Schadenfreude

Afghan customs fines hike cost of U.S. military pullout

"A customs dispute between the Afghan and US governments has disrupted the withdrawal of American military equipment, dramatically inflating the cost of the drawdown, defense officials said. With Afghan authorities insisting the United States owes millions of dollars in customs fines and trucks carrying hardware being blocked at border crossings, the Americans have started flying out most equipment by air at great cost. The Afghan government is insisting that US forces pay $1,000 for each shipping container leaving the country that lacks what it calls a valid customs form. And authorities now claim the Americans owe $70 million in fines." Continue reading →

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Poland Traffic Cameras Battered, Government Seeks Insurer

"Attacks on speed cameras in Poland have become so common that the country's transportation department is looking for companies to insure the 185 speed cameras and red light cameras that will be in place by September. The policy would cover 30 million zloty (US $9 million) worth of equipment against losses that have included the destruction of 31 cameras last year, or about one out of four devices in operation Interia.pl reported." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoland Traffic Cameras Battered, Government Seeks Insurer

Politicians, Staff Threaten To Quit Over Obamacare Exchange Mandate

"I had some fun back in April when I noted that politicians and staff on Capitol Hill were getting very agitated about having to be part of Obamacare. Well, it seems that the way the law applies to them is so costly that many of them are thinking about calling it quits. Here are some of the heartbreaking details. Because of sloppy legislative language in Obamacare, it appears that the politicians and Hill staffers will have to pay for health insurance with after-tax dollars out of their own pockets. If things get too hard for those blokes and gals, maybe the powers that be on the Hill can re-hire the grief counselors who were put on the payroll after the 2010 elections." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoliticians, Staff Threaten To Quit Over Obamacare Exchange Mandate

IRS head Lois Lerner invokes 5th Amendment but may be compelled to testify anyway

"The woman at the center of the IRS scandal refused to testify to Congress on Wednesday, but House Republicans said Lois Lerner botched her attempt to invoke her right against self-incrimination and said they likely will force her to come back and explain why the agency targeted conservative political groups. Ms. Lerner’s refusal to testify shifted attention to her onetime boss, former Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman, who apologized to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee but refused to take responsibility, leaving furious lawmakers warning that the Internal Revenue Service could end up facing a special prosecutor." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS head Lois Lerner invokes 5th Amendment but may be compelled to testify anyway

New York Fire Department Rescues Cop Stuck in Tree Trying to Rescue Cat

"Firefighters had to rescue an NYPD officer stuck in a tree after the cop climbed up to try and save a cat Monday in Queens. The FDNY responded with a tower ladder and found the officer and the cat about 30 feet up in the tree. Both were rescued 'safe and sound,' FDNY says. 'It was kind of comical,' said neighbor Jeff Yu. 'They seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were no rude comments or anything.' The officer had lit a flare and set up cones on the ground underneath the tree before going up but onlookers ignored them as they gathered and gawked from the ground, said Yu." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York Fire Department Rescues Cop Stuck in Tree Trying to Rescue Cat

French Socialist budget minister charged with hiding money in UBS account

"France's former budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac confessed on Tuesday to having hidden €600,000 ($770,000) in foreign bank accounts for the last 20 years, reversing repeated denials weeks after a probe was launched into his alleged Swiss account. The minister, who faces five years in prison and a fine of up to €375,000 said he had been 'caught up in a spiral of lies and lost his way.' Cahuzac had been leading the government's charge against wealthy French citizens evading taxes through foreign accounts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench Socialist budget minister charged with hiding money in UBS account

Cops running out of bullets? Thank the NRA

"Dayne Pryor is the chief of police in Rollingwood, Texas, a small suburb of Austin. 'I’ve been in law enforcement for 31 years and I’ve been a chief for eight years,' he sighs. 'And it’s just one of those things that I never thought I’d have a problem with, especially being in Texas.' Pryor’s problem, he explains to Salon, is that he’s having trouble finding ammunition and firearms for his officers, thanks to a national shortage. The cause? A run on supply from gun lovers afraid that Congress or state legislatures will impose new gun control laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops running out of bullets? Thank the NRA

Colorado corrections department chief killed at his home

"Authorities in Colorado are looking for suspects in the shooting death of the director of the state department of corrections, Tom Clements, at his home Tuesday night. KCNC-TV reported Wednesday morning that Clements was shot while answering the front door of his home in Monument, Colorado, around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Though emergency reponders were called in, Clements was pronounced dead at the scene. According to The Associated Press, Clements was appointed by Hickenlooper to head the department in 2011 after working in the Missouri Department of Corrections for more than 30 years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado corrections department chief killed at his home

Then They Came For the Prosecutors….

"Prosecutors in New Jersey have a long history of abuse, playing by their own rules, and (of course) always getting away with their dishonest actions, since the courts for the most part have covered for the worst of the bunch. However, it seems that the state's prosecutors have been a bit too successful in their relentless pursuit of gun owners, as an appeals court in New Jersey has ruled that retired prosecutors are 'not entitled the same concealed carry permits afforded retired law enforcement officers.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThen They Came For the Prosecutors….

Anti-marijuana New York assemblyman busted for weed possession

"A Republican lawmaker in New York who has a record of voting against medical marijuana legalization has been arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. State police said that a suspicious odor was noticed in Assemblyman Steve Katz’s vehicle when they pulled him over for driving around 80 mph in a 75 mph zone at around 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Katz was given an appearance ticket for having less than 25 grams and is scheduled to appear in Coeymans Town Court on March 8. He also faces charges for speeding." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnti-marijuana New York assemblyman busted for weed possession