As we no doubt all know by now, the Feds took down Megaupload. Now, this may mean that a source of widespread "piracy" has gone dark, and the Feds' paymasters at the RIAA and MPAA are likely rejoicing a little about that.
(Just a little, though, considering they brought the fury of Anonymous upon themselves.)
The thing is, Megaupload had legitimate uses as well, uses that a lot of people are reconsidering. One such thing? Offsite backups. Yes, the promise of the vaunted Cloud. Whether it's a library of personal music rips or a priceless digital copy of precious photos, those were taken down along with the pirated copies of crappy movies, albums and porn vids.
Of course, being the highly paranoid type of girl I am, I keep onsite backups. I even have a copy of the contents of my first computer on a CD-ROM somewhere (which shows that machine's age.) I didn't trust the "cloud" from Day One because I was worried something like this would happen.
Now, it has. I feel like the smart one, but the fact is, many people lost a lot of stuff. One would hope that the Feds would show some compassion and try to make these people whole, but... I highly doubt that will happen. The more likely result is that the drives of the servers housing this info will likely rot in some evidence locker until the next Ice Age.
...And in the end, this is the M.O. of U.S. government agencies as of late, from the FBI to the military. To hell with the consequences, so long as the primary target is taken out.
I cannot stand for this. Something must give.
Showing posts with label WTF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WTF. Show all posts
20 January 2012
17 January 2012
SOPA, PIPA, and why you should oppose these things.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill, if made law, would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.
The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months. The bill also gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement.
(Taken from Wikipedia, which itself will be "blacked out" on 18 January 2012 in opposition to SOPA and PIPA)
Sounds like a good thing, right? Online piracy, after all, is a Very Bad Thing, right? Well, this bill is equivalent to stomping on a roach with a nuclear bomb - not only overkill, but ultimately ineffective. Coders are already hard at work creating software to circumvent the teeth of this law, DNS blocking - not for piracy's sake, but to protect legitimate Internet use that this bill would curb if signed into law. In the end, all it will do is censor the Internet. China, some Arab countries and Australia, among others already do this. If SOPA/PIPA pass, you can add the good old U.S.A. to that list!
Roadgeeks, planning on putting up that video of the next leg of your trip? Clinched another Interstate and want the world to see?
Not so fast.
You're likely using copyrighted music in that video. Kiss the vid goodbye and expect possible prosecution. Not in the United States? It doesn't matter. Now, some of the provisions are okay in theory such as making copyright holders liable for damages if they misrepresent the fact that a site's dedicated to infringement, but as a whole, the bill is just too toxic to live.
As of yesterday, Congress shelved SOPA indefinitely, meaning it would require a supermajority for it to be considered again - the same supermajority required to override a presidential veto, I'll add. (Never thought I'd say this as a die-hard liberal, but thank you Eric Cantor for shelving it!) PIPA, its sibling in intent, still lives on in the U.S. Senate. The White House has called both bills dead on arrival as written and assured they'd be vetoed if they hit the President's desk.
That's not good enough, though. The thought that these bills could be revived once public furor dies down is very disconcerting. Many across the Internet have been letting Congress know exactly what they think of these bills. As long as the possibility exists that these bills could be revived, however, we are not safe. The Internet as we know it is not safe.
The Internet is striking back on January 18th. Many sites, including some major ones such as Reddit and Wikipedia will be "blacking out" on that day in protest of the bill and to show what could become permanent if bills like these become law.
I'm imploring that anyone that cares about the freedom an open Internet represents also pledge to black out their sites on January 18th... but don't stop there. Black out your social media as well. Do you blog, Tweet or use Facebook? Pledge not to on January 18th. Look up the list of corporate entities that still support the bill and deny them your business on that day, and tell them just WHY you're denying them said business. Don't buy any albums or see any movies either -the RIAA and MPAA not only support these bills, but helped to write them! Speak with your voice AND your wallet!
Once January 18th has come and gone, though, it will not be time to let up the pressure or claim victory. We the people must continue to make our voices heard until Congress in no uncertain terms gives up on trying to censor the Internet!
09 September 2011
Cats and Dogs... The Political side.
Hiya all!, I am a shiny new contributor to the blog! All shall love me and Despair! JK!
Today I was playing around on a game and I received a little message from a friend. Upon reading it I was rather disturbed...
It's just dawned on me !!
My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.
He has his food prepared for him. He can eat whenever he wants.
His meals are provided at no cost to him.
He visits the Dr. once a year for his checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise.
For this he pays nothing, and nothing is required of him.
He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep.
If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up.
He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep.
He receives these accommodations absolutely free.
He is living like a King, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever.
All of his costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a living every day.
I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick .......
I think my dog is a Democrat!
To this I promptly replied...
my cat demands everything be done for him. He steps on everyone, treats everyone like they are his slaves and I think he is paid off by big animals outside the house to spill trash on everything... I think my Cat is Republican.
I am curious though... If cats are Republicans and Dogs are Democrats... What would the Independent Party be??? I mean I figure a 3 toed sloth would be the Green Party. I suppose it would be something elusive... Like a Bigfoot or something.
Today I was playing around on a game and I received a little message from a friend. Upon reading it I was rather disturbed...
It's just dawned on me !!
My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.
He has his food prepared for him. He can eat whenever he wants.
His meals are provided at no cost to him.
He visits the Dr. once a year for his checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise.
For this he pays nothing, and nothing is required of him.
He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep.
If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up.
He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep.
He receives these accommodations absolutely free.
He is living like a King, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever.
All of his costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a living every day.
I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick .......
I think my dog is a Democrat!
To this I promptly replied...
my cat demands everything be done for him. He steps on everyone, treats everyone like they are his slaves and I think he is paid off by big animals outside the house to spill trash on everything... I think my Cat is Republican.
I am curious though... If cats are Republicans and Dogs are Democrats... What would the Independent Party be??? I mean I figure a 3 toed sloth would be the Green Party. I suppose it would be something elusive... Like a Bigfoot or something.
26 May 2009
Suicide on the CCC
Times-Picayune - Man kills himself by jumping from Crescent City Connection
At approximately 7 a.m. CDT, a young man pulled his car up onto the eastbound Crescent City Connection bridge. He soon shut his car off, exited it and went over to the side of the bridge. Showing absolutely no hesitation, he jumped, ending his life near the corner of Lawrence and Teche streets when he landed.
Things are going very wrong in the area as of late, with all the political scandal and incompetence, but this event is a stark reminder that real people are suffering, too. Many are being injured or killed on the streets at the hands of others, many of those offenders being the ones we forget, the ones we fail.
So, too, this man could have been another of those, another that we as a society have failed. No one is sure as of yet. No identification was found on the body, and even if they did find ID in the car, no info has been released yet.
It is not the manner of death which causes me to raise my voice today. Suicide is, sadly, common in this world. Usually, it is a very heart-wrenching decision for the person attempting it, this I can say from experience, having attempted suicide myself in the past. Thoughts run rampantly through one's head at that ultimate point as one wonders what is left to live for. Some, like me, pull back and decide not to die. Some choose to live. (There's a difference, trust me.) Then there are the ones for whom the only choice is death, so they go through with it.
Everyone deliberates the decision at the critical moment. Most of the time, it's at the point where the very next choice - to jump or not to jump - to fire or not to fire - takes place. It's on the bridge. It's standing there with the gun in one's hand.
Whatever deliberation was made in this case, it was made long before reaching the point to jump. There was nothing that could have been done... it is what makes this case all the more disheartening.
The future of the state is leading to more circumstances like these. There will be more times in the future where nothing can be done, even if the person can be talked down from the critical moment. There's a reason. The quality and frequency of mental health care in the state of Louisiana has been in shambles since even before Katrina, and now it threatens to only get worse.
The state is cutting mental health care. They're closing a major center in New Orleans, and consolidating care in the area to the Northshore. This simply won't work. True, the center they're consolidating to is in better condition than the one being abandoned in New Orleans, but this won't help matters. A vital component to mental health care is engaging the loved ones of the patient, somehow. Most of the time, visitation helps.
So how is it helping them to send them somewhere out of reach of the loved ones? Those with means have no need for centers like this, for they're most likely to secure and afford private care long before institutionalization becomes necessary. No, most of the people ending up in a state-run inpatient center will be the indigent and poor. How many of these people's loved ones will even be able to make it to the Northshore? These are the same people who had to hop on a bus provided by government money to evacuate from Gustav because they simply didn't have the means to run when their own lives were at stake.
Consolidation isn't the answer. If the center in New Orleans was in as bad a shape as they were saying, they need to improve it, or open a new center in town... not close the only lifeline some have and move it across the Lake.
We need more money for this, not less. I'm sure if we cut all government salaries some and wiped out the waste that exists all over the state, we could pour some into improvements in New Orleans, and elsewhere in the state.
It won't happen, of course. More people will have less options when the critical moment arrives, and more will die. As someone mired in poverty in Louisiana and not getting any care for mental illness, I could very well be one of them one day. (Note: Not a suicide threat - T.)
And the state will be responsible for every life lost in this way.
At approximately 7 a.m. CDT, a young man pulled his car up onto the eastbound Crescent City Connection bridge. He soon shut his car off, exited it and went over to the side of the bridge. Showing absolutely no hesitation, he jumped, ending his life near the corner of Lawrence and Teche streets when he landed.
Things are going very wrong in the area as of late, with all the political scandal and incompetence, but this event is a stark reminder that real people are suffering, too. Many are being injured or killed on the streets at the hands of others, many of those offenders being the ones we forget, the ones we fail.
So, too, this man could have been another of those, another that we as a society have failed. No one is sure as of yet. No identification was found on the body, and even if they did find ID in the car, no info has been released yet.
It is not the manner of death which causes me to raise my voice today. Suicide is, sadly, common in this world. Usually, it is a very heart-wrenching decision for the person attempting it, this I can say from experience, having attempted suicide myself in the past. Thoughts run rampantly through one's head at that ultimate point as one wonders what is left to live for. Some, like me, pull back and decide not to die. Some choose to live. (There's a difference, trust me.) Then there are the ones for whom the only choice is death, so they go through with it.
Everyone deliberates the decision at the critical moment. Most of the time, it's at the point where the very next choice - to jump or not to jump - to fire or not to fire - takes place. It's on the bridge. It's standing there with the gun in one's hand.
Whatever deliberation was made in this case, it was made long before reaching the point to jump. There was nothing that could have been done... it is what makes this case all the more disheartening.
The future of the state is leading to more circumstances like these. There will be more times in the future where nothing can be done, even if the person can be talked down from the critical moment. There's a reason. The quality and frequency of mental health care in the state of Louisiana has been in shambles since even before Katrina, and now it threatens to only get worse.
The state is cutting mental health care. They're closing a major center in New Orleans, and consolidating care in the area to the Northshore. This simply won't work. True, the center they're consolidating to is in better condition than the one being abandoned in New Orleans, but this won't help matters. A vital component to mental health care is engaging the loved ones of the patient, somehow. Most of the time, visitation helps.
So how is it helping them to send them somewhere out of reach of the loved ones? Those with means have no need for centers like this, for they're most likely to secure and afford private care long before institutionalization becomes necessary. No, most of the people ending up in a state-run inpatient center will be the indigent and poor. How many of these people's loved ones will even be able to make it to the Northshore? These are the same people who had to hop on a bus provided by government money to evacuate from Gustav because they simply didn't have the means to run when their own lives were at stake.
Consolidation isn't the answer. If the center in New Orleans was in as bad a shape as they were saying, they need to improve it, or open a new center in town... not close the only lifeline some have and move it across the Lake.
We need more money for this, not less. I'm sure if we cut all government salaries some and wiped out the waste that exists all over the state, we could pour some into improvements in New Orleans, and elsewhere in the state.
It won't happen, of course. More people will have less options when the critical moment arrives, and more will die. As someone mired in poverty in Louisiana and not getting any care for mental illness, I could very well be one of them one day. (Note: Not a suicide threat - T.)
And the state will be responsible for every life lost in this way.
06 February 2009
One girl's rant against the legally sanctioned monopoly known as cable.
Long title, even longer ranting session. During my nightly aimless browsing where I often start at the Ubuntu forums and somehow end up looking at a Wikipedia article about a low-power radio station in Idaho by the end of the night, I stumbled upon some bullshit that my ISP's looking to get going soon.
DSLReports - Charter Confirms New Caps
Slashdot - Charter Cable Capping Usage Nationwide This Month
(Remind me, I need to kick a certain infernal package's ass for moving his IRC feedbot.)
Sadly, I'm in an area served by Charter, and only by Charter when it comes to cable TV and Internet. The only other options are the satellite companies for TV, and AT&T for DSL. The weather here is too unpredictable for satellite and AT&T's in bed with the **AA. (As we all know, I am most certainly against the illegal cartels known as the RIAA and MPAA. Any company supporting their aims is one to be buried.) Assuming there was realistic competition, I could do like a good capitalist consumer is supposed to do when they get pissed off over someone's services or goods - vote with my wallet by going elsewhere and doing without the offerings of the offending company. However, I'll note now that my parish has something known as a franchising agreement. In a nutshell, the only way to get cable here is through a single company.
Now that one company is screwing us.
One company, for a service that multiple provide. What's that called? Oh, that's right. It's a blasted monopoly, and last I checked, those are supposed to be illegal... not that it matters anymore. The pro-big-business laws enacted by the last few regimes have managed to destroy anything in business that would actually aid the people (sorry... consumers) when mega-companies screw them.
Now, I don't actually use the TV component that much anymore... I think the only things I watch on television anymore are wrestling and Olbermann. (He makes me laugh. So does Rush.) Truthfully, I could do without cable TV nowadays, even with the (now-delayed) digital transition, and no digital equipment. (My 15-year-old Trinitron delivers crisp enough picture for my tastes... screw HDTV.)
What I do use is the Internet aspect, and I use a good bit of it. Ever seen Serial Experiments Lain? I'm a real-life her, but cuter and bitchier. :P I enjoy exploring the work of various open-source movements and organizations... so I end up downloading a LOT of Linux .iso files. I listen to music on last.fm, Jamendo, OC Remix and Digital Gunfire. I watch some YouTube videos, specifically Freewayjim's stuff. I also watch some TV episodes online where ever I can. Don't forget all the images and flash shit that everybody and their mother seems to be putting on their sites now.
On the upload side, I sometimes grab files from my home machine to listen to on my laptop when I'm out and about. Sometimes I'll grab a video from a DVD I ripped onto my hard drives. Sometimes I'll even grab a whole season of said videos if I'm going to be away for a while. (NCIS never gets boring.) Other times, I'm uploading hundreds of highway pictures at a time to Picasa, Flickr or Imageshack. (Or all three.) Let's not forget seeding my Linux isos so others can have them... sharing is caring after all. The point is, I use a ton more bandwidth than the average user.
Right now, I have 5 meg service. That's it for downstream. Even then, I can roll through the proposed cap in a few days of light usage. Of course, they're saying they'll have an uncapped tier, but that tier isn't available here. The 5 meg I'm on right now is the top one there is. That means no matter what, I can't move past the cap. I'm not allowed the option to be uncapped by agreeing to be extorted for more. Never mind that I'm not exactly willing to pay the extra $100 to stop them from screwing me.
Some of us can't work, after all. Ever heard of a fixed income? Specifically, disability? I can't just make more money when prices go up. Can't look for better pay and all that. Don't have much of anything I can sell to make ends meet every single month to come up with another $100. Chump change to you? Huge f'n deal to me. This month, I'm already doing without groceries simply because having a working vehicle does more for my mental health than having food does. I'm also having to do without medicine that I need that Medicaid doesn't pay for. Needless to say that when bills go up, sacrifices are often made. This month, "sacrifice" was food and medicine. Next month, it may well be Internet.
(And please, do not ask me why I can't just give up Internet so easily instead of resorting to starvation. Of all the skills that I have that could help me land a job whenever I can get my mental state sorted and become un-disabled, computers are the only ones, specifically network-related stuff. It's all I have. It's like asking a carpenter or mechanic to sell his tools.)
As it is, I have no choice, none at all... except to call bullshit on the whole thing. All of it. I heard Charter's circling the drain as it is... let's hope they get sucked in and go away. No bailout for these bastards.
Now, I must go get my 15 hours of sleep and pray tomorrow's not so depressing.
DSLReports - Charter Confirms New Caps
Slashdot - Charter Cable Capping Usage Nationwide This Month
(Remind me, I need to kick a certain infernal package's ass for moving his IRC feedbot.)
Sadly, I'm in an area served by Charter, and only by Charter when it comes to cable TV and Internet. The only other options are the satellite companies for TV, and AT&T for DSL. The weather here is too unpredictable for satellite and AT&T's in bed with the **AA. (As we all know, I am most certainly against the illegal cartels known as the RIAA and MPAA. Any company supporting their aims is one to be buried.) Assuming there was realistic competition, I could do like a good capitalist consumer is supposed to do when they get pissed off over someone's services or goods - vote with my wallet by going elsewhere and doing without the offerings of the offending company. However, I'll note now that my parish has something known as a franchising agreement. In a nutshell, the only way to get cable here is through a single company.
Now that one company is screwing us.
One company, for a service that multiple provide. What's that called? Oh, that's right. It's a blasted monopoly, and last I checked, those are supposed to be illegal... not that it matters anymore. The pro-big-business laws enacted by the last few regimes have managed to destroy anything in business that would actually aid the people (sorry... consumers) when mega-companies screw them.
Now, I don't actually use the TV component that much anymore... I think the only things I watch on television anymore are wrestling and Olbermann. (He makes me laugh. So does Rush.) Truthfully, I could do without cable TV nowadays, even with the (now-delayed) digital transition, and no digital equipment. (My 15-year-old Trinitron delivers crisp enough picture for my tastes... screw HDTV.)
What I do use is the Internet aspect, and I use a good bit of it. Ever seen Serial Experiments Lain? I'm a real-life her, but cuter and bitchier. :P I enjoy exploring the work of various open-source movements and organizations... so I end up downloading a LOT of Linux .iso files. I listen to music on last.fm, Jamendo, OC Remix and Digital Gunfire. I watch some YouTube videos, specifically Freewayjim's stuff. I also watch some TV episodes online where ever I can. Don't forget all the images and flash shit that everybody and their mother seems to be putting on their sites now.
On the upload side, I sometimes grab files from my home machine to listen to on my laptop when I'm out and about. Sometimes I'll grab a video from a DVD I ripped onto my hard drives. Sometimes I'll even grab a whole season of said videos if I'm going to be away for a while. (NCIS never gets boring.) Other times, I'm uploading hundreds of highway pictures at a time to Picasa, Flickr or Imageshack. (Or all three.) Let's not forget seeding my Linux isos so others can have them... sharing is caring after all. The point is, I use a ton more bandwidth than the average user.
Right now, I have 5 meg service. That's it for downstream. Even then, I can roll through the proposed cap in a few days of light usage. Of course, they're saying they'll have an uncapped tier, but that tier isn't available here. The 5 meg I'm on right now is the top one there is. That means no matter what, I can't move past the cap. I'm not allowed the option to be uncapped by agreeing to be extorted for more. Never mind that I'm not exactly willing to pay the extra $100 to stop them from screwing me.
Some of us can't work, after all. Ever heard of a fixed income? Specifically, disability? I can't just make more money when prices go up. Can't look for better pay and all that. Don't have much of anything I can sell to make ends meet every single month to come up with another $100. Chump change to you? Huge f'n deal to me. This month, I'm already doing without groceries simply because having a working vehicle does more for my mental health than having food does. I'm also having to do without medicine that I need that Medicaid doesn't pay for. Needless to say that when bills go up, sacrifices are often made. This month, "sacrifice" was food and medicine. Next month, it may well be Internet.
(And please, do not ask me why I can't just give up Internet so easily instead of resorting to starvation. Of all the skills that I have that could help me land a job whenever I can get my mental state sorted and become un-disabled, computers are the only ones, specifically network-related stuff. It's all I have. It's like asking a carpenter or mechanic to sell his tools.)
As it is, I have no choice, none at all... except to call bullshit on the whole thing. All of it. I heard Charter's circling the drain as it is... let's hope they get sucked in and go away. No bailout for these bastards.
Now, I must go get my 15 hours of sleep and pray tomorrow's not so depressing.
11 August 2008
A house is NOT the road!
NOLA.com - Car crashes into Covington-area home; driver booked with DWI
View Larger Map
I'm finally starting to get the hang of some of this Web 2.0 stuff. The area this occurred in is heavily residential. You could go faster than the posted 15-25mph limit, but you're better off not doing so. Never mind trying to drive through there drunk... the roads are too narrow and the dropoffs into the ditches are too sharp.
Nevertheless, some idiot (Frederick Vairin, 45, Covington area) decided to do just that, and apparently mistook one of the houses for part of the roadway. Makes me wonder if he was one of St. Tammany's many failed reclamation projects (a.k.a. fourth-offense DWIs), but regardless... it's kind of ridiculous... idiotic... local... Perfect blog material. :P
View Larger Map
I'm finally starting to get the hang of some of this Web 2.0 stuff. The area this occurred in is heavily residential. You could go faster than the posted 15-25mph limit, but you're better off not doing so. Never mind trying to drive through there drunk... the roads are too narrow and the dropoffs into the ditches are too sharp.
Nevertheless, some idiot (Frederick Vairin, 45, Covington area) decided to do just that, and apparently mistook one of the houses for part of the roadway. Makes me wonder if he was one of St. Tammany's many failed reclamation projects (a.k.a. fourth-offense DWIs), but regardless... it's kind of ridiculous... idiotic... local... Perfect blog material. :P
03 August 2008
Drunk Eddie: No record on file
Times-Picayune - Causeway stop exposed mayor's 'ghost' license plate
Back to my favorite subject around here, it's another post about Drunk Eddie!
So, you see, Drunk Eddie doesn't really exist. He has no record on file... oh, wait. His car doesn't really exist, or more accurately, its registration doesn't exist. This is yet another example of the abuses going on in Mandeville - the abuse of "ghost plates."
Ghost plates are a tool most commonly used for and meant primarily for undercover investigations. Simply give the car a false registration, feed in some fake info, and voila, your undercover has an identity that even shows when you run the plates. However, Drunk Eddie's SUV also has a ghost plate.
Chief Enabler Buell tried explaining that several city vehicles used by public officials have the ghost plates in case they're needed for an undercover op. Right. MPD has some unmarked vehicles set to go with the ghost plates that are meant for undercover. They don't need the officials' vehicles for that. In fact, the last time an official vehicle was used for an undercover op was "a long time ago" (according to the Enabler.) Almost every other local agency in the area (city and town governments) doesn't use these plates for any local officials' vehicles. Some even go as far as adding the city/town/parish seal to these vehicles. (At least, this is according to what the Picayune found out. Take it with a grain of salt if you must.)
However, many official city vehicles have the ghost plates, when they should have public plates.
Of course, now Drunk Eddie's SUV is among those with a government seal on it, and it's supposed to eventually gain public plates, like it was supposed to have in the first place. Just as soon as he completes his 13-step program and becomes Sober Eddie, that is. (Like that'll stick.)
Fact is, since Drunk Eddie's ride was off the grid, just how much did he screw up on the roads, with no record due to the plate? No one will know.
All I can say is that this cannot continue. He needs to get himself out of office yesterday.
Back to my favorite subject around here, it's another post about Drunk Eddie!
So, you see, Drunk Eddie doesn't really exist. He has no record on file... oh, wait. His car doesn't really exist, or more accurately, its registration doesn't exist. This is yet another example of the abuses going on in Mandeville - the abuse of "ghost plates."
Ghost plates are a tool most commonly used for and meant primarily for undercover investigations. Simply give the car a false registration, feed in some fake info, and voila, your undercover has an identity that even shows when you run the plates. However, Drunk Eddie's SUV also has a ghost plate.
Chief Enabler Buell tried explaining that several city vehicles used by public officials have the ghost plates in case they're needed for an undercover op. Right. MPD has some unmarked vehicles set to go with the ghost plates that are meant for undercover. They don't need the officials' vehicles for that. In fact, the last time an official vehicle was used for an undercover op was "a long time ago" (according to the Enabler.) Almost every other local agency in the area (city and town governments) doesn't use these plates for any local officials' vehicles. Some even go as far as adding the city/town/parish seal to these vehicles. (At least, this is according to what the Picayune found out. Take it with a grain of salt if you must.)
However, many official city vehicles have the ghost plates, when they should have public plates.
Of course, now Drunk Eddie's SUV is among those with a government seal on it, and it's supposed to eventually gain public plates, like it was supposed to have in the first place. Just as soon as he completes his 13-step program and becomes Sober Eddie, that is. (Like that'll stick.)
Fact is, since Drunk Eddie's ride was off the grid, just how much did he screw up on the roads, with no record due to the plate? No one will know.
All I can say is that this cannot continue. He needs to get himself out of office yesterday.
02 August 2008
Lafayette seems busy lately...
The Advocate (Acadiana bureau) - Traffic tickets plummet since cameras installed
(You happy now, Anthony?)
*cough* Ok, so the outsourced revenue-takers aren't raking in the funds like they should. People appear to be catching wise. (And if that's the case, why is it that every day the Advertiser's website seems to have 45767443570237 new pictures of red-light-cam violators?)
Aha. You saw the dirty "o" word. Outsourced. This traffic camera revenue machine reeks to me much worse than every major company's outsourcing of work. At least with companies like Dell, the outsourced work isn't out to steal your money. (Ok, they steal your jobs, which indirectly steals your money... but anyway.)
This outsourcing is even more insidious, though. Run a light, get a letter in the mail. You're guilty, of course, so you need to pay the Corporation. Consequences? No, just pay the Corporation now, little Sheep. Wait. You're not guilty? Too bad. No due process for you, silly Sheep. Pay up, there is no other option.
It's one thing to be outsourcing tech support, it's another to outsource the LAW, especially with technology that can't get it right sometimes. Suppose someone takes the Deathmaschine to Lafayette and decides to make one of the Advertiser's vids. Also suppose that that person who took the car is not me, in no way could be confused with me... yeah, you get my drift. Totally not me. Guess who the outsourced revenue takers would mail and harass? Yep. Me.
At the least, in the same situation but with a flesh-and-blood Revenue Taker, they'd actually pull the person over and realize it's not me, but actually Calrog in a dress or something. The actual "who" of the equation is unimportant. I would probably never even know about this unless the Takers thought my car was stolen. Needless to say that I wouldn't see hide nor hair of any ticket. The system, stacked against us all and broken horribly as it is, would work.
With the cam, though, I've got a ticket to pay for a drive I never even took. Where's the justice in that? Where's the legality?
Sometimes they nail the right target and that Sheep happily feeds the Corporation's coffers, rightfully so, but it's when they get it wrong that the whole experiment falls apart.
Of course, someone's suing over this hypothetical scenario and a couple of little Constitutional issues as well. It's how we do things these days in Amerika, you know. Don't like something? Sue it or them. Like I said, these cameras and the subsequent way in which You Are Simply Guilty via a civil, not criminal process seems to run afoul of things like constitutional guarantees that you get to confront witnesses, the ability to refute evidence, or holding the government to a "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard. There's also some question to the legality of using the mail for this.
Aside from that, there's also no way to really check up on the Corporation here. The system in Lafayette operates "off the books," supposedly. There's no public accountability for the Corporation. What a surprise there...
Lastly, is this really happening at all? Guess the source of the material in the linked news article. No, really, guess. I'll be waiting here while your brain churns.
.........
Finally figured it out? Redflex and some employees of the City put out the news release. The Corporation pats their own back. The City stands idly by, smiling, all the while with their thumbs up their asses while the Corporation "diverts" the funds of the populace into their own pockets.
At this point, I don't care if they hire more Revenue Extractors... sorry, more police... just get RID of these cameras and the law-circumventing Corporation.
(You happy now, Anthony?)
*cough* Ok, so the outsourced revenue-takers aren't raking in the funds like they should. People appear to be catching wise. (And if that's the case, why is it that every day the Advertiser's website seems to have 45767443570237 new pictures of red-light-cam violators?)
Aha. You saw the dirty "o" word. Outsourced. This traffic camera revenue machine reeks to me much worse than every major company's outsourcing of work. At least with companies like Dell, the outsourced work isn't out to steal your money. (Ok, they steal your jobs, which indirectly steals your money... but anyway.)
This outsourcing is even more insidious, though. Run a light, get a letter in the mail. You're guilty, of course, so you need to pay the Corporation. Consequences? No, just pay the Corporation now, little Sheep. Wait. You're not guilty? Too bad. No due process for you, silly Sheep. Pay up, there is no other option.
It's one thing to be outsourcing tech support, it's another to outsource the LAW, especially with technology that can't get it right sometimes. Suppose someone takes the Deathmaschine to Lafayette and decides to make one of the Advertiser's vids. Also suppose that that person who took the car is not me, in no way could be confused with me... yeah, you get my drift. Totally not me. Guess who the outsourced revenue takers would mail and harass? Yep. Me.
At the least, in the same situation but with a flesh-and-blood Revenue Taker, they'd actually pull the person over and realize it's not me, but actually Calrog in a dress or something. The actual "who" of the equation is unimportant. I would probably never even know about this unless the Takers thought my car was stolen. Needless to say that I wouldn't see hide nor hair of any ticket. The system, stacked against us all and broken horribly as it is, would work.
With the cam, though, I've got a ticket to pay for a drive I never even took. Where's the justice in that? Where's the legality?
Sometimes they nail the right target and that Sheep happily feeds the Corporation's coffers, rightfully so, but it's when they get it wrong that the whole experiment falls apart.
Of course, someone's suing over this hypothetical scenario and a couple of little Constitutional issues as well. It's how we do things these days in Amerika, you know. Don't like something? Sue it or them. Like I said, these cameras and the subsequent way in which You Are Simply Guilty via a civil, not criminal process seems to run afoul of things like constitutional guarantees that you get to confront witnesses, the ability to refute evidence, or holding the government to a "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard. There's also some question to the legality of using the mail for this.
Aside from that, there's also no way to really check up on the Corporation here. The system in Lafayette operates "off the books," supposedly. There's no public accountability for the Corporation. What a surprise there...
Lastly, is this really happening at all? Guess the source of the material in the linked news article. No, really, guess. I'll be waiting here while your brain churns.
.........
Finally figured it out? Redflex and some employees of the City put out the news release. The Corporation pats their own back. The City stands idly by, smiling, all the while with their thumbs up their asses while the Corporation "diverts" the funds of the populace into their own pockets.
At this point, I don't care if they hire more Revenue Extractors... sorry, more police... just get RID of these cameras and the law-circumventing Corporation.
20 July 2008
Boulder, CO: Kids, don't do acid. You might catch the stupid.
KMGH-TV: 'Bridge Troll' Arrested After Confrontation With Deputy
After a long two days of working on the site, I needed some lulz. This prime example of drug-addled stupidity sure qualifies, even if it's from last Sunday. At least the idiot was being a "troll" of the classic sense instead of the Internet sense.
Whatever happened to "answer three questions or thou shalt not pass"?
Regardless, this is why you shouldn't touch harder drugs. Just park yourself at the gateway and stay there.
After a long two days of working on the site, I needed some lulz. This prime example of drug-addled stupidity sure qualifies, even if it's from last Sunday. At least the idiot was being a "troll" of the classic sense instead of the Internet sense.
Witnesses told police that (Robert) Hibbs and Bradley Boville, 19, were demanding $1 from joggers and bikers who attempted to cross the bridge.
Whatever happened to "answer three questions or thou shalt not pass"?
Regardless, this is why you shouldn't touch harder drugs. Just park yourself at the gateway and stay there.
16 July 2008
I can't drive 55, either.
So, just about everybody and their mother has sounded off about the possibility of the return of the NMSL. About time I did the same, to cap off a Slow News Day.
Oh, hell no.
The situation is much different now than when "55" was enacted in the first place. Back then, there was a real and present fuel shortage. If I remember my history (seeing as I wasn't even alive back then), there were huge lines and rationing of fuel.
We're not at that point yet. The only lines are at the stations offering cheap fuel (compared to other stations nearby). There's no shortage. If anything, production's been getting bumped up. Last time, OPEC was pissed off at us. They must love us now, considering how much the sheep are willing to pay.
The last time, the government had no choice but to enact some measure to rein in the idiots wasting a scarce resource. This time, there's still plenty of fuel.
And the last time, America's automotive lineup was anchored by guzzlers. Today... well, OK, some things don't change... but people are learning. Today, cars are built with their optimum mileage being achieved at higher speeds. We're not all using the Powerglide mated to a 305 anymore, you know. Today, the varying engine/transmission/"rear end" combinations and superior aero packages offer better mileage at higher speeds.
My own car's optimum mileage was achieved at an average over 70 MPH - 35 miles to the gallon at about 3750 RPM in sixth gear. Keep in mind that it's a 20-year old 4-door hatchback with always-on 4WD and the "extra" gear for the six-speed manual added as an extra low gear. I'm sure many other motorists can say the same, many more than can say different. (About their mileage, anyway.)
No, a new National Speed Limit won't solve a damn thing. It would only be a placebo to try to divert the people from those who are really to blame... speculators. Seems like if a pin drops anywhere in the Middle East, oil rises another $2. Tropical wave forms in the Atlantic? That's another $5. Bush speaks? $0.01 a word. The market for oil was deregulated, so now the price continues to move up, severely screwing over many Americans, and these thieves laugh all the way to the bank. This kind of action only hastens our demise.
So a speed limit won't do a thing, S&DDAM, no matter how much you whine for one. It'll only screw people, no matter how many Congresspersons hop onto the bandwagon to placate their herds and cover their asses. The speculators are the real terrorists, and they need to be stopped NOW, while the damage they've done can be undone. Otherwise, prepare for Eternal Destitution. We're heading there in a handbasket, and fast. And it's getting more cramped by the day.
Oh, hell no.
The situation is much different now than when "55" was enacted in the first place. Back then, there was a real and present fuel shortage. If I remember my history (seeing as I wasn't even alive back then), there were huge lines and rationing of fuel.
We're not at that point yet. The only lines are at the stations offering cheap fuel (compared to other stations nearby). There's no shortage. If anything, production's been getting bumped up. Last time, OPEC was pissed off at us. They must love us now, considering how much the sheep are willing to pay.
The last time, the government had no choice but to enact some measure to rein in the idiots wasting a scarce resource. This time, there's still plenty of fuel.
And the last time, America's automotive lineup was anchored by guzzlers. Today... well, OK, some things don't change... but people are learning. Today, cars are built with their optimum mileage being achieved at higher speeds. We're not all using the Powerglide mated to a 305 anymore, you know. Today, the varying engine/transmission/"rear end" combinations and superior aero packages offer better mileage at higher speeds.
My own car's optimum mileage was achieved at an average over 70 MPH - 35 miles to the gallon at about 3750 RPM in sixth gear. Keep in mind that it's a 20-year old 4-door hatchback with always-on 4WD and the "extra" gear for the six-speed manual added as an extra low gear. I'm sure many other motorists can say the same, many more than can say different. (About their mileage, anyway.)
No, a new National Speed Limit won't solve a damn thing. It would only be a placebo to try to divert the people from those who are really to blame... speculators. Seems like if a pin drops anywhere in the Middle East, oil rises another $2. Tropical wave forms in the Atlantic? That's another $5. Bush speaks? $0.01 a word. The market for oil was deregulated, so now the price continues to move up, severely screwing over many Americans, and these thieves laugh all the way to the bank. This kind of action only hastens our demise.
So a speed limit won't do a thing, S&DDAM, no matter how much you whine for one. It'll only screw people, no matter how many Congresspersons hop onto the bandwagon to placate their herds and cover their asses. The speculators are the real terrorists, and they need to be stopped NOW, while the damage they've done can be undone. Otherwise, prepare for Eternal Destitution. We're heading there in a handbasket, and fast. And it's getting more cramped by the day.
15 July 2008
Man jumps from I-10 bridge...
NOLA.com - Man jumps from I-10 bridge to get water
...What, you thought I was leading in to a suicide? Nah. This idiot just decides to jump off a bridge on an Interstate to get water for this car. As much as the Deathmaschine's overheated on me in the past, I've never thought about jumping off of a bridge, especially the Longest Continuous Viaduct In The World. (The article failed to mention this, but at milepost 217 on I-10, that puts you near the Bonnet Carre Spillway, 3 miles west of I-310's north terminus.)
Anyway, yeah. Mix a little idiocy with a little desperation and you have a blog post. Enjoy.
...What, you thought I was leading in to a suicide? Nah. This idiot just decides to jump off a bridge on an Interstate to get water for this car. As much as the Deathmaschine's overheated on me in the past, I've never thought about jumping off of a bridge, especially the Longest Continuous Viaduct In The World. (The article failed to mention this, but at milepost 217 on I-10, that puts you near the Bonnet Carre Spillway, 3 miles west of I-310's north terminus.)
Anyway, yeah. Mix a little idiocy with a little desperation and you have a blog post. Enjoy.
Rec.autos.driving idiocy on the rise
Generally, I peek in on a pair of NG's on a daily basis... sometimes more often. We all know about the constant CalBoggery in m.t.r, as evidenced by two of Comrade Yamamoto's recent blog posts (and one lulz-inspiring classic), but within r.a.d, a worse demon posts there... worse than ten CalBogs. Even worse than all the bicycle-haters there put together fifty times over.
I'm speaking of Aunt Judy of course, a.k.a. S&DDAM, a.k.a. Dumbshit. This thing makes Calbog look like a civilized person on the Internets. Out one side of its mouth, it spews garbage about the "crime" of doing more than 55mph, and it condemns everyone still living in any wreck in which a life ends, even when they're, you know, not at fault. (They must have been SPEEDING! No? Then they were DRUNK! Neither? Screw it, give them the CHAIR! The CHAIR, I say!) Out the other side of its mouth, it talks about how it fails to even routinely maintain its own vehicle, how it's proud of running an insane number of miles on a failing tire, and other trash that make it look like a hypocrite of a degree that eclipses any politician.
And what am I getting at here? There should be an OSTT for r.a.d as well, mostly centering on this piece of garbage. Where CalBog only seeks to annoy by posting incessantly but benignly, Dumbshit inflames people on purpose. It's one thing to try to ignore the car wreck, it's another when the idiot who started the wreck in the first place is also lobbing rocks at your car. Still, I think he can be ignored successfully.
Anyway, rant (and blatant advertising of Slater's blog) over. I think I'll plan a ride now...
I'm speaking of Aunt Judy of course, a.k.a. S&DDAM, a.k.a. Dumbshit. This thing makes Calbog look like a civilized person on the Internets. Out one side of its mouth, it spews garbage about the "crime" of doing more than 55mph, and it condemns everyone still living in any wreck in which a life ends, even when they're, you know, not at fault. (They must have been SPEEDING! No? Then they were DRUNK! Neither? Screw it, give them the CHAIR! The CHAIR, I say!) Out the other side of its mouth, it talks about how it fails to even routinely maintain its own vehicle, how it's proud of running an insane number of miles on a failing tire, and other trash that make it look like a hypocrite of a degree that eclipses any politician.
And what am I getting at here? There should be an OSTT for r.a.d as well, mostly centering on this piece of garbage. Where CalBog only seeks to annoy by posting incessantly but benignly, Dumbshit inflames people on purpose. It's one thing to try to ignore the car wreck, it's another when the idiot who started the wreck in the first place is also lobbing rocks at your car. Still, I think he can be ignored successfully.
Anyway, rant (and blatant advertising of Slater's blog) over. I think I'll plan a ride now...
03 July 2008
More flames for the hometown drunk
NOLA.com - Price stopped for drunk driving in 2006, chief says
Why am I not surprised at all by this? Of course, if he's done it once, he's done it before. Now we know. He's a habitual drunk who uses his position to escape justice.
I still say the bastard needs to resign, of course. Or be arrested. I was sickened enough by Mandeville becoming a haven for idiots with seven-figure debts, but now I'm seriously pissed off. Just because you're a politician doesn't mean you can break the law. (Yes, that's supposed to be true even here in Louisiana.) Mayors are supposed to be subject to the same laws as everyone else. Instead, favors get done, while if anyone else did the same things, everyone would be clamoring to put them under the jail. Part of this is due to the fear that the big bad Mayor will make your life a living hell if you're the unfortunate cop that actually shows some backbone and does the right thing. Part of this is the good-ol'-boy network that still tries to run things around here. Either way, it all has to stop.
The Causeway officers who screwed up by letting this pass have paid for this injustice with their jobs. The Chief of the Causeway Police has resigned in disgrace. It's time to call for Price's job now. We have no need for an alcoholic with no regard for safety or the law to be in power of anything more substantial than a one-acre lot... certainly not to be in power of a town or a vehicle.
So, not only do I call here for Price's job, I'm also calling for his license.
Why am I not surprised at all by this? Of course, if he's done it once, he's done it before. Now we know. He's a habitual drunk who uses his position to escape justice.
I still say the bastard needs to resign, of course. Or be arrested. I was sickened enough by Mandeville becoming a haven for idiots with seven-figure debts, but now I'm seriously pissed off. Just because you're a politician doesn't mean you can break the law. (Yes, that's supposed to be true even here in Louisiana.) Mayors are supposed to be subject to the same laws as everyone else. Instead, favors get done, while if anyone else did the same things, everyone would be clamoring to put them under the jail. Part of this is due to the fear that the big bad Mayor will make your life a living hell if you're the unfortunate cop that actually shows some backbone and does the right thing. Part of this is the good-ol'-boy network that still tries to run things around here. Either way, it all has to stop.
The Causeway officers who screwed up by letting this pass have paid for this injustice with their jobs. The Chief of the Causeway Police has resigned in disgrace. It's time to call for Price's job now. We have no need for an alcoholic with no regard for safety or the law to be in power of anything more substantial than a one-acre lot... certainly not to be in power of a town or a vehicle.
So, not only do I call here for Price's job, I'm also calling for his license.
20 June 2008
Rant: An Open Letter to the Idiots Running Louisiana
*cracks knuckles*
To the Legislature:
What the hell are you people thinking? Are you smoking crack or something, you idiots? I'm betting with the raise you people just gave yourselves, you could probably afford a LOT of it.
The roads are in as poor a shape as ever, vital employees like teachers, firefighters and police officers are getting shafted in terms of pay, the coastline is continuing to be claimed by the Gulf, New Orleans still has crap for hurricane protection, a lot of Katrina refugees are still waiting to clear Road Home red tape and the economy is collapsing like a Minnesota bridge, and yet you idiots go and vote yourself a pay raise to DOUBLE your pay for essentially a part-time job?
I've heard the rationale, time to come in with my verbal Walther P38 and blow some holes in all of it.
First off, you're not getting paid enough. BULL! The pay is plenty enough for what it is, a part-time job... and the per diem you get paid isn't even counted in. Basically, you don't have to pay your own way while the Legislature is in session. Not to mention that the lobbyists can come in, even with the new limits, and wine and dine you until even your souls and dignity are forfeit. You idiots get so many perks that the salary doesn't matter. If I got a per diem and could eat on the lobbyists' dime, I'd do the damned job for free! As if power and perks aren't enough, you need more money too? Screw that. Go get real jobs if you're hurting for cash. Or propose a more moderate raise, or tie the CURRENT salaries to Congressional pay or the Consumer Price Index.
Second, you want to lure in more qualified candidates to run for office. Considering the amount of nepotism and providing for friends on the public dime, what it basically means is that you want to hook them up even more. If it's not family, it's friends, and if it's not friends, it's people you groom to take over from you. Aside from that, public service is supposed to be about public service, not fattening your damn wallets!
Third, other states pay their legislators and senators (or equivalents) more, why shouldn't we? Because, again, you're only working part time. We're not Texas. We're not California. You're not in session all the time like Congress. Next time you want to say "...well, other states pay more..." look at the damn workload first!
In short, I hope you enjoy these raises you voted for yourselves, and in the meantime, I suggest you update your resumes. You're going to need to look for work when all the enraged voters throw you all out on your asses.
And to those of you who voted against this asinine bill and refused to take the raise, thank you! Thank you for showing that at least a couple of you have some capability to do the right thing and listen to the people that sent you to Baton Rouge in the first place.
To Gov'nuh Bobby:
Shame on you, you lying spineless COWARD! I see the stories, you're saying the Legislature's screwing up, that they're making a mistake, yet you refuse to veto that mistake? You, sir, are an idiot. They'll be laughing all the way to the bank, not feeling remorse or anything. You promised us when you got elected that you would stamp out crap like this! You're going to be just like Blanco, a one-term failure. Unlike Blanco, though, your hugest blunder will be all on you. You can't blame the feds, FEMA, ICF or Mother Nature for this one.
Better take McCain's veep slot now while you still have some sort of political future, because like the legislators, the voters are going to toss you out on your ass as well.
To the Legislature:
What the hell are you people thinking? Are you smoking crack or something, you idiots? I'm betting with the raise you people just gave yourselves, you could probably afford a LOT of it.
The roads are in as poor a shape as ever, vital employees like teachers, firefighters and police officers are getting shafted in terms of pay, the coastline is continuing to be claimed by the Gulf, New Orleans still has crap for hurricane protection, a lot of Katrina refugees are still waiting to clear Road Home red tape and the economy is collapsing like a Minnesota bridge, and yet you idiots go and vote yourself a pay raise to DOUBLE your pay for essentially a part-time job?
I've heard the rationale, time to come in with my verbal Walther P38 and blow some holes in all of it.
First off, you're not getting paid enough. BULL! The pay is plenty enough for what it is, a part-time job... and the per diem you get paid isn't even counted in. Basically, you don't have to pay your own way while the Legislature is in session. Not to mention that the lobbyists can come in, even with the new limits, and wine and dine you until even your souls and dignity are forfeit. You idiots get so many perks that the salary doesn't matter. If I got a per diem and could eat on the lobbyists' dime, I'd do the damned job for free! As if power and perks aren't enough, you need more money too? Screw that. Go get real jobs if you're hurting for cash. Or propose a more moderate raise, or tie the CURRENT salaries to Congressional pay or the Consumer Price Index.
Second, you want to lure in more qualified candidates to run for office. Considering the amount of nepotism and providing for friends on the public dime, what it basically means is that you want to hook them up even more. If it's not family, it's friends, and if it's not friends, it's people you groom to take over from you. Aside from that, public service is supposed to be about public service, not fattening your damn wallets!
Third, other states pay their legislators and senators (or equivalents) more, why shouldn't we? Because, again, you're only working part time. We're not Texas. We're not California. You're not in session all the time like Congress. Next time you want to say "...well, other states pay more..." look at the damn workload first!
In short, I hope you enjoy these raises you voted for yourselves, and in the meantime, I suggest you update your resumes. You're going to need to look for work when all the enraged voters throw you all out on your asses.
And to those of you who voted against this asinine bill and refused to take the raise, thank you! Thank you for showing that at least a couple of you have some capability to do the right thing and listen to the people that sent you to Baton Rouge in the first place.
To Gov'nuh Bobby:
Shame on you, you lying spineless COWARD! I see the stories, you're saying the Legislature's screwing up, that they're making a mistake, yet you refuse to veto that mistake? You, sir, are an idiot. They'll be laughing all the way to the bank, not feeling remorse or anything. You promised us when you got elected that you would stamp out crap like this! You're going to be just like Blanco, a one-term failure. Unlike Blanco, though, your hugest blunder will be all on you. You can't blame the feds, FEMA, ICF or Mother Nature for this one.
Better take McCain's veep slot now while you still have some sort of political future, because like the legislators, the voters are going to toss you out on your ass as well.
05 June 2008
Ohio: She got a designated driver, alright...
WLWT-TV: Woman accused of being drunk, letting toddler drive
Here's some Grade A stupidity for you, my loyal pair of readers. This woman goes and drives drunk. Smart idea - have a designated driver. STUPID idea - have a ONE-YEAR OLD as your designated driver! She sat the toddler in her lap and let him steer the car. To add to her credentials for her Darwin Award, she had her five and eight-year olds in the car as well.
Even more amazing is that this arrest is her third for DUI in six years, and she was still under suspension when pulled over this time.
Her excuse? She was "only going a couple of blocks to return some DVDs to a neighbor." I guess her alcohol-destroyed brain can't process that you're better off walking only a couple of blocks anyway, even while sober but ESPECIALLY when loaded!
Put all these things together, and you get someone who should probably be barred from being anywhere near a car for the rest of her life.
This post has been crossposted to The WTF Files, a brand new blog focusing exclusively on stupidity, compiled by Yours Truly. It is there because of the stupidity, and here because it involved driving.
Here's some Grade A stupidity for you, my loyal pair of readers. This woman goes and drives drunk. Smart idea - have a designated driver. STUPID idea - have a ONE-YEAR OLD as your designated driver! She sat the toddler in her lap and let him steer the car. To add to her credentials for her Darwin Award, she had her five and eight-year olds in the car as well.
Even more amazing is that this arrest is her third for DUI in six years, and she was still under suspension when pulled over this time.
Her excuse? She was "only going a couple of blocks to return some DVDs to a neighbor." I guess her alcohol-destroyed brain can't process that you're better off walking only a couple of blocks anyway, even while sober but ESPECIALLY when loaded!
Put all these things together, and you get someone who should probably be barred from being anywhere near a car for the rest of her life.
This post has been crossposted to The WTF Files, a brand new blog focusing exclusively on stupidity, compiled by Yours Truly. It is there because of the stupidity, and here because it involved driving.
09 May 2008
06 May 2008
Speaking of Mandeville... WTF?!
(This post may not be of much interest to those outside of Louisiana or the Gulf Coast region... you are hereby warned - T.)
Times-Picayune - Mandeville mayor issued ticket 2 weeks after crash
Oh, God, they're all alike down here, the politicians... doesn't really matter which side of the lake they're on. He got drunk, rammed a toll booth barrier in a city-owned luxury SUV, and then it took two weeks for the bridge cops to issue a ticket? This is after the city police chief and the mayor got into hot water about misuse of charity funds... and a city-owned luxury guzzler? The town's been into renewal and environmental stuff since the guy took office, yet they lean so far right otherwise. "Family values" this, "limted government" that... but don't you DARE propose to pave over a wetland. There's so much hypocrisy in this place it's not even funny, yet I can't stop laughing. Makes me glad I officially live in an unincorporated part of the parish.
Still, I go into town, I spend money there (mostly on booze and photo development), and so I have every right to gripe. Price should get booted out of office, as should Buell and Loicano. They should also take Price's license away in the process. (Didn't the state pass "tougher" DUI penalties a while back that involve automatic suspensions?) They're all textbook examples of the cronyism, favoritism and corruption around here. Speak up and you won't even be able to work at a fast-food place... which could be life-shattering in a parish with such a high cost of living. Worse, you might suddenly find yourself slapped with some BS charge that just as equally ruins your life. Keep your mouth shut and you just might get to keep your job, or at least your quality of life. That's SOP around here - all it takes is one unfavorable word from the "haves" and your life is screwed. Shame, really.
We are part of a metropolitan area that gets more than enough bad press from the people in charge on the other side of the lake, what with Nagin's weekly racist comments and incompetency and Broussard (the Jefferson Parish president) attracting bad press like a magnet. None of these idiots should be helping to further damage the reputation of this region. Bad enough it's on life support as it is. This region still has a lot to offer in natural splendor, history, culture and industry (oil, seafood, Michoud, etc...) We're pissing it away by remaining silent and allowing "business as usual" to continue.
And yeah, I consider DUI as "road-related" news. The rest is just icing and built-up disbelief over "the system." Still, I'll try to find something more road (or computer) related for the next post.
Times-Picayune - Mandeville mayor issued ticket 2 weeks after crash
Oh, God, they're all alike down here, the politicians... doesn't really matter which side of the lake they're on. He got drunk, rammed a toll booth barrier in a city-owned luxury SUV, and then it took two weeks for the bridge cops to issue a ticket? This is after the city police chief and the mayor got into hot water about misuse of charity funds... and a city-owned luxury guzzler? The town's been into renewal and environmental stuff since the guy took office, yet they lean so far right otherwise. "Family values" this, "limted government" that... but don't you DARE propose to pave over a wetland. There's so much hypocrisy in this place it's not even funny, yet I can't stop laughing. Makes me glad I officially live in an unincorporated part of the parish.
Still, I go into town, I spend money there (mostly on booze and photo development), and so I have every right to gripe. Price should get booted out of office, as should Buell and Loicano. They should also take Price's license away in the process. (Didn't the state pass "tougher" DUI penalties a while back that involve automatic suspensions?) They're all textbook examples of the cronyism, favoritism and corruption around here. Speak up and you won't even be able to work at a fast-food place... which could be life-shattering in a parish with such a high cost of living. Worse, you might suddenly find yourself slapped with some BS charge that just as equally ruins your life. Keep your mouth shut and you just might get to keep your job, or at least your quality of life. That's SOP around here - all it takes is one unfavorable word from the "haves" and your life is screwed. Shame, really.
We are part of a metropolitan area that gets more than enough bad press from the people in charge on the other side of the lake, what with Nagin's weekly racist comments and incompetency and Broussard (the Jefferson Parish president) attracting bad press like a magnet. None of these idiots should be helping to further damage the reputation of this region. Bad enough it's on life support as it is. This region still has a lot to offer in natural splendor, history, culture and industry (oil, seafood, Michoud, etc...) We're pissing it away by remaining silent and allowing "business as usual" to continue.
And yeah, I consider DUI as "road-related" news. The rest is just icing and built-up disbelief over "the system." Still, I'll try to find something more road (or computer) related for the next post.
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