A Florida man with some serious tattoos on his face wound up in jail after trying to con the cops into giving him a ride to a bar.

The make matters worse, the man initially dialed 911 claiming he’d been assaulted, then, when the cops showed up, ended up assaulting the cops. We’re not sure whether he’s been able to post bond in order to get out in time for New Year’s Eve, or, whether he’ll do a repeat and ask the cops for a ride to a bar.

Fla. man wanting ride to bar calls 911, arrested

The TSA might have dropped the ball with keeping Americans safe in the skies, but if you’re a blogger writing about the affair–look out! They’re hell on wheels.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) flexes its mighty muscles–against bloggers who wrote, after the fact, that the TSA was increasing security at airports.

From TSA Subpoenas Bloggers, Demands Names of Sources:

TSA special agents served subpoenas to travel bloggers Steve Frischling and Chris Elliott, demanding that they reveal who leaked the security directive to them. The government says the directive was not supposed to be disclosed to the public.

One of the bloggers said that the TSA agents “threatened to interfere with his contract to write a blog for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines if he didn’t cooperate and provide the name of the person who leaked the memo.”

If only the TSA were so zealous in its protection of Americans’ safety.

The TSA can’t keep a Nigerian who’s on a terror watch list off an American plane, but when it comes to bloggers who write about an obvious increase in airport security–boy, look out! They’re hell on wheels.

Scratch that “obvious increase in airport security” remark.

When the TSA is concerned, nothing is obvious except CYA.

UPDATE

MORE: TSA subpoenas, threatens two bloggers who published non-classified airline security directive:

Attendants on my flight explained that the stepped-up procedures came from a just-issued TSA security directive. As soon as airlines and airports began implementing the directive—and that began before the bloggers posted their copies—the contents of the directive were no secret. So why the strong-arm tactics?

Exactly.

Instapundit says it’s to “send a message to the leakers–in a way the Bush Administration never did.”

He makes one additional point that was on this writer’s mind, though lost in the rush to publish.

“It would have been nice to see such keen interest in the sourcing of certain MSM terror stories, in prior years.”

Exactly x2.

UPDATE on Jan 1 2010: TSA withdraws subpoenas of travel bloggers

Judicial Watch on “Your tax dollars at work.”

From Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2009:

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

Included on the Top Ten list is:

• Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn)
• Senator John Ensign (R-NV)
• Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
• Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner
• Attorney General Eric Holder
• Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)/ Senator Roland Burris (D-IL)
• President Barack Obama
• Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
• Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and the rest of the PMA Seven
• Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

More on the “PMA Seven” from the John Murtha entry below.

As many as six other Members of Congress are currently under scrutiny according to The Washington Post. They include: Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-VA), Norm Dicks (D-WA.), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS.). Of course rather than investigate this serious scandal, according to Roll Call House Democrats circled the wagons, “cobbling together a defense to offer political cover to their rank and file.” The Washington Post also reported in 2009 that Murtha’s nephew received $4 million in Defense Department no-bid contracts: “Newly obtained documents…show Robert Murtha mentioning his influential family connection as leverage in his business dealings and holding unusual power with the military.”

More on each of the honorees at the Judicial Watch link above.

Is this an example of ‘your tax dollars at work’–or ‘working for your tax dollars’?

We recently noted the dire predictions of the MSM that Australia was a “harbinger” of global warming with devastating drought and heatwaves which climate scientists claim will only grow in intensity. Those predictions have taken a recent beating by way of the weather failing to cooperate. We’re predicting the record rainfall and cooler weather won’t be reported by the MSM, or, the AP’s science writer Seth Borenstein and, so far, we haven’t been proved wrong.

Here’s the latest from Australia and New South Wales with rivers recording high “record peaks” not recorded since 1944:

State Emergency Service crews are now concentrating their efforts on rural properties in the northwest of NSW, with the areas of Brewarrina and Narrabri being declared natural disasters.

On Wednesday, there were concerns for people in the northern NSW townships of Thora and Darkwood becoming isolated because of a likelihood of the Upper Bellinger River flooding.

And,

Flood warnings still apply to the Bellinger river, near Coffs Harbour, the MacIntyre River, near Boggabilla, the Castlereagh River, near Coonamble, the Macquarie River, Macquarie, near Warren, and the Bogan River, near Nyngan.

Culgoa and Bokhara Rivers, near Goodwin, are also affected.

“These rivers are peaking at the highest that we have recorded since 1944, so they are pretty major floodings,” Mr Campbell said.

Floods turn SES efforts to NSW northwest

A 5.8 earthquake was felt today over a wide swath of the Southwest including San Diego, Phoenix and Tijuana. The earthquake, which caused slight damage occurred at 10:48 a.m about 23 miles south of Calexico in Imperial County and 20 miles from Mexicali, which is located in Mexico.

A report from Science Daily found “California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years, according scientists using a new model to determine the probability of big quakes”, and that, “The likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the state”.

Despite these predictions, we’ve found that only “about 10%” of California homeowners have earthquake insurance.

Regular homeowner’s insurance doesn’t include earthquake or flood insurance. According to United Policy Holders, a large earthquake could mean from 10-100% of your home’s structure damaged or destoyed.

5.8 earthquake produces intense shaking but few reports of damage on California-Mexico border

Mutassim Gaddafi, Hillary Clinton

Bet Charlie Sheen wishes his dad, Martin Sheen, was a world leader….

Bodyguards and diplomatic immunity came in handy once again for Moutassim Gaddafi, 37, son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi on Christmas day after U.K. police responded to reports of “terrified screams for help” coming from Gaddafi’s luxury suite.

Gaddafi and his family, including his wife, Libyan model Aline Skaf, 29, were staying at London’s Claridge Hotel in a £4,000-a-night suite. Three of Gaddafi’s bodyguards were arrested for obstructing police officers after blocking the cops from entering Gaddafi’s locked room. Somehow, Gaddafi managed to “slip away” and contact the Libyan Ambassador who informed the police Gaddafi had diplomatic immunity. Skaf was taken to the hospital with what looked to be a suspected broken nose. She later claimed she accidentally “fell”.

This wasn’t the first time Gaddafi has used diplomatic immunity to escape from alleged domestic “incidents” while abroad:

In July, 2008, both Gaddafi and Skaf were arrested for allegedly beating up their servants at a Geneva Hotel.

The couple were charged after staff at the President Wilson Hotel – where the Gaddafis were staying as Miss Skaf prepared to give birth in a Geneva hospital – claimed they were beaten with a belt and a clothes hanger.

Two of Hannibal’s bodyguards were also held after they clashed with police making the arrest.

The couple, who denied wrongdoing, were later released on bail and the complaint was dropped after the two servants received compensation from an undisclosed source.

But the incident led to a long-running diplomatic stand-off, with Libya stopping oil exports to Switzerland, boycotting Swiss imports, cutting flights between the two countries and refusing visas to Swiss citizens.

In Paris in 2005, Gaddafi allegedly punched Skaf, who was Gaddifi’s girlfriend and 8 months pregnant with the couple’s first child. Gaddafi also allegedly brandished a handgun. Gaddafi then “let off some steam” by moving to a new hotel then smashing the furniture.

A year earlier, he was involved in a high-speed police chase, driving along the Champs Elysees at 90mph in his black Porsche. When stopped by police, his bodyguards attacked the officers.

No charges were brought after Libyan diplomats apologised.

In 2003 he was involved in a brawl in Rome that left six photographers hospitalised and he also caused mayhem while on holiday there in 2001, hurling bottles and attacking three policemen after a night downing cocktails.

Gaddafi’s playboy son ‘attacked model wife in £4,000 Claridge’s suite’

The following story out of Clearwater, Florida, is almost unfathomable: Police allege an 11-yr-old girl, along with her 15-yr-old boyfriend, poured gasoline on the girl’s 48-yr-old mother’s bedroom floor and bed while the mother was asleep. The two far worse than juvenile delinquents then stole the mother’s car. A smoke alarm saved the mother’s life but not before she suffered burns and smoke inhalation.

Police: ‘Teenage angst’ led Clearwater girl, 11, and teen boyfriend to try to set mom on fire