Crime

Marvelous Spring day.  A little rainy in the AM but gloriously sunny in the PM.  As my Grandfather always said each year as he got into his '80's:  "The grass is so much greener this year than ever before!"  Now that I am in my grandfather's image, I can say the same thing.

Today, I went on a Men's Club tour of a place I did not even know existed. (FR Reconstructions)  It is a massive building in which cars are modified to make them handicap accessible.  Some of these cars become mini-ambulances and vans that can be put to good use by companies that transport disabled people. They also build those yellow polka-dotted buses that are used at the major airports to transfer people from their cars to the air terminals.

These are beautiful machines.  I would like to buy one to take Elaine around in her wheel chair more easily.  I will look into it.

But... now, I would like to talk about criminal activity that has caught my eye in The Week magazine, The New York Times, The Funny Paper, and other media.  As the coordinator of the Carroll County TRIAD organization, I am extremely interested in the many different ways con men and thieves do their jobs... also how the Police cope and do their jobs.

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Surprise!

An armed suspect was surprised when Los Angeles policemen deployed a robot to sneak up on him and grab his gun.

Prepop sez:  I wonder what the robot looked like.  A sexy lady maybe?  I'm sure he would not have been surprised if R2D2 suddenly appeared next to him.  He probably would have shot it.

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Con Men

Everybody gets caught sooner or later by a con man. (Last year, most of us were caught by a very clever con man.) Elizabeth Winkler says that the typical con artist "exhibits symptoms of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism - - a compulsion to manipulate."

Prepop sez:  Do you know any politician who might have such symptoms?

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Pull Over!

A California policeman pulled over (how?) a self-driving Google car for driving too slow (24 in a 35 mph zone.)  The poor cop couldn't figure out how to issue a ticket when there was nobody in the car.

Prepop sez:  This would make a great Mr. Bean comedy sketch.

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A really honest cop

A Wisconsin policeman gave himself a ticket for parking his squad car in a handicapped space.

Prepop sez:  Yes... "La loi, c'est la loi!"

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Expensive soda refill

A South Carolina construction worker "was fired and hit with a $525 fine for 'theft of government property' after failing to pay 89 cents for a soda refill."

Prepop sez:  There must be more to this story.  If not, I would suggest that whoever fined and fired him should be fined and fired.  Who the hell is this?  Barney Fife?

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Are you holding?

A Minnesota gun maker has come up with a handgun designed to look just like a smartphone.  It's a .380 caliber folding pistol that can fire two bullets.

Prepop sez:  Just what we need!

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Is that your pet python or are you glad to see me?

A lunatic in Portland, Oregon stole a 2-foot long python from a pet store by stuffing it down his pants.

Prepop sez:  The manager of the pet store says the guy was lucky the python wasn't hungry.

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Blue Law

According to Chuck Shepherd, the North Dakota House of Representatives voted to retain the state's blue law requiring stores to be closed on Sundays.  One Representative explained:  "Spending time with your wife, your husband, making him breakfast, bringing it to him in bed is better than shopping."

Prepop sez:  Dream on, Mr. Representative!

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Putin Arrested!

Mr. Vladimir Putin was arrested in a Publix Supermarket in Florida.  He was accused of trespassing and resisting arrest.  He was said to be belligerent and uncooperative.

Prepop sez:  Would you believe that there were two Vladimir Putins?  The Florida version and the Moscow version seem to have the same characteristics besides the same names.


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Enough!