A few days back an internet millionaire decided to run his Ferrari Enzo into a telephone pole at more than 160 mph. It seemed like a sad fate for a rare car, like inadvertently running over a Black Rhinoceros or something similar. Via Kevin Drum, the story gets wierder:
A few minutes later, two unidentified men arrived at the crash site on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and flashed cards and said they were from “homeland security,” according to a Sheriff’s Department report.
Everything now connects somehow to terrorism.
srv
These people are so busy chasing “terrorists” and yet they still have time to investigate traffic accidents. I’ll tell you what, we are in an era of supermen.
Perhaps they’ll work this issue into the next ridiculous episode of 24.
Kazinski
Not necessarily. What you have to remember is that Homeland Security took a zillion existing federal agencies and put them together under one umbrella. Every time a boater runs out of gas between Marina Del Ray and Catalina then Homeland Security gets involved via the Coast Guard. It doesn’t mean they think they are terrorists.
Kazinski
I should have followed the links, I wasn’t the Federal Department of Homeland Security that showed up, it was two local bozos from a regional transit agency, that flashed their badges and said they were “Homeland Security”. It was probably some bizarre tribute to Barney Fife.
Ben
probably a pair of bloggers looking for exclusive pics. :)
Al Maviva
Hey, cut it out with the facts, Kazinski. As SRV could tell you, that story is just too good to not blame it on Bush.
San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, same thing, really.
stickler
Back in college, I knew a guy who liked to race his Acura a lot. Commuting to and from home (he lived in Seattle), he once went over what he thought would be a deserted and nearly flat, straight highway south of Yakima. He wanted to open ‘er up real good.
He did.
Unfortunately, when he got over 120, he was on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (the public highway crosses it), and apparently even back in the ’80s Uncle Sam was paying attention. He got pulled over — by a black helicopter, a big black SUV, and a couple of guys on motorcycles. They were not affiliated with the Washington State Patrol.
He got to spend a few hours explaining to the nice men from the Defense Department why he was not a threat to the nation’s security.
Joey
Where did srv blame it on Bush? Perhaps you have some really super awesome psychic powers, and could read his mind, but I don’t see anything about Bush anywhere in the comment.
Joey
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the X-Files, it’s that black helicopters rarely bring any good with them, especially when on or near government property.
srv
Exactly. That had nothing to do with Bush.
Exactly, you didn’t quite follow LA Times links. The owner of the vehicle (Eriksson) is the one who called himself the “deputy commissioner” of the SGVTA. The alleged “DHS” guys showed up later.
25 years ago, everybody needed their own SWAT team. 20 years ago, they needed anti-drug teams. Now every little town is getting an anti-terror team. And DHS priorities fund all those little projects. It’s a republican concept, called Federalization.
And 99% might as well be flushed down the toilet. Personally, I blame Hitlery.
CaseyL
“Hitlery”? Is that what the wingers are calling Hillary Clinton these days? It sounds like a fashion line:
“Coming down the runway now is Rovio for Fall: hatch-fastened white blouse and forest green jodphurs tucked into knee-high boots, with a faux-belt trenchcoat of poplin over black silk; with peak cap and epaulette accents. It’s autumnal; it’s commanding; it’s Hitlery!”
Kazinski
I do blame Bush for the Department Homeland security. He was against it when it was proposed because it took a bunch of unrelated Federal agencies like Fema, the Coast Gaurd, Secret Service, INS and Customs and glued them together. He caved because it was a popular proposal, and it was good politics to go along. It was a bad idea, but it did work out politically, at least so far, with the pickup of one Senate seat in Georgia that was directly related to the issue.
srv
Ha! You must have been in the industry. But I think she’ll need a Warrantless War Powers Saddle Whip to go with that. Assuming the Diebold programmers are onboard.
stickler
Har, har. The Diebold guys are the new Masons.
(Plus they may have actually helped steal an election or two. Paranoiacs should avoid at this point looking at a dollar bill.)
Pb
Heh. I’ve got to say, I love it when the wingnuts (not you, srv, irony isn’t dead yet) casually whip out Hitlery, and then go on to whine about *everyone else’s* Nazi references. Comparing Bush’s actions to Hitler’s actions is seditious treason of course, but actually sticking “Hitler” into a sitting Senator’s name is fun for the whole family! IOKIYAR.
Pb
CaseyL,
But I thought it was springtime for Hitler…
John S.
Wow, Republican water-carriers like Al are steaming up from all the heat evaporating their water, or at least so one could surmise from such a hypersensitive (and off the mark) reaction.
Behind every corner lurks someone wanting to blame our intrepid President for the ills of the world — in every shadow hides an un-American not clapping hard enough to win the war.
Ancient Purple
Indeed. Including being a responsible person and paying your bills.
Because if your are a diabiolical terrorist, the first thing on your mind is making sure your JCPenney Platinum MasterCard bill has been paid in full.
Everyone is now a suspected terrorist.
Oh, goody.
Marcus Wellby
I saw a commercial on CNN this morning for the Masons. It was, I kid you not, a recruitment ad of some sort. The URL they gave was http://www.askafreemason.org/.
I may look into it. We can talk about Global Domination — right after ping-pong tourneys and some beers.
The Other Steve
We need to fight the Enzo Ferrari’s over there, so we don’t have to fight them here.
Otto Man
These Homeland Security guys should be focused on the real threats to America — people looking at porn on library computers.
Krista
Ancient Purple – that’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so damn disturbing. I can see them waiting until the check clears before applying the credit to the account – that’s standard practice when large cheques are sent. But Homeland Security? Yowzah…
Brian
I live in L.A., and have been following this story closely. Personally, even though it’s in the report, I think the homeland security part is bullshit. That’s just too ridiculous to believe. I think next week a lot more is going to be coming out about this crash, after the cops get all the loose ends tied up.
In the meantime, check this out! Lots of cool exotic car crashes for your viewing pleasure.
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/
Krista
What’ll happen to you if it’s proven to be true? Will your faith be shaken? If so, we’ll all be here to either help you pick up the pieces, or gloat, depending on how nice you’ve been to us in the past. :)
Jim Allen
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Lili
Good for you, Giving up emotions even negative ones is a very hard prospect. Reading you post made me think about if there are any negative emotions that I need to shut out of my life.
The Daily Times
An interesting view of the automotive industry. Where do you see the future of the industry, will it ever recover or will there be major casulties?