They Do it Because They Can

Pirates who seized a Ukrainian ship laden with tanks off the Horn of Africa are seeking ransom and have anchored close to the Somali shore...

I don't suppose anyone has thought of offering bounties, and unleashing the power of private[er] enterprise...?

A Snitch You Can Trust

Terzano was arguing that informants whose testimony will be compensated by money, reduced charges or more lenient sentences for other crimes they've committed should be subjected to a pre-trial reliability hearing in which a judge, outside the purview of the jury, makes an independent determination whether the informant is a reliable source.

I like the idea of determining snitch credibility, especially with such classy characters as Letcher Gray out there. But my distrust of judge credibility is strong enough to make me question why the vetting doesn't take place in front of the jury.

[Via Cris C]

We're the Only Ones Handicapped Enough

A Cook County sheriff's officer who parked his squad car in a disabled parking space was busted Wednesday by a teenage photographer who caught him in the act.

What? Edicts you and I must obey apply to "Only Ones"?

I don't know what the big deal is though. It sounds like he is disabled.

[Via David H]

We're the Only Ones Anchored Enough

A former police sergeant who is married to a television news anchor admitted in court Friday that he used his authority to have sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl.

Hmmm. What does "There was never intercourse" remind me of?

I hope his 17-second unconditional discharge* was worth the one-year conditional one.

I can't help but notice this marriage is the perfect illustration of the "public/private partnership" between "Only Ones" and "Authorized Journalists."

[Via OrangeNeckinNY]

*

My Kind of Dealership

I wonder if they're "certified pre-owned"?

You'll note Joe Arpaio's "War on Drugs" tank--Dan S, who sent me this link tells me "that it is actually nonoperational (engine removed at least) and that it is used as a mobile DARE classroom. They just tow this thing around with a mil surplus heavy equipment transport that operates in the gallons per mile range to try and tell kids not to do drugs."

I wouldn't mind having an M109 with all the options, assuming, of course, I had the wherewithal to keep it maintained and running. It seems a bit much for routine drug dealer harassment, but I can think of other deployment scenarios.

As an aside, I didn't watch the debates last night--I don't have much tolerance for beauty pageants, and besides, Kelly's Heroes, featuring some fun tank action with Shermans and Tigers, was on the commercial-free classic movie channel.

So Much for "Home Rule"

Philadelphia officials cannot enact gun laws tougher than Pennsylvania's law, a state appeals court ruled Friday in throwing out city ordinances that included limiting gun purchases to one a month and banning assault weapons.

Good. And just in time for the race war.

But let's not forget that preemption carries its own dangers.

[Via SameNoKami]

Britons Should Be Subjected

Britons should be subjected to random carbon spotchecks and intensive surveillance of their diets, transport and waste disposal habits, says the Government's architecture and design quango in a new report today.

The word "monitoring" occurs 19 times in the 32-page publication by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). If the proposals in the report What Makes An Eco Town?are implemented few aspects of life will go unrecorded.

I guess the enlightened national socialists need to evaluate the herd so they can--once total control is established--scientifically determine the optimum centrally-planned breeding and culling options. It's not like anyone is equipped to say "No."

The tyranny is almost complete.

I would be inclined to cooperate with the waste reporting requirement--perhaps even volunteer a little extra uh...quantifiable data.

[Via Zachary G]

Respectfully, Michael J. DeLeo

There's nothing respectful about it. It's an act of arrogance and contempt.

A fund has been established to help her fight this outrage.

[Via Mike H]

Gunman at Large

Two men gunned down at in a drive-by attack at a bus stop near the Metro Blue Line Station at Compton Boulevard were identified today as detectives sought their killer...

The gunman responsible for Tuesday night's violence, which also left two women and one man wounded, remained at large...

I can't figure out how this happened. First off, ordinary Comptonians can't get carry permits, and second, there are locked storage requirements for non-permittees in vehicles that require ammo is kept separately from the gun.

Next thing you're going to tell me is the shooter got his gun "illegally" and he's a "prohibited person. "

I guess if "Authoritah" can't stop bad things from happening in advance, if they're not there to protect people during, and if they can't catch the bad guy after, keeping people like us from having any control of the situation at all times is the next best thing. Or something like that.

This Day in History: September 27

Amos Brown of Capt. Wilders Company in Col. Whitcomb's Regiment, tried at a General Court Martial whereof Col. Bridge was Presdt. for "mutinous and abusive language."

The Court are unanimously of opinion the prisoner is not guilty and therefore acquit the prisoner.