TheAgitator.com
Morning Links
Thursday, January 24th, 2008- I know. If there’s a hell, I’m buying my ticket by linking to this. But man. You’d think somebody would’ve caught it.
- A Seattle photographer wrongly arrested for taking pictures of another arrest has been awarded $8,000.
- TSA arrests a man for bringing a loaded gun through a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport. Except they arrested him only after he’d already made it though, realized his mistake, and went back to notify authorities. Shouldn’t the priority here be not on the guy who made an absent-minded mistake then went back and did the right thing, but on figuring out how the guy got a loaded gun through security–without even trying to hide it? Just a thought.
- That’s quite the secret ingredient.
- Inside-out bears.
- At last, the perfect politician.
- New Facebook aps you’ll see soon. “Thick as a Brickster” is really just a piggy-back ap on the more popular Left Overture-ster.
Do they make those light swtiches in catholic priest form? If so…gotta have one!!!
Only 8 cloves? WIMPS
The light switch cover has to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
It took me three passes to spot the garlic thing.
BUT, in my defense, I’ve never made cookies.
That TSA article really gets my goat. I understand that the man broke a law and, in effect, turned himself in; but, a little common sense would’ve allowed the guy to admit his mistake and go on his merry way (and leave the gun behind, of course).
BTW, how did this guy get a gun thru a machine that goes nuts when I forget I have a quarter in my pocket?
Mother Mary of God, Jesus has a stiffy. (See you later Radley).
It went to the website where one can find the Jesus pic. The blog caption is in Spanish:
“Muchos de nuestros lectores dirán que somos unos malpensados, pero todo hay que decirlo, el que hizo este interruptor, lo hizo a mala leche. Que últimamente no esta el horno para muchos bollos.”
The Babelfish translation approaches an “all your base are belong to us” level of absurdity:
“Many of our readers will say that we are malpensados, but everything is necessary to say it, the one that this switch did, did it to bad milk. That lately not this the furnace for many buns.”
http://www.votehealey.com/
This guy runs for LT governor in RI every election on the platform of abolishing the office. Always got my vote, but sadly very few others vote for him.
Had one of those switchplates in my house growing up. Most Catholic families in the neighborhood had one.
“Muchos de nuestros lectores dirán que somos unos malpensados, pero todo hay que decirlo, el que hizo este interruptor, lo hizo a mala leche. Que últimamente no esta el horno para muchos bollos.”
Translation from a native Spanish speaker:
“Many of our readers will say that we have a dirty mind, but everything needs to be said, the maker of this switch, did it knowingly. Lately, things are really tense.”
About the guy who got arrested for taking pictures of an arrest, I see the proliferation of personal cameras (especially in cell phones) as posing such a threat to police agencies (national and local), that eventually, there will be legislation preventing the taking of pictures during police actions or at least the dissemination of such pictures. The justification will be to protect the officers from retribution or some such thing. It may sound far fetched, but a lot of what is taken for granted now was far fetched not long ago.
I don’t believe the man with a gun was arrested. The article you linked to was not very clear, but other sources state he was issued a summons and allowed to continue on his trip. IANAL, but I’m pretty sure that’s the same thing that happens when you get a speeding ticket. It seems like a reasonable thing to do to give someone a ticket for taking a gun thru security. Even if it did admit it and give the gun to security, shouldn’t we use some method to keep track of him and the event?
I’d say he should be be punished lightly, but taking a gun to the airport is irresponsible and illegal. To say nothing of keeping track of the guy, just in case it was an attempt to see how our security reacts to events such as these ( unlikely, but we do pay the TSA to worry about security. ) It also bears pointing out that they were treating the guy leniently by giving him a ticket for a misdemeanor instead of arresting him for a felony, as I’m sure they would have if they had found the gun while he was at the checkpoint.
Of course the line about how the TSA having a very high percentage of finding firearms is BS. Only in the government would a 40% success rate ( from government tests ) be described as very high. And only the government would make statements like that while at the same time saying things like “we have to win everytime, but if they win once the world will end”.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/22/AR2008012204127.html
Does this guy also flag down the nearest police officer when he catches himself speeding?
The TSA is pretty silly to impose ANY penalty on that guy. The whole point of laws and punishments is to consider what kind of behavior we want to encourage or discourage.
It should be obvious that the next guy who accidentally has his firearm with him and walks through security will probably not go back and tell someone just to avoid the hassle of a fine or a summons or an arrest. That same person who would have considered turning himself in obviously poses no significant threat on a plane, even with a gun, so he’ll likely just pass right through.
So if the goal is to “keep track of” such a person, or understand where our detectors fail and why, we want to make it as easy as possible for folks to turn around and admit hey forgot about their gun.
Oh, And no one would admit to such a thing if they were testing our systems for criminal or harmful reasons.
Mayhap, the light switch was designed by a Catholic priest in-order turn Jesus on. Next up, Father Nelson’s guide to wrestling choke- holds.
“Who’s your savior? Oh yeah, turn Jesus on.”
Re: the politician link – I don’t know that I could ever vote for someone who thinks that checks and balances are “a euphemism for duplication of effort.”
Here’s another:
http://flickr.com/photos/99626741@N00/41683440/
Reminds me of a joke, preist and rabbi walking down the street and see paperboy,:
Priest: Let’s screw him!
Rabbi: Of What?
Stupidity is “point” toward promotion at TSA. It’s obvious. Just watch them in action for a minute or two.
Re TSA:
They weren’t the ones that arrested him. He was detained/cited by police, for breaking a law. Airports are completely off-limits for carrying a weapon… if you wish to travel with one, you claim it and check it along with your baggage.
Another thing he could have done was simply walk back out to his car, and secure the weapon. But alerting security that you’ve got a gun in a restricted part of the airport is certainly going to get you into the legal system…
I dont know if he is licensed to carry a concealed weapon or not, but on the Places Off Limits list, airports are quite near the top.
Wonder if the garlic cloves are a copyright trap… map makers will throw in fictional cul de sacs on out of the way sections of their maps to help them spot if their maps have been swiped by other map makers. Perhaps the garlic cloves are cul de sacs, as it were.
Almost a perfect politician. A perfect politician involves a tree.