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Coming from you stock, I'm sure he'll be one of the good ones...we sure do need more of those, especially down Texas way. Parent
The lawyer for the two officers said there could be a legitimate explanation for what the officers may have done. "In police work, there are various reasons on why something like this could happen. He could provide information to the police. He could have been a victim or a suspect. The person who was dropped off could have asked to have been dropped off there," attorney Mike Davey said.
How does Mr. Davey face himself in the mirror? Is the retainer from the police association really worth it to have to peddle such pap? Is this why he went to law school? Parent
I'm just semi-shocked and glad a prosecutor called it kidnapping...more equality under the law than I'm used to seeing. Parent
But in the court of public opinion, for his own reputation, Mr. Davey could have made other statements on behalf of his clients without embarrassing himself -- and his profession. Parent
Just look at Lieberman and Peter King and all the apologists in Congress. Parent
Ed's comment was (not verbatim): "didn't they know this was part of the City's 'Catch and Release' program? Yeah, the cops catch these guys and then release them outside the city."
Of course, there is no such program, but he and the rest of the guys were yucking it up - "catch and release" is just so funny, you know?
Ed's a smart guy, and he has a lot of insider info with respect to the PD and MD politics, and for what it's worth, I do think his prosecution was politically motivated, so he tends to be more than a little cynical about PD goings-on in the city and the state.
There's never a dull moment, which makes it good radio for the morning commute. Parent
Any thoughts about Pellizotti?
And all they can talk about at Big Orange is that this isn't Obama's Katrina. Who the fack cares!!
Arnold did the right the in California though. Parent
One of those lawmakers, Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey is co-sponsoring legislation to raise the limit on damages from a spill to $10 billion from $75 million under the current law, which was passed in 1990.
digby has more. Parent
Glad I got a good night's sleep before I learned that. Parent
Even the fast trains we do have in the NE corridor can't go as fast as they "should" because of right-of-way constraints. Link
"The Acela trains, which run along the Northeastern corridor from Boston to New York and Washington, D.C., are designed to travel 150 miles per hour.
But they rarely do because the area's path is winding and its infrastructure is aging. In addition, passenger trains must yield to freight trains traveling the same tracks and slow down at multiple crossings and stations. As a result, Acela's average speed between Boston and New York is 62 miles per hour and 82 miles an hour between New York and Washington, D.C." Parent
It is amazing to do title searches and see who still owns the mineral rights to large swaths of Colorado--the railroads. Parent
Most people don't even think about the mineral rights when they buy property. If anything, they're more concerned about the water rights. A friend of mine found out this out the hard way--his prime mountain acreage West of Trinidad now has several coalbed methane fracking wells sitting on and around it. With all the attendent roads and infrastructure to go with them. Parent
The problem in the N.E. is space - there just isn't any. That's actually a big problem around here just with the commuter rail - they have too many trains on not enough track, so it's really inefficient. Also with the subway in NYC they planned ahead and built double tracks side by side, one for operations, one for maintenence, so the trains can run all night. Our subway has only one track, and it stops running around 12:30 - 1:30 AM for maintenence. I realize this may seem like whining to those with no trains at all, but think logistically what it means to have bars close at 2 but the trains stop running at 1. It's kind of a nightmare.
The problem is decades upon decades of poor planning, building highways, and not investing in the necessary infrastructure for trains. That's not to say it can't be done now, but it's a whole lot harder to do now because of what we've done in the past. It may be easier actually to build new, fast trains in other parts of the country where they have more space. But the N.E. is the only part of the country where trains are remotely profitable. Although that's not to say we shouldn't do it anyway. It's not like highways make a profit either. Parent
The bigger problem I have is the "profitability" argument. Highways never had to make a dime for anyone. And you could basically put in track most places you can put in a new highway. But amtrak sure doesn't like the "who cares if it makes a profit" argument. Parent
Kind of silly to expect them to all of the sudden turn a profit. Parent
What would a world with decriminalized drug laws (at least marijuana) be like in America? What vested interests oppose (i.e. alcohol) such initiatives and why (decreased market share)...Does decriminalizing drugs affect other types of crimes' rates? What could our government use the resources of another tax source for? What could our peace officers focus on instead?
Please.
Another thing I wonder is if legalizing marijuana could lessen the use of more dangerous drugs. I have a reason which is so half-baked I won't share it, but there probably is some evidence on that point by now. Parent
But don't worry, the state can still make a killing with a reasonable tax rate considering the low cost of production and the high black market prices for premium product. Just don't go nuts like NY State with their tobacco sin taxes, driving people to the rez for tax-free smokes. Parent
They flagged him in the final manifest.
It is interesting that the TSA apparently doesn't run every passenger through the computer. But what it comes down to is that their job is to keep planes safe, not arrest people being "watched." Parent
But to me it seems like he wanted to get caught from the start. He really did everything wrong. Parent
I find it disturbing that the no fly list doesn't get auto updated seamlessly when names are added. When they get ready to board the plane, the computer at the gate should have cross checked names . . . Parent
"The law enforcement work in this case was truly exemplary."
Perhaps before they turned it over to the feds . . . they lost track of the dude and he's able to buy a ticket and board a plane . . . Parent
This just makes my head hurt. I was enjoying watching the deer just last week from my parents east bay backyard. Deer are part of life around here . . . .
John Exum
Steve Resteivo
"Boots" Love (How is this person not a Democrat?)
I don't know what "Boots"' real name is either, it isn't on the signs and apparently "Boots" doesn't give a damn if some misplaced Yankee doesn't know what his/her legal name is :)
I would have been upset if they had tasered the poor thing also. Especially if it was the same officer that took 7 shots at it. I can't believe they couldn't figure out how to properly deal with a deer (with Fish and Game almost there!) Parent
Insult to injury...the broadcasters laughing about it as the kid hits the ground, and I quote, "like a bag of onions".
Where has our humanity gone I wonder... Parent
But I guess thats technically illegal. Parent
As for Greece, its location near southern Italy could make it perfect for joining the new country made from that southern half of Italy, Sicily, etc. -- a country renamed Bordello.
(I don't think that the Vatican, which ends up in said new country, would appreciate the humor.) Parent
Bambi is a varmint.
;-)
And I didn't say the method of dispatch used met my approval.
Animal control should have trank'd him and then shipped him to Alabama... He could have taught the native deer how to complain. Parent
Who has time to worry about somehow preventing the next loser from loading a Pathfinder full of propane and M88's, we've got real problems that maybe, with a little brainstorming, we could actually alleviate. Parent
That's what happened here when a deer hit my car. And I stand by that story; I was where I belonged on the highway, and I did not hit the deer.
Still, I also got hit with a very high ticket for -- wait for it -- deer hunting without a license.
(That's how the state covers the costs of having to pick up all the roadkill on our highways. But I was so broke then. So the cop took pity and told me to stand by the highway and see if someone came along who wanted some free venison for sausage. Sure enough, it took only minutes. So no cleanup cost for the state, and the cop tore up the ticket.)