Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Afternoon Funnies...

So, I'm home...hours late and dead tired, but home!

While I'm waiting for my brain to reboot, I thought I'd give a big ole two-thumbs up salute to BATFE for their crackdown on ninjas — an increasingly critical threat in today's higher risk environment. From the University of Georgia RED & BLACK:
ATF rids Univ. of ninja threat

ATF agents are always on alert for anything suspicious — including ninjas.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents, on campus Tuesday for Project Safe Neighborhoods training, detained a “suspicious individual” near the Georgia Center, University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.

Jeremiah Ransom, a sophomore from Macon, was leaving a Wesley Foundation pirate vs. ninja event when he was detained.

After being held in investigative detention, he was found to have violated no criminal laws and was not arrested.

“It was surreal,” Ransom said. “I was jogging from Wesley to Snelling when I heard someone yell ‘freeze.’”

Ransom said he thought a friend was playing a joke before he realized officers had guns drawn and pointed at him.

ATF agents had noticed Ransom’s suspicious behavior and clothing and gave chase, apprehending him, Williamson said.
Darn good job! If I was a ninja gunsmith, I'd be quaking in my boots!

And our TSA/Homeland Security ace Dudley Do-Rights are doing their part to protect us all from various and sundry menaces, including those stealthy HO-RA! death dealers, the Marines. From MSNBC:
‘No-fly’ list delays Marine's Iraq homecoming
Minnesota reservist detained after being identified as possible terrorist

NBC NEWS EXCLUSIVE

MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota reservist who spent the past eight months in Iraq was told he couldn't board a plane to Minneapolis because his name appeared on a "no-fly" list as a possible terrorist.

Marine Staff Sgt. Daniel Brown, who was in uniform and returning from the war with 26 other Marine military police reservists, was delayed briefly in Los Angeles until the issue was cleared up.

The other reservists arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as scheduled, but instead of immediately meeting their families, they waited on a bus for Brown...
Is it just me, or are we all starting to orbit the bottom of the toilet bowl? Didn't we elect Bush and his fraternity brothers to stop all this crap? Heck, and that's npot even to mention the ascention of Katie Couric, the continued popularity of American Idol and rampant eye fungus, all of which are clearly listed in the Book of Revelations as signs that the big flashing Game Over finale is just hours away.

I wonder if there's any beer in the house?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Death Match 2006

The "I'm from the government here to help you" Match

TSA aiport screeners versus ATF field agents.

Put it on Shooting Gallery and watch the ratings go through the roof.

Anonymous said...

But there isn't a list!

Not one that you can find out if you're on....or defend your name and standing BEFORE you get screwed over while at the airport.

The inmates aren't just running the asylum, they own it and get the tax breaks!

kmitch200

Anonymous said...

The "ninja" was seen running down the sidewalk as a police car went by on the way to a call with the lights and sirens activated. It was reasonable for them to repsond. It is their tactics that should be questioned.

What would anyone reading this have thought to have seen a guy with his face covered and appeared to be running from the police?

Plain clothes agents running into a crowd with weapons drawn wasn't a good idea, and holding the guy down with a knee to the neck is not good, but a response was justified.

Anonymous said...

Was it reasonable for them to respond?

BATFE has authority in matters of ATFE. If the "ninja" wasn't drinking, smoking, shooting, or exploding, what was their justification?

If "jogging with face covered" is not a felony, did the agents have any legal authority for their actions?

Anonymous said...

Come on folks, this was a good faith response to what they thought was a legitimate crime in progress.

If this guy had started shooting and the story broke that ATF had seen the guy and not reacted y'all would be screaming about them not reacting.

I'll agree that they could have used better tactics and handled the post-incident media coverage much better, but the bashing of these guys for reacting to this is purely for the sake of cop-bashing, especially ATF-bashing. I'm no fan of the agency, but these guys acted in good faith.