw sex with police.
SIV|1.5.09 @ 11:22AM|#
joe | January 5, 2009, 10:52am | #
Wait, Dekalb County?
Are they sure they weren't actual cops?
As a DeKalb county resident I can say "good question".
SIV|1.5.09 @ 11:38AM|#
Some "tips" from from neighboring Gwinnett County
authorities:
In the meantime, police are warning the public about
impersonators to help deter further incidents. Real police officers
rarely wear hats or shirts printed with just the generic word
"police," Spellman said. Those articles of clothing can be
purchased in many stores.
Civilians should look instead for the full name of the police
agency or department on officers' clothing and badges, such as
Gwinnett County Police Department, she said.
Police do use unmarked vehicles and wear plain clothes at times,
but "usually we're going to announce ourselves and allow
someone to come to the door before we're going to breach a
doorway," Spellman said.
Emphasis
on "usually" as in not last December in Gwinnett during a
"wrong house" raid.
Ska|1.5.09 @ 11:49AM|#
Probably not; they're not weaving in and out of traffic like
Greyhound drivers.
Do Greyhound drivers get subjected to breathalyzers?
|1.5.09 @ 12:00PM|#
By the way- I'm deeply disappointed at your failure to include
GHWB's endorsement of Number Two Son as Presidential timber.
Who could possibly object?
|1.5.09 @ 12:17PM|#
I think Jeb Bush would've been okay as president, but there's no way that I'm voting for another Bush now. Not unless Mr. Hilter of Minehead receives the Democratic nomination, anyway.
Chuck|1.5.09 @ 12:40PM|#
The victim told investigators that the suspects flashed
badges and claimed to be "special agents" when they entered the
home in the 3900 block of Day Trail North and immediately demanded
money, DeKalb police spokeswoman Bettina Durant said.
Up to this point they could have been actual police. But when they
didn't kill his dog, he got suspicious.
|1.5.09 @ 12:40PM|#
Connecticut judge drives drunk
Nothing happens
sputter...fume...outrage
You know, we'll have the fake/real/indeterminate cops in DeKalb as
long as we have 2 standards:
legal system for Law associated (aka 4 legs good)
and legal system for non-law associated (2 legs bad)
BakedPenguin|1.5.09 @ 12:43PM|#
Pro Libertate - Yeah, I didn't like the sound of those 'boncentration bamps'.
|1.5.09 @ 12:53PM|#
Jeb's role in the Schiavo melodrama is enough for me to want him excluded from any position of power higher than dogcatcher.
|1.5.09 @ 12:54PM|#
Schiavo was a black mark, agreed, but he was a good governor, otherwise. Surprisingly.
|1.5.09 @ 1:03PM|#
Obama promises 600,000 new federal employees.
Actually he promiszed up to 600,000 new federal employees.
This means the final # will be 900,000 ± 50K. The useless fucks in
Americorps are getting a surge.
Amtrak police arrest man who says he was taking pictures for an
Amtrak photo contest.
He's guilty until proven innocent. Don't you know terrorists
sometimes use cameras? Forks and spoons too, you can't be too
careful.
Indiana Court of Appeals strikes down Internet sex sting
convictions, finds that in order to be guilty of attempted sex with
a minor, the victim must be an actual minor, not an undercover
police officer. A solicitation charge against the man will
stand.
These witch hunting buffoons have been playing with entrapment for
years. Good on the Indiana COA.
Connecticut judge drives drunk, drifts out of lane while in a
construction zone, hits a parked police car, and unleashes barrage
of racial insults shortly after the accident. Her sentence? An
alcohol education program. The charge will be erased if she stays
clean for a year.
Equality under the law my ass.
Not particularly interesting: Former Ft. Lauderdale city
commissioner has his bike stolen. Interesting-er: While in office,
commissioner created mandatory bike registration system, on the
theory that forcing city residents to register bikes would deter
theft. Interesting-est: When reporting the theft, the former
commissioner had to admit to police that he hadn't registered his
own bike, violating his own regulation.
Not as good as the Detroit Chief of Police trying to take an
unregistered handgu8n on an airplane, but it's to be
expected.
Burglars dressed as cops invade home in DeKalb County,
Georgia.
It's getting hard to believe what the people breaking down your
door in the middle of the night are shouting nowadays, isn't
it?
|1.5.09 @ 1:07PM|#
We are crazy evil, aren't we? Why just the other day, Viking Moose threw off his tophat and thrashed a young man because he didn't like the color of his skin.
Reformed Republican|1.5.09 @ 1:07PM|#
Obama promises 600,000 new federal employees.
As the government buys up businesses, private employees become
federal employees.
Nigel Watt|1.5.09 @ 1:16PM|#
Schiavo was a black mark, agreed, but he was a good governor, otherwise. Surprisingly.
GWBush was a decent governor too, and...yeah.
LurkerBold|1.5.09 @ 1:17PM|#
RR,
Everybody should contribute to the greater good through
government.
|1.5.09 @ 1:29PM|#
The Hit & Run Guide To Spoof Posting
Rule 1
Create a generic screen name or risk a quick outing. Posting as a
portmanteau of two other known spoof posters is never a good
idea.
Rule 2
Proportionality of spoofing. Never post anything that the party you
are spoofing wouldn't be able to say with a straight face.
Rule 3
Constant spoofing is best leavened with the occasional rational
post in order to throw other commenters off the scent.
Lurkerbold: D+ And a recommendation for remedial
troll training.
LurkerBold|1.5.09 @ 1:32PM|#
SF,
Go back to your countryclub decorated with lawn jockeys and drink
the blood of your victims.
|1.5.09 @ 1:38PM|#
Seriously, dude... you keep this up you're going to have to spend all summer in those trailers out by the football practice field.
Salvius|1.5.09 @ 1:42PM|#
in order to be guilty of attempted sex with a minor, the
victim must be an actual minor, not an undercover police
officer.
"I'm not a pedophile, Your Honor, I just have a fetish for
undercover cops."
There's also Penn Jillette's take on this: These sting operations
may be enticing people who otherwise would never have done
anything, because adults posing as teenagers online are capable of
more interesting conversations than actual teenagers, and
so may inadvertently be more appealing.
And the obvious next step:
"Wanted: 12-14 year old girl to engage in hot, flirtatious chats
with online perverts. Apply in person at the Xenia Police
Department."
Robert U. Terwilliger|1.5.09 @ 1:49PM|#
"Attempted sex with a minor? Really, what kind of crime is that? Do they give out Nobel prizes for 'Attempted Chemistry'?"
BakedPenguin|1.5.09 @ 1:53PM|#
...you keep this up you're going to have to spend all summer
in those trailers out by the football practice field.
Troll mini-camp. Especially important for those trolls who are
likely to get cut before the first pre-season thread.
|1.5.09 @ 1:53PM|#
If only we could blend the undercover minor sex sting case and the Dymond Milburn story.
|1.5.09 @ 1:56PM|#
BP,
Actually, at my high school that's where they housed the violent
"learning disabled" kids until they "graduated" to adult
crimes.
Like the kid who was arrested with 25,000 hits of LSD.
BakedPenguin|1.5.09 @ 1:59PM|#
25,000 hits? I don't know SF, sounds like it could have been fun out there...
|1.5.09 @ 2:04PM|#
Does anyone else remember when the obvious undercover cop tried
to sting the H&R threads?
From memory:
"Michael
hotstexyteen@comcast.net
I may only be a 15 year old boy with a completely hairless body,
but that doesn't mean I don't want to learn about libertarianism
from someone older and more knowledgeable."
|1.5.09 @ 2:06PM|#
TAO and BP,
It was about two years after he graduated. He had five uncut sheets
of blotter paper wrapped in aluminum foil and stuck up in his
dashboard. He was making a resupply run from Indianapolis that
would have been distributed all over Western Kentucky. It was a
federal arrest and they initially charged him with 25,000
felonies.
The guy who gave him up was under arrest for using a $20 bill on
fishing line to rob post office stamp machines for over $2,500. He
stole over 10,000 quarters in a little less than a year.
The best part of the story: The LSD runner was an albino.
(Seriously, went to 7-12 with him.)
|1.5.09 @ 2:18PM|#
He was the first kid ever to come to school with a mohawk and I've never been able to wipe the sight of his hideous pink scalp out of my mind. His bother had pectus carinatum (pigeon chest), so the whole family was probably Hills Have Eyes style mutants.
BakedPenguin|1.5.09 @ 2:25PM|#
You know, you're not doing much to dispel some of the uglier uh... ideas people have about Kentucky.
|1.5.09 @ 2:29PM|#
Just how it is dude... and this is Western Kentucky, the civilized side of the state.
BakedPenguin|1.5.09 @ 2:39PM|#
Actually, I shouldn't talk. In my school days, I knew both an
albino and a guy with pectus excavatum, here in Orlando.
Considering who I hung around with back then, I probably also knew
someone who - at one time - had 25,000 hits of LSD. If I did, they
never chose to share that info with me, though.
|1.5.09 @ 2:43PM|#
I got into a fist fight with my albino. What about you, tuff
gai? Beat up any mutants?
(On a purely self-defense related note: Punching someone in the top
of the head repeatedly is not an effective hand-to-hand
technique.)
|1.5.09 @ 3:01PM|#
I got into a fist fight with my albino.
That's a new one. I'm still using "flogging the dolphin."
|1.5.09 @ 4:04PM|#
About that judge.
What a bitch. what a bitch of a criminal justice system.
I have a friend that was wrongfully convicted:
http://www.helpbrianstraub.com/
I guess real justice is hard to find when judges are hooking
eachother up.
|1.5.09 @ 4:47PM|#
"""Jeb's role in the Schiavo melodrama is enough for me to want
him excluded from any position of power higher than
dogcatcher."""
Ditto.
I always joke about Jeb's would be campaign slogan. Vote for me,
I'm the smart one.
|1.5.09 @ 6:25PM|#
When photographs/cameras are banned, only the criminals and
government will have cameras.
(aside) why do
|1.5.09 @ 6:35PM|#
* screwed up the code at 6:25 - here's what I intended...
When photographs/cameras are banned, only the criminals and
government will have cameras.
(aside) why do cops
stand around with their arms crossed? Is it to look even more
threatening?
BakedPenguin|1.5.09 @ 6:38PM|#
What about you, tuff gai? Beat up any mutants?
I almost got it a fight with a friend of Mr. Chest Cave once at a
party. Probably a good thing I didn't - he would have kicked my
ass.
I could have taken the albino, though.
|1.5.09 @ 11:18PM|#
...unleashes barrage of racial insults shortly after the accident.
I wonder, can an African-American women who calls an
African-American state policeman "Negro Washington" and uses the
"n" word, truly be said to have "unleashe[d a] barrage of racial
insults"?
There's plenty to criticize in this seemingly preferential
treatment but to describe inappropriately familiar language as
"racist" seems...well...silly.
|1.5.09 @ 11:25PM|#
Pectus excavatum is sometimes referred to as cobbler's chest, sunken chest, funnel chest or simply a dent in the chest.
|1.6.09 @ 1:01AM|#
@ isaac: it's the content of the speech, not the identity of the speaker, that makes something racist
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